Root Surgery

Root Surgery is needed to remove and/or repair a diseased or damaged area of the root.  This may be due to infection at the end of the root or a destructive process called Resorption.

Occasionally, the bone is unable to heal with standard, non-surgical Root Canal Treatment or ReTreatment.  In this scenario, there may be bacteria outside of the root that can only be removed with Root Surgery.  This involves moving the gum tissue, removing the infected root tip and placing a root filling to seal the end of the root.  This give the body a "clean slate" to begin healing.  

Resorption is a destructive process where the body's own bone cells chew away at the root of a tooth.  This is a normal process for baby teeth - when the roots are resorbed, the tooth becomes loose and falls out.  Occasionally this process can actually affect adult teeth as well.  When this happens, the situation must be assessed to decide if the resorption be treated or not.  If the resorption can be treated, it usually involves completing Root Canal Therapy first, to remove the inflamed nerve.  The next step is to go under the gums and clean out the area of resorption followed by placement of a filling to rebuild the tooth.