An apicoectomy or root-end resection is a surgical form of root canal therapy that can help save a tooth following a persistent inflammation or infection after a root canal procedure. In this treatment, your endodontist will open the gum tissue by the tooth to reveal the bone, and remove any inflamed or infected tissue, as well as the end of the root. A small filling is then placed in the remaining canals.

Generally, a root canal is all that is needed to save teeth with injured pulp from extraction. Occasionally, a nonsurgical root canal procedure alone cannot save your tooth and your endodontist will recommend surgery. Endodontic surgery can be used to locate small fractures or hidden canals that weren't detected on x-rays or during previous treatment. Surgery may also be needed to remove calcium deposits in root canals, or to treat damaged root surfaces or the surrounding bone of the tooth. We use advanced technologies like digital imaging and a surgical operating microscope to perform surgeries quickly, comfortably, and successfully. There are many surgical procedures that can be performed to save a tooth. The most common is called an apicoectomy, or root-end resection, which is

occasionally needed when inflammation or infection persists in the bony area around the end of your tooth after a root canal procedure. In this microsurgical procedure, the endodontist opens the gum tissue near the tooth to see the underlying bone and to remove any inflamed or infected tissue along with the very end of the root. A small filling may be placed to seal the end of the root canal and few stitches or sutures are placed to help the tissue heal. The bone heals around the end of the root over a period of months. Local anesthetics make the procedure comfortable, sedation is available, and most patients return to their normal activities the next day. Post-surgical discomfort is generally mild.