Question Hello Dr. Appleton,
I went to a dentist for a root canal on tooth #4 and he did #5 by mistake. I have since had #4 done successfully by a different dentist but #5 is now causing me much pain and obviously has problems. My current dentist wants to retreat #5 as he has found that an entire canal was missed and the root canal was very poorly done. My question is: What are the chances of a successful outcome on a retreat of an originally healthy tooth? I'm petrified of having another root canal and am considering just dealing with the pain using medication . Thank you for any advice you may have for me, Lynn
Answer Hi Lynn
Have the tooth re-treated. You are right in thinking that the success of a re-root treatment is lower than that for an original root treatment, but in this particular case I think the problems aren't with the tooth but rather with the original dentist's treatment.
Please don't just rely on medication, as this will only prolong the inevitability of having the tooth extracted. Get it treated properly and you will be fine!
I am an experienced general dental practitioner in private dental practice. I have worked for the past 25 or so years in the UK, and own a busy practice in Stratford upon Avon,
Stratford Dental. From early 2012 my wife and I moved to Canberra, Australia, where I have taken up the position of Lead Dentist in a large city-centre practice. I will happily answer questions related to general practice, and have interests in endodontics (root canal), dental implants, CEREC/E4D cad-cam dentistry and cosmetic dentistry.
Experience
I have been a general dental practitioner for over 25 years, working initially under the NHS, but since 2001 have been solely in private practice. I run a busy practice with my wife, Lisa, who is also a dentist. I have also been closely involved in the training of young dentists, and have lectured to dentists on a variety of subjects, both clinical and managerial, related to general dental practice.