Teeth with damaged root surfaces and surrounding bone can be treated with endodontic surgery. If your tooth has calcification (calcium deposits which make the canal too narrow to perform a root canal) endodontic surgery may be necessary to clean and seal the remainder of the canal.
The most common endodontic surgery procedure is the apicoectomy. This is an effective procedure involving the surgical removal of a root end cavity and sealing of the root canal. The purpose of this procedure is to fight infection in the tissues surrounding the tip of the root, thereby saving the tooth from extraction.
Most chipped or fractured tooth crowns can be repaired either by reattaching the broken piece or by placing a tooth-colored filling. If a significant portion of the tooth crown is broken off, an artificial crown may be needed to fix the tooth.
If the pulp is exposed or damaged after a crown fracture, root canal treatment may be needed. These injuries require special attention. If breathing through your mouth or drinking cold fluids is painful, bite on clean, moist gauze or cloth to help relieve symptoms until reaching Pitt Meadows Dental Group office. Never use topical oral pain medications or ointments, or place aspirin on the affected areas to eliminate pain symptoms.
Injuries in the back teeth often include fractured cusps, cracked teeth and the more serious split tooth. If cracks extend into the root, root canal treatment and a full coverage crown may be needed to restore function to the tooth. Split teeth may require extraction.