Overview of Endodontic Surgery
The goal of a root canal is to fully remove the infection from your tooth, but the tooth roots have multiple tiny branches where bacteria may remain or come back. If your tooth gets re-infected after you have had a root canal done, our team of board-certified endodontic specialists typically recommend an apicoectomy. An effective solution, an apicoectomy takes out any infection in the gum and bone near the tooth's root, plus the affected tip or tips. Also known as a root-end resection or endodontic microsurgery, an apicoectomy may save the upper area of the tooth and avoid disturbing a dental restoration (crown or bridge).
The Apicoectomy Process
To begin the treatment, local anesthesia will be applied to needed areas. Sedation methods can be added based on the complexity of your treatment or for dental anxiety and fears. We will start by creating an incision through the gum tissue to reveal the tooth's root. Any infected tips and surrounding tissue will be addressed before the area is thoroughly cleaned. To make sure the infection is completely removed, a dental dye will highlight tooth cracks. As soon as your tooth is sealed, we can close the gums using sutures.
Western Mass Endo Reviews
Dr. Scott was incredibly professional, poised, efficient, friendly, informative, and helpful. I cannot believe that I had absolutely no pain with this root canal (okay ... except for the novocaine shots) ... Tylenol took care of the very minimal discomfort later in the day, but by the next day I was completely ache-free. The entire experience was well beyond what I expected ... I highly recommend Dr. Scott at WME. His assistant was beyond helpful, comforting, and informative. She absolutely made a difference to lessen my angst prior to the procedure. She was fabulous. Thank you to you both ... I am elated that I chose WME, and I am delighted that my experience included you both. Enjoy !
Dr. Shapiro: Thank you again for making my root canal experience a relatively pleasant one. I was particularly impressed with the painless way you made the four injections. Coming out of the dentist office feeling better than when I went in was all due to the way you handled my experience.
From the phone call to get in, to the way out after my appointment top notch! I had some pain in my tooth, I'd already been told it was going to need a root canal in the future so when it started to hurt slightly I wasn't surprised. My Dr wrote me a referral and I called and scheduled a consult. Got me in within a few weeks. Consultation went good and they said to call if my tooth started to get worse. So this morning while drinking my morning tea I felt it. That lingering sensation a dull ache that didn't go away like it had been. I called at about 8:20 and waited on hold a bit, I expected it I knew they were busy. They were able to see me the same day since I called first thing! I went in was super nervous at first but once I was numb I started to immediately feel better. The assistant and Dr Scott worked so well together it was amazing. The whole procedure took about an hour. I could just tell Dr Scott took pride in his work and truly takes care of his patients. I can't thank this team enough.
This entire office is phenomenal. All the staff that I engaged with from start to finish were pleasant and so helpful, and Dr. Shapiro was absolutely amazing, informative, and positive. As someone who works in healthcare and someone very afraid of the dentist, I deeply appreciated being informed every step of the way; and the delicacy and care that I was handled with- really hard to come by these days especially in dental care. I had a root canal, didn’t feel a single thing, barely felt the numbing needle. He just might be a magician 🪄 thank you Dr. S & team!
This entire office is phenomenal. All the staff that I engaged with from start to finish were pleasant and so helpful, and Dr. Shapiro was absolutely amazing, informative, and positive. As someone who works in healthcare and someone very afraid of the dentist, I deeply appreciated being informed every step of the way; and the delicacy and care that I was handled with- really hard to come by these days especially in dental care. I had a root canal, didn’t feel a single thing, barely felt the numbing needle. He just might be a magician thank you Dr. S & team!
542
Total Reviews
4.9
Average Rating
Recovering From an Apicoectomy
After an apicoectomy, a member of our team may write a prescription for antibiotics or pain medication. You can use cold compresses or ice packs to reduce inflammation for the first day following your procedure. You might experience some numbness, soreness, or bruising for 3 – 5 days. One of our endodontic specialists will talk to you about further instructions for your recovery period.