Dental Coverage for Retreatment and Apicoectomy After Root Canals

March 4, 2019

After root canal treatment, ideally, people do not experience any problems. Unfortunately, some patients’ teeth might worsen months or years afterward for various reasons. For example, patients may have canals that are too narrow or curved for treatment, may not have undergone restoration procedures as soon as they could after root canals, or may have experienced later trauma to the tooth.  Consequently, patients must have their teeth treated again by a dentist, an endodontist, or an oral surgeon. These patients can utilize their dental coverage for retreatment and apicoectomy.

The process of retreatment and apicoectomy after root canals

Some patients need nonsurgical retreatment. This procedure can cost more than the first root canal because endodontists must remove the existing restoration and filling material from the teeth to find and treat the current issue. Then, they finish the retreatment process by filling and sealing the canals and placing a crown, or other restoration, on the tooth. 

If retreatment cannot fix the affected tooth, patients may need endodontic surgery, such as apicoectomy. Apicoectomy “is the surgical removal of the root tip (called the apex) of an abscessed tooth, plus any surrounding infected tissue” and can be done by a general dentist, oral surgeon, or endodontist. These dental providers perform apicoectomies to relieve the inflammation or infection in the bony area around the end of the patient’s tooth. 

Dental coverage for retreatment and apicoectomy after root canals

Dental insurance policies may contain different caveats for retreatment procedures. Some policies may only provide coverage for one per lifetime while others may apply frequency limits to the retreatment.

While patients usually pay between $900-1,300 for the procedure, they could pay more, depending on the type of tooth, where it’s located in the mouth, and the provider performing the treatment.  Patients may have to enroll in a higher-tier dental plan that includes benefits for apicoectomy. They may be covered for 0-90% of the cost of apicoectomy and pay between $100-500 in the end.

People may need retreatment or endodontic surgery because they experience some complications after their root canal surgery. Their dental insurance plan may have some caveats, but it could partly cover the costs of these procedures.

If you need assistance with billing apicoectomies or other dental procedures, consider partnering with eAssist. Our Sucess Consultants are dental billing experts and will correctly bill any treatment you provide. To learn more, schedule a free consultation here.