What can cause root canal treatment to fail?
• It removes bacteria which are currently present in a tooth. • It removes unhealthy nerve tissue which is present in a tooth which bacteria could potentially use as a food source. • It fills in and seals off the nerve space inside a tooth so physically there is no location where bacteria can live and be out of effective reach of your body’s defense mechanisms If after root canal treatment has been performed a tooth still harbors bacteria (an infection), then the treatment has not be successful. Signs of failed root canal treatment include tooth pain (ranging from very mild to extreme) and tenderness or swelling in the gums in the area near the tooth (ranging from very slight to pronounced). These signs can either: • Persist from the time of the root canal treatment. • Be transient (varying week to week or month to month). • Appear even after years of the tooth being asymptomatic. In general, the presence of problems indicates that, despite your dentist’s best efforts to clean and seal
