The apicoectomy is a minor surgical procedure that can save some unhealthy teeth. The procedure is also known as a root end surgery. This is because it involves the removal of the root tip and surrounding tissue of a tooth. Often, an apicoectomy is done when a root canal procedure wasn’t enough to solve a patient’s problem.

The procedure can be done by a dentist, but an endodontist is more capable. This kind of dental professional specializes in root canal care as well as procedures like apicoectomy. We have endodontists here at Ideal Endodontics! Our endodontists are Dr. Moein Darjani DDS and Dr. Ali Manesh DMD. You can read more about the doctors and their qualifications on our Endodontists page.

You might need the procedure if you’ve already had a root canal but there’s some residual inflammation or infection near the root tip that reaches into your jawbone. There are other instances when an apicoectomy is helpful, like when there’s root crowding which could affect many teeth later in a patient’s dental development.

Sometimes an apicoectomy is necessary to save a tooth. There may be no alternative other than removing a tooth, which isn’t preferable to either the patient or the professional, so the best option may be an apicoectomy.

Typically, an apicoectomy takes 30 to 90 minutes. Before any work is done, though, you’ll be given a local anesthetic to numb the area being treated. There typically isn’t much pain or discomfort, if any, during the procedure, so it’s nothing to be concerned about!

During the procedure, the professional will make an incision in your gum and push the gum aside in order to reach the root, then the professional will remove a bit of the root along with any infected tissue surrounding it. After that, the root canal inside the tooth will be cleaned and sealed with a small filling, and finally, the tissue will be stitched up so the gum can heal.

The procedure can be more invasive than a typical root canal, so recovery may be a bit more painful, but over-the-counter pain relievers can provide adequate pain relief if necessary. It may be necessary for the professional to prescribe an antibiotic to help fight an existing infection or prevent postoperative infection.

Minor discomfort and some swelling should be expected after the procedure. However, this wears off over a few days, and after just a couple of days, you’ll be able to resume your regular activities! Just be careful about brushing and flossing near the site of your surgery and the stitches.

Within about a week, the stitches will be removed, then that’s it! You’ll be able to go on pain-free!

We likely do. Ideal Endodontics has multiple locations where we provide apicoectomies. We serve the Washington DC area, the Woodbridge VA area, and surrounding areas. We ask that you see our Locations page for each location’s address and contact information, then you can call us at the location in your area if you have any other questions for us. If you’re ready, go ahead and schedule a consultation with us on our Appointments page!

We hope to help you soon here at Ideal Endodontics!