Although there are many surgical procedures that can be performed to save a tooth, the most common is called an apicoectomy, or root-end resection. When inflammation or infection persists in the area of bone around the end of the tooth after a root canal procedure, the endodontist may need to perform an apicoectomy
In this procedure, the specialist opens the gum tissue near the tooth to view the underlying bone and remove any inflamed or infected tissue. The root end is also removed. A small shim may be placed in the canal to seal the end of the root canal and a few stitches or sutures are placed in the gum to help the tissue heal properly. In a few months, the bone will heal around the end of the root
