ROOT TIP SURGERY TO SAVE FAILING TEETH

Root tip (periapical) surgery has been a standard procedure for oral and maxillofacial surgeons for many years and has been an area of expertise for me throughout my practice life. Basically, the procedure is used as the “ultimate root canal.” We approach the root tip surgically and seal off the root canals at the point where the pulp of the tooth would communicate with the jaw. This effectively seals off inflammation and infection and in many cases, saves a failing tooth. It is a nice procedure and easy in most cases.

How Root Tip Oral Surgery Can Help

The shortcomings of the procedure are that there are many variables that we do not control and so the risk of failure is greater than many of the other procedures that we perform. With the advent of dental implants, we now have a very safe and effective way to replace a failing tooth, so in many cases we choose the implant path rather than investing more in a failing tooth.

Root tip (periapical) surgery is still a viable treatment and less expensive than implant treatment and should be considered in many cases. The introduction of cone beam scanning has also greatly improved our ability to diagnose and assess success expectations.

If you have a tooth that is failing, you might want to check and see if periapical surgery would be an opportunity to save your tooth.

Oral Surgery for Patients in Milwaukee

If you think that you have a problem with a tooth, you shouldn’t wait to consult an oral surgery expert. For a consultation, call Wagner Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Specialists at (262) 634-4646 today! 

(Periapical surgery, peri-apical surgery, apicoectomy, retrofill)

Ref: J Oral Maxillofac Surg 72:1049-1061, 2014

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