Apicectomy
in London
Apicectomy is a way of saving unhealthy teeth in cases where root canal re-treatment is unsuccessful.

What is an apicectomy?
If you have undergone root canal, and potentially additional root canal re-treatment and yet inflammation has returned to the affected tooth you may be concerned about what happens next. Rest assured that our experienced dental professionals here at Wimpole Street Dental Clinic have a clear and confident clinical dental care resolution to safeguard your smile if this issue arises for you.
On these occasions, an apicectomy (a minor dental surgery) can be performed if deemed the next necessary step in your optimum dental care and treatment.
The medical definition of an apicectomy (sometimes called ‘root end surgery’) is the surgical removal of an anatomical apex (the end of the root of the tooth). An apicectomy usually involves minor surgery if cysts or infection continue to cause problems after root canal treatment or re-treatment and if our dentists are not able to disinfect and to apply a root canal filling to seal the root tip.
A flap of gum is lifted to expose the tip of the root whilst under local anaesthetic. The infected area (including bone and tissue) is then carefully removed, cleaned and the tip of the root is reduced in size. If possible, our dentist/endodontist may be able to apply a filling with a biological cement to seal the end of the tip of the root.
Once the surgery is complete the gum is stitched back to seal it completely using dissolvable stitches.
Who is suitable for an apicectomy?
After your initial consultation, our experienced dental team will be in the best position to determine whether you present as a suitable case for an apicectomy procedure as we seek to provide the highest quality care to look after your long term oral health and teeth.
Apicectomy is usually considered the next necessary step if both the original root canal treatment and root canal re-treatment have not been fully successful. Patients who have had a root canal treatment and re-treatment fail, usually have an apicectomy recommended to them in order to try reduce pain from root inflammation and to avoid an extraction. This continuation of discomfort and infection at the root can sometimes be caused not just by treatment failure but by other factors such as new tooth decay or damage/trauma to the canal area. However, the most common cause for a residual infection is the failure the clean and to disinfect the tip of the root.
It is important to rectify the root canal treatment and continuous infection as to avoid the infection from spreading further from the root to other areas of the mouth or the body and cause further complication.
If you’re still feeling pain and have an obvious inflammation or infection surrounding the root canal, our endodontist will examine the area and assess whether you’re suitable for an apicectomy as supposed to an extraction.
Root canal treatment fees Front tooth | from £600 |
Premolar | from £900 |
Molar | from £1,200 |
Emergency root canal treatment | £250 |
Front tooth retreatment | from £800 |
Premolar retreatment | from £1,100 |
Molar retreatment | from £1,400 |
Review X-ray | £120 |
Medication change | £100 |
Are you ready to restore your smile?
The full amount you pay for your root canal treatment varies depending on your personal needs.
However, the following amounts should give you a sense of what to expect for the cost of a root canal at Wimpole Street Dental Clinic in London:
What happens during an apicectomy?
First of all, to alleviate any concerns you may have regarding potential pain or discomfort, know that you would receive a local anaesthesia to numb the entire root canal area. One of our dentists, using a microscope or high magnifying glasses, will begin the dental procedure by making a tiny incision into the gum (or cyst if one is present) so that the inflammation can be removed in addition to the last three millimetres of the root.
The tip of the infected root is then sealed using biological cement (MTA) and in some cases larger cavities are refilled with artificial bone or filling. The entrance of the root canal area is then sealed with a membrane or gum transplant to avoid unwanted bacterium from getting into the area and festering into a potential abscess or infection.
Rest assured that each case as presented is different and so in micro-surgical apicectomies we remove no more than the tip of the root through a tiny passage and bone augmentation and sealing are not required. After most endodontic surgery, our dental patients will not be significantly affected in their daily routine though they may feel a little discomfort or swelling in the hours after surgery.
Our endodontics team will recommend aftercare guidance for you to follow regarding chewing, brushing your teeth and pain relief. It might be necessary for you to be prescribed antibiotics following the treatment. We advise all our patients that they complete the full course and following the instructions carefully to guarantee the very best chance of recovery. Patients who smoke will be stronger advised not to in order to avoid slowing down the recovery period and to allow the gum tissue to properly heal.
Your dentist may advise that you avoid certain activities due to receiving intravenous sedation such as driving or operating machinery, undertaking exercise, competing in contact sports (as to avoid direct contact, damage or trauma to your teeth), smoking, taking sleeping tablets and/or drinking alcohol in excess.
Why is Wimpole Street Dental Clinic best for an apicectomy in London?
Whenever you need to take care of your smile – in an emergency, during routine care or when booking cosmetic dentistry – you naturally seek a qualified, skilled and experienced dental professional whom you can trust to deliver the premium dental treatment you expect at every appointment.
We would like you to consider placing your trust in Wimpole Street Dental Clinic because:
- We are internationally renowned within the dental profession.
- We have extensive experience in endodontics (assessing dental pain and specialising in root canal treatment) and apical surgery with an in-house endodontist and oral surgeons available to consult.
- If we have undertaken your initial root canal treatment or root canal re-treatment, we will already have extensive knowledge of your oral health, the original treatment plan and be best placed to perform your root treatment.
- We have undertaken hundreds of apicectomy and surgical endodontic procedures with great success.
- We pride ourselves on offering evidence-based dentistry with a person-centred approach.
- We offer a new standard in modern dentistry in our clinical methodology – leveraging the optimal combination of the finest handcraft, magnifying technology and the newest machinery to deliver excellence in both patient care and dental treatment success.
Specifically, for an apicectomy, rest assured that we prioritise saving teeth as our optimum clinical outcome for our dental patients. We have a clear and confident step by step dental care resolution in place for this kind of treatment plan as it is required on a case-by-case basis as presented to us.
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