Bacteria is the primary reason for root canal damage. If our mouths were kept clean, there would be no infections or decay, and damaged teeth would be able to repair themselves somehow. Although bacteria are at the root of almost all root canal problems, I’ll go over five common reasons root canals fail, four of which are largely preventable.
Reasons Why Root Canals Fail
Although the initial root canal treatments should be able to achieve an 85-97 percent success rate, thirty percent of the work performed by an endodontist involves re-doing a failed root canal. Most of the time, they fail due to five reasons listed below:
1. Missed Canals
The most prevalent reason for failure that we have seen is untreated anatomy resulting from missing canals. Our knowledge of tooth anatomy should allow the dentist to find every canal. The result is that canals shouldn’t be ignored since technology is available to identify and detect their existence.
Let’s suppose that a dentist provides the endodontic (root canal) treatment. In this case, they should have the equipment to treat the whole anatomy of the tooth. Endodontists may be more expensive than ordinary dentists for root canals, but doing it right the first time is better.
2. Incompletely Treated Canal
Untreated canals are the second leading reason for failure. It usually comes as “being short,” meaning that when a canal measures 23 millimeters, the dentist can only address 20 millimeters. Shorter canals increase the risk of failure because there is room for bacteria to thrive and cause an infection.
3. Tissue
The third factor that causes failure is the tissue left in the tooth following the initial root canal. The tooth’s tissue supplies food to bacteria that could cause infection within the root canal system. In addition, root canals have an irregular shape that is difficult to clean using our round instruments. Additionally, tissue can be left behind due to inadequate lighting and magnification. This can be achieved using a dental operating microscope and as a result of being performed too fast.
4. Fracture
A root fracture is another frequent reason for failure. Though it could impact the root canal-treated tooth, it might not be directly linked to treatment. The cracks in the roots allow bacteria to get into areas they are not supposed to be. In addition, they can cause fractures on teeth that have not been filled, suggesting that many of them are inevitable. Click here for more information about root canal therapy.
5. Leakage
The fundamental goals of root canal therapy like tooth pain in Edmonton are to remove tissue, kill germs, and protect the dental system from bacterial re-entry. The leakage of bacteria is common in all dental materials. We aim to minimize the amount of leakage. However, the balance may be shifted, and infection can occur at any point that is not known. So, the more steps we take to avoid leakage, the greater our chance of success.
In the end, leakage could be minimized by having the patient visit their restorative dentist once their root canal treatment has been completed. This is achievable through effective interaction between the dentist and dental restorative specialist.
