Apicoectomy

When a tooth does not completely heal 


An apicoectomy is a minor surgical procedure that is necessary when root canal therapy has not healed an infected tooth completely. Even after root canal therapy, infection sometimes may continue to grow at the tip of the tooth root, where it can dissolve jawbone and form a painful abscess. 




The procedure 


First, we numb the area to keep you completely comfortable throughout the procedure. Then we make a small incision in the gums next to the tooth's root. We carefully remove the thin bone covering the tooth's root so we can access it. 


We then remove the infected tissue at the root tip and seal the root with a filling material. In some cases, we may place bone grafting material into the space to help the bone to regrow around the root. Last, we replace the gum tissue and stitch it back into place. 


The bone tissue will heal to fill in the area around the tip of your tooth's root, and your tooth will once again be healthy and pain free. 




The benefits of an apicoectomy 


An apicoectomy removes infection, relieves pain, and helps healthy bone to grow in around the root. It is an important procedure that can save your tooth.