What are they?

Sometimes there can be a painful infection (abscess) at the end of the tooth root, in the surrounding bone. During 'apicectomy', the dentist cleans the infected area to save the tooth.

An apicectomy will usually be carried out on a tooth which has already been root-filled.

What will my dentist do?

They will:

give you a local anaesthetic to numb the mouth around the infected tooth so the procedure is painless;

make a small cut in the gum, well away from the tooth so there won't be a scar afterwards or around the infected tooth on the other side;

move a small flap of gum to one side to uncover the infected area;

clean out the infection;

put a small filling at the end of the root canal to stop any more infection; and...

stitch the gum back in place.

You may feel some pressure and hear some instruments being used but you should not feel any pain during an apicectomy.

Abscess on Tooth

After Apicectomy, Abscess healing

After treatment you will need to keep the area clean.

What will my dentist do?

They will:

give you a local anaesthetic to numb the mouth around the infected tooth so the procedure is painless;

make a small cut in the gum, well away from the tooth so there won't be a scar afterwards or around the infected tooth on the other side;

move a small flap of gum to one side to uncover the infected area;

clean out the infection;

put a small filling at the end of the root canal to stop any more infection; and...

stitch the gum back in place.

After treatment you will need to keep the area clean.

For the first day, rinse with warm salt water several times a day, especially after meals. Use half a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water.

Brush teeth normally but be very careful not to disturb the cut.

On the next day, continue rinsing and begin to gently brush the teeth next to the cut.

There may be some bruising and swelling for two or three days afterwards. There will also be some discomfort but it shouldn't be too bad - an ice-pack or a packet of frozen peas can help. It usually takes about a week for an apicectomy to heal.

What are the benefits?

An apicectomy stops pain.

This will save a tooth which would otherwise have to be taken out.

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