If your dentist has told you they can’t do your root canal and that you need to find a specialist, the first thing to know is this: it usually doesn’t mean the tooth can’t be saved. It means the tooth is complex and is better treated by a dentist who does difficult root canal treatment (endodontics) regularly. Here in the Wirral, that’s much of what I do - here’s what your options are, and how to keep the tooth if you can.
What makes a root canal difficult enough to need specialist care?
Some teeth are genuinely tricky: narrow or curved canals, a failed root canal that needs redoing (retreatment), a large area of infection, or a tooth already carrying a crown or bridge. Being referred to someone with advanced endodontic training is a good sign - it means your dentist wants the tooth treated properly so you can keep it and avoid an extraction.
Second opinion before a tooth extraction
Sometimes taking a tooth out is the right call, but not always. Teeth written off as hopeless can often be saved, and once a natural tooth is gone, replacing it with an implant or bridge is more involved and more costly than saving the tooth you already have. If you’ve been told extraction is your only option, a second opinion to try to save the tooth is often worth it.
A quick example: a tooth saved, not extracted
A lower back molar in the Wirral carrying a bridge, with a large area of infection on the X-ray - exactly the kind of tooth people are told to have removed. Instead, the bridge was simplified, the awkward root canals were cleaned and sealed, and at review the X-ray showed the infection had cleared and the bone was healing. The tooth was saved, and an extraction avoided.
★★★★★ “Great experience with a complex root canal. Gareth and the team were fantastic putting me at ease. Completely pain free and highly recommended. Thank you.”
- S Brady, Google review
Book a root canal assessment in Wirral
I’m a dentist with a special interest in endodontics (root canal treatment) in Hoylake, Wirral, and much of my work is treating teeth that other dentists have referred on, or that patients have been told can’t be saved.
If you’ve been told your root canal is too difficult, or that your tooth must come out, find out whether it can be saved first.
Contact the practice to arrange an assessment, or ask your dentist to send a referral.