Apicoectomy

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 may be needed when inflammation or infection persists in the bony area around the end of your tooth, after a root canal procedure.

We perform this micro surgical procedure by first making you comfortable and then applying local anesthesia before opening the gum near the tooth.  We remove any inflamed or infected tissue and remove the very end of the root. A small filling may be placed to seal the end of the root canal and a few stitches or sutures are placed to help the gum heal. In the next few months, the bone will heal around the end of the root. Most patients return to their normal activities the next day. Post-surgical discomfort is generally mild.