Case Report J Dent Specialities.2016;4(2):194-196 194 Retreatment of mandibular canine with two roots: a case report Mohit Kumar 1 , Manju Kumari 2 , Sonali Taneja 3 1,2 Professor, 3 Professor & HOD, Dept. of Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics, ITS Centre for Dental Studies & Research, Muradnagar, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India *Corresponding Author: Email: mohit_cusp@yahoo.co.in Abstract The successful outcome of the endodontic therapy requires an adequate knowledge in context to anatomy of the root canal system. In most cases, the mandibular canines are thought to have just one root canal. Those presenting with an extra root and canal are usually rare, ranging from 1% to 5%. Thus, in spite of this low prevalence, variations in the anatomy and number of root canals in mandibular canines should always be taken into account. This paper presents a case of a mandibular canine with two distinct and separate root canals. Keywords: Endodontics, Mandibular Canine, Root Canal Anatomy Access this article online Website: www.innovativepublication.com DOI: 10.18231/2393-9834.2016.0020 Introduction The main objective of an endodontic therapy is to eliminate infective microflora from the root canal system. 1,2 However, factors such as lack of adequate knowledge of root morphology and incomplete removal of infection from the root canal may lead to failure of endodontic treatment. The main causative factor in the failure of endodontic therapy is the failure to locate and fill a canal appropriately. 3 A canal can be left untreated if its presence is not recognized. There is always a perception in the mind of the clinicians that a particular tooth will have a specific number of roots and /or canals. The variations in the root canal configuration of mandibular canines have been reported by many investigators. 4-19 This paper reports a clinical case of mandibular canine with two roots. Case Report A 52-year-old female patient was referred to the post graduate clinic of the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, I.T.S centre for Dental Studies and Research, Ghaziabad with severe pain in the left mandibular canine. The patient had undergone root canal treatment from a general dentist for the same tooth. At the time of examination, tooth was symptomatic. Intraoral examination revealed a normal crown anatomy with a temporary restoration on occlusal surface. The tooth was sensitive to percussion. Radiographic evaluation of the affected tooth revealed an over-extended root canal filling (Fig. 1). From the radiographic findings, it was diagnosed to be a case of over-extended root canal filling and retreatment was planned for the pretreated canine. As the patient was traumatized and apprehensive because of her past experience, rubber dam application could not be accomplished. Fig. 1: Pre-operative radiograph showing overextended root canal filling Endodontic retreatment of mandibular canine: The tooth was anaesthetized and temporary restoration was removed. The previous root canal filling was removed with the help of H-files (Dentsply/Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland). A radiograph was obtained at this stage to confirm the complete removal of root canal filling. On careful examination of this radiograph, it was suspected that the mandibular canine had two separate roots and canals (Fig. 2). The access cavity was modified and the missed buccal canal was located. Working length was established using electronic apex locator (Root ZX; JMorita Co, Kyoto, Japan) and confirmed radiographically (Fig. 3). The canals were instrumented by rotary protaper system (Dentsply Maillefer) using crown-down technique. A 3% sodium hypochlorite (Prime dental products) along with 17% EDTA (Prime dental products) was used as irrigant at every change of instrument. The canals were dried and obturated with