Apicoectomy

Endodontic surgical procedure, where endodontists remove the inflamed periapical tissue and bone and the tip of the root. If the inflamed dental pulp is not treated on time, the infection can spread to the periapical tissues. It is also known as root end treatment, root end surgery and root-end filling. This is a very common procedure in dentistry. If the dental caries is not treated on time it progresses and it affects the dental pulp. Once it reaches there it has to be treated by a dentist. That infection is a really big problem, and it will soon result in a number of symptoms. In other words, the apicoectomy includes the resection of the root tip and the surrounding tissue. There is a special field in dentistry called microsurgical endodontics, that uses a microscope to perform the whole procedure.

Causes:

The most common cause is dental caries. If a root canal treatment is not successful at first, the apicoectomy might be a good way to go. Most dentists do a re-treatment of the root canal and if that is not successful also, then the last option is apicoectomy. Other factors include broken or chipped teeth, teeth with abnormal shapes of the roots, cysts on the roots tips, secondary canals and more.

Symptoms:

The patient might or might not be having any symptoms. If the infection surrounding the tip of the tooth is acute and active, the patient will feel severe pain and might even have a significant swelling. Other symptoms include sensitivity to hot and cold foods and drinks, sensitivity on touch or pressure and more.

Treatment:

It all depends on the individual case. For some patients, an apicoectomy is the perfect surgical treatment options, while for others the best option is extraction. Once you visit the dentist they will be able to let you know more about the best way to go for your personal case. If the apicoectomy is successful, you will be able to keep the tooth in your mouth, without the need of extraction. Before the procedure, your dentist will do an x-ray, and give you anesthesia. The treatment starts with a cut, either on the palate or the vestibular part of the mouth in the region of the tooth’s tip. That is when the dentist uses rotary instruments to resect the tip, and remove the surrounding inflamed tissue. Once they’re done with that, they have to close the tip with a good dental material to prevent leakage from the surrounding tissue to the root canals. The material, of course, has to be biocompatible. If the tooth is extracted, the treatment continues with an appropriate restoration that will replace the missing tooth. The procedure usually takes from 45 minutes up to one hour. In the following month, the bone will continue with recovery and regeneration. During the procedure, patients don’t feel any pain, since they are under anesthesia. After that, they might experience some discomfort of mild pain. They will be prescribed with anesthetics for that. The success rates are very high, especially if the procedure is done properly.