Apicoectomy

What is an apicoectomy?

An apicoectomy, or root-end resection, works on the tip of your tooth or the apex. It involves removing inflamed gum tissue and the very end of your tooth root. The doctors at Compassionate Endodontists New York/NYC leaves the top of your tooth in place to preserve your natural bite and tooth placement. An apicoectomy saves your tooth and prevents the need for extraction and potential future implants or dentures.

Inflammation can lead to tooth decay and abscesses, which spread to your jawbone. An apicoectomy can prevent the pain and tooth loss associated with inflammation. 

How is an apicoectomy different from a root canal?

During a root canal, the doctors at Compassionate Endodontists New York/NYC drills a small hole in your tooth, removes infected pulp inside, cleans the area, and fills it.

An apicoectomy only addresses the very tip of your tooth. It’s usually done after a root canal to fix the soft tissue around the root or the root itself. 

Why would I need an apicoectomy?

The team at Compassionate Endodontists New York/NYC may recommend an apicoectomy to fix a tooth that already has a root canal. The apicoectomy is in order when the root canal doesn’t heal well and becomes reinfected. It allows the doctors to save the tooth structure, which is ideal for oral health.

Other reasons you need an apicoectomy include:

• Finding and treating problems that aren’t evident on an X-ray
• Treating a fractured or cracked tooth, especially in children
• Removing calcium deposits in a root canal
• Removing a root that has a hole 
• Treating a tooth with extra roots

An apicoectomy also treats bone loss that causes loose teeth.

What happens during an apicoectomy?

You receive a local anesthetic to numb the treatment area. The doctors at Compassionate Endodontists New York/NYC make a small cut in your gums around your tooth and remove any infected tissue. When necessary, they remove the end of your tooth root and refill the tip of the root canal. They close up your gum with dissolvable stitches. 

With time, your bone heals around the root. Any mild bleeding or numbness goes away within a few hours. You won’t need to take any downtime following the procedure. 

Call the Compassionate Endodontics New York/NYC Midtown West office if you need an apicoectomy, or use this website to schedule an appointment online.