Endodontic Management of Maxillary Canine with Two Canals

Aim: To report a case of endodontic treatment of a maxillary right canine in which an extra canal was located and successfully treated.

Presentation of Case: A 35 year old male reported with pain in maxillary right canine. Pain was dull and intermittent in nature. Instrumentation revealed the presence of another root canal. Endodontic treatment was performed and the patient reported complete relief of pain and found to be asymptomatic after a 3-month period.

Discussion: A thorough knowledge of both the external and internal anatomy of teeth is an important aspect of root canal treatment and is essential for the highest possible chances of success. Failure to locate and treat an extra canal/s is one of the most common causes of failure of root canal treatment. In the teeth particularly with additional root canals or anatomical variations, root canals are often left untreated because the clinicians fail to identify their existence.

Conclusion: This case report shows presence of two canals in single-rooted maxillary canine. Practitioner must have a thorough understanding of the internal anatomic relationships of teeth and be able to visualize this relationship before understanding the endodontic therapy. The clinician must be familiar with the various pathways of root canals to the apex. The pulp system is complex, and canals may branch, divide and rejoin.