Apicectomy
What is an apicectomy?
If you have a painful infection (an abscess) at the end of a tooth root, your dentist may recommend an ‘apicectomy’ in order to clean the infected area to save the tooth. It will also usually be carried out on a tooth which has already been root-filled.
What will this treatment involve?
- Your dentist will usually perform this treatment under a local anaesthetic to numb the area around the infected tooth, so that the procedure is painless
- Your dentist will then make a small cut and raise a small flap of gum to uncover the infected area, so that the infection can be cleaned out
- A small filling will be applied to the end of the root canal to prevent further infection and then the gum will be stitched back in place
- After the treatment your will need to keep the area clean. For the first day, you should use half a teaspoon of salt in a glass with warm water to rinse your mouth. It is recommended that you do this several times a day, especially after meals
What are the benefits of an apicectomy?
Although there may be some initial discomfort afterwards caused by swelling and bruising, it usually only takes about a week for an apicectomy to heal. It will also stop the pain caused by the infected area and save a tooth, which would otherwise have to be taken out.
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