AboutGary Backlund, DMD, MSD Expertise I am an Endodontist ( root canal specialist ) and can answer questions about root canals and their treatment. I cannot diagnose or treat online, but can answer general questions. I have been a specialist for 25 years and am Past President of the Washington State Association of Endodontists.
Experience 25 years practicing as a specialist
Organizations American Association of Endodonists, Past President Washington State Association of Endodontists.
Question Hi Dr. Backlund, I'm wondering for people who need root canals because they have an infection going on around the bone area, after the root canal, is it guaranteed that the bone on the infection will go away?
Are there cases where the root canal is done beautifully, but the infection is still in the bone?
And also, if the dentist or endodontist see on the x-ray that the root canal is done beautifully, is retreatment usuaully recommend anyway if symptoms persist, such as pain or swelling?
Answer Hi Jane,
Unfortunately, when you are dealing with the human body, nothing is 100%. While root canals have a very high success rate, actually they have a higher success rate than a silver filling in terms of percentages, about 2-3% fail for no reason that dentists can discover.
When a situation like this happens, the treatment depends on the "suspected" cause. If we have done the root canal and can't see a reason why there is a problem, we would probably not do a retreatment. We would most likely move right to a surgical option. In some cases, no matter what we do, we can't resolve the problem and the tooth needs to be removed. This is a VERY infrequent occurrence, but it does happen.
