Orthodontic Appliance Wiki

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Apicoectomy

Category: Procedure | Difficulty: Advanced | Priority: Nice-to-know

Clinical Definition

Surgical resection of the apical portion of a tooth root with curettage of periapical tissues and retrograde sealing as indicated.

Patient-Friendly

A surgery at the tip of the tooth root to remove persistent infection after a root canal.

Para el Paciente (Español)

Una pequeña cirugía para eliminar la punta de la raíz del diente y cualquier infección persistente cuando un tratamiento de conducto no fue suficiente.

Related Terms

[[root-end surgery; endodontic surgery]]

Notes

Cross-link with periapical pathology terms | Pronunciation: /ay-pih-koh-EK-toh-mee/ | CDT: D3410 (anterior) | D3421 (premolar) | D3425 (molar) | Common Misconception: Patients sometimes think an apicoectomy is done instead of a root canal — it is performed when root canal treatment alone has not resolved persistent periapical infection.

Audience

🎓 Student 🗂 Front Desk