Saving a Natural Tooth in the Implant Era: A Case Report on Noninvasive Surgical Root Amputation

This report highlights the use of a seldom-used treatment modality to save a diseased multirooted tooth, as an alternative to extraction and implant.

Root-resection therapy is a simple surgical procedure performed by an endodontist or periodontist to save a multirooted tooth with furcation involvement and/or defective root.

A 64-year-old female patient reported a strip perforation in the distobuccal (DB) root of the maxillary left first molar. The tooth had previously undergone endodontic treatment and had a well-fitted crown. After presenting the patient with treatment options and prognosis, a treatment plan of root amputation to save the tooth was formulated. A full mucoperiosteal flap was reflected. The DB root was amputated and GIC was placed to cover the root. Sutures were placed and the patient was given postoperative instructions. A follow-up was carried out with clinical examination, and periapical radiographs were taken at 10 months, 2 years, and 5 years after the procedure. The tooth was intact and functioning; no signs or symptoms were reported.

Root resection has a deserved place in the modern clinical management of endodontic lesions or injuries. Conventional conservative treatment plans can succeed with proper treatment planning, diagnosis, case selection, maintenance of oral hygiene, and meticulous follow-up.

This case emphasizes a viable treatment procedure to manage teeth with compromised radicular or restorative presentations. Root resection is a venerable treatment option that is often ignored in the era of implants even though it shows favorable prognosis and success rates.