Surgical Root Canals


Surgical Root Canals

Surgical Root Canals

Surgical root canals are performed as a salvage technique to save teeth where the standard root canal has failed or cannot be used such as in the case where the root of the tooth has root resorption (the root structure is being removed by the body and replaced with bone) outside the tooth.

A standard root canal is performed initially and the apex (very tip of the root) is approached through the bone over the root. The apex is removed and the apex is filled so that the last 3 to 5 mm is filled. The material chosen must be compatible with the surrounding tissues.


Worn tooth with instrument (explorer) showing the presence of a draining tract (fistulous tract).	X-Ray shows that in this mature dog the root canal (yellow arrow) is very large. This means that the pulp died a long time ago. The red arrow shows that the drainage is coming from the pulp cavity at the apex of the tooth - notice the root resorption	The file (red arrow) is extending beyond the end of the root canal (yellow dots) and into the bone around the root tip. This shows that the root resorption has reached the root canal and allows the infection to extend from the root canal into the bone around the root.	After the canal is cleaned the root is filled with a sterilizing material. The material has entered into the space surrounding the root. This is where the infection is. The draining tract can be seen.

4 months later the sterilizing material has been removed by the body.	Standard root canal is performed initially.	The apex (tip of the root) is accessed through the bone and the tip of the root is removed. The yellow oval area is the root dentin. The central white material is used to fill the last 3 to 5 mm of the root canal. This material is compatible with the surrounding tissues.	Final x-ray shows the root canal is filled

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Last updated 8/27/2009