Oral surgery

Apicectomy

Removal of the root tip to save an infected tooth.

Duration

30 to 60 minutes

Anaesthesia

Local

Hospital stay

Day case

Recovery

Swelling for 2 to 4 days, X-ray check at 6 months

The procedure

An apicectomy (root-end resection) treats a persistent infection at the tip of the root despite properly performed root canal treatment. It allows the tooth to be kept instead of extracted.

The root tip and the inflamed tissue are removed through a limited opening in the gum, then the canal is sealed tightly from the root end (retrograde filling).

Three-step 3D illustration of an apicectomy with retrograde filling: infection at the root tip, removal of the root tip, then sealing of the canal end. — Apicectomy with retrograde filling: on the left, an infection has developed at the root tip, in the jaw bone; in the centre, the root tip and infected tissue are removed; on the right, a filling material is placed at the end of the cut root to seal the root canal tightly.

The protocol, step by step.

Step 1
Diagnosis
Scan of the lesion at the root tip and review of the root canal treatment.
Step 2
Access
Limited opening of the gum over the root tip.
Step 3
Resection
Removal of the root tip, curettage and retrograde filling.
Step 4
Check-up
Follow-up of bone healing over time.

In the same discipline

Dental implants

Replacing one or more teeth, with bone grafting when needed.

Socket preservation

Preserving the bone volume of the socket after a tooth extraction.

Wisdom teeth

Removal of impacted or troublesome third molars.

All treatments