Apical resection
Written by Dentist Rune Skou, 2008-21-12Last update: 2010-01-01
Apical resection is an operation for saving a tooth after a root canal procedure has failed.
What is it?
An apical resection removes the part of the root which lies deepest into the jawbone. After removal, a small plug is put in to fill the gap.
Why is it used?
Apical resection is used when a regular root canal procedure hasn’t given a satisfactory result and when another attempt at root canal is undesirable/impossible.
What are the risks?
As in any operation, there’s a small risk of damaging nearby tissues. Apical resection also only succeeds 80% of the time.