Dr. Abe completed a residency in endodontics and is a diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics. Her practice is limited to root canal treatment and retreatment.
Root canal retreatment · Stockton
A root canal that didn't hold? Start with the questions.
Abe Endodontics is a one-doctor practice that works inside the tooth under a microscope. Read how a root canal works and what retreatment involves, then decide.
Start here
A root canal, in plain questions
The answers most people want before they decide. The full list is on the questions page.
01What is a root canal?
Inside every tooth is soft tissue called pulp, in narrow channels that run down each root. When the pulp is inflamed or infected, a root canal takes it out, cleans and shapes the channels, then fills and seals them. Your general dentist usually follows with a crown or a filling.
02Why would a root canal need to be done again?
A tooth can have a canal that wasn't found the first time, a canal that was hard to clean, or a crown or filling that let bacteria in later. Sometimes a root canal heals slowly. It doesn't mean anyone did something wrong.
03What is retreatment?
We open the tooth, take out the old filling in the canals, clean them again under the microscope, and fill and seal them. If a crown is in the way, we may go through it or take it off, and we'll tell you before we do. Your general dentist then restores the tooth.
04How many visits does it take?
Most retreatments take one or two visits, and some take three. A tooth with hard-to-reach canals, or one that needs time between visits to settle, takes more. Each visit usually runs 60 to 90 minutes. After we've looked at your tooth, we tell you the range for it.
05Will it hurt?
We numb the tooth before we start, and if you feel anything, raise your hand and we stop. Afterward the tooth is often sore for a few days. Dr. Abe tells you what to take for it and when to call us. No one can promise you won't feel anything, and we won't.
06Can every tooth be retreated?
No. Some teeth have a crack that runs into the root, or too little tooth left to hold a crown. We look first, and if retreatment is unlikely to help, we say so and go through the other options.
Inside the tooth
What the microscope is looking at
A tooth cut open shows four places where retreatment does its work.
- 1
The crown
The part you see. If it's cracked or loose, bacteria can get under it and back into the canals.
- 2
The pulp chamber
The hollow under the crown. We open it first, and look for canal openings the first treatment may have missed.
- 3
The canals
Narrow channels down each root. We take out the old filling, clean them again and fill them.
- 4
The root tip
Where the canals end. Bacteria left here are often why a tooth hasn't settled.
The microscope
Light and magnification, for small spaces
A canal can be a fraction of a millimeter wide.
A microscope lets Dr. Abe see the openings of the canals under strong light, find one that was missed and see a crack along a root. It helps her look. It doesn't change what your tooth needs, and it doesn't promise how a tooth will do.
What it helps with
Strong light inside the tooth
A closer look at cracks and missed canals
A 3D scan when an X-ray isn't enough
The range of visits
What retreatment looks like, visit by visit
Most retreatments take one or two visits, and some take three. We give you the range for your tooth once we've looked at it.
- 01
Step 1: Look and talk
An exam, an X-ray and sometimes a 3D scan. You hear what we see and your options, and you get a written estimate.
- 02
Step 2: Open and clean
We numb the tooth, open it and take out the old filling. Then we clean the canals under the microscope.
- 03
Step 3: Fill and seal
We fill the canals and seal the tooth, in the same visit or the next. A temporary filling protects it between.
- 04
Step 4: Back to your dentist
Your general dentist places the crown or filling. We send a report so they know what we found.
If it didn't hold
Your options, side by side
Each has trade-offs. We go through them with you before anything is done.
| Retreatment | Root-end surgery | Taking the tooth out | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | RetreatmentWe go back in through the top of the tooth, clean the canals and fill them again. | Root-end surgeryWe clean and seal the tip of the root through the gum. | Taking the tooth outThe tooth is removed, and your dentist replaces it or leaves the space. |
| The tooth | RetreatmentYou keep your own tooth. | Root-end surgeryYou keep your own tooth. | Taking the tooth outThe tooth is gone. |
| Visits | RetreatmentUsually one or two, sometimes three. | Root-end surgeryUsually one, with a check afterward. | Taking the tooth outUsually one, then your dentist plans the next step. |
| Not for every tooth | RetreatmentA crack along the root or too little tooth can rule it out. | Root-end surgeryDepends on where the root tip sits. | Taking the tooth outYour neighbors and your bite change what comes next. |
Who treats you
One doctor, from your first visit to your last
Dr. Abe does your treatment herself. Damaris Chacon runs the front desk and the estimates.
Ask for a visit
Send a request and Damaris will call, text or email you with a time. Please leave out health details; for anything urgent, call us.