It all depends on the individual case. For some patients, an apicoectomy is the perfect surgical treatment options, while for others the best option is extraction. Once you visit the dentist they will be able to let you know more about the best way to go for your personal case. If the apicoectomy is successful, you will be able to keep the tooth in your mouth, without the need of extraction. Before the procedure, your dentist will do an x-ray, and give you anesthesia. The treatment starts with a cut, either on the palate or the vestibular part of the mouth in the region of the tooth’s tip. That is when the dentist uses rotary instruments to resect the tip, and remove the surrounding inflamed tissue. Once they’re done with that, they have to close the tip with a good dental material to prevent leakage from the surrounding tissue to the root canals. The material, of course, has to be biocompatible. If the tooth is extracted, the treatment continues with an appropriate restoration that will replace the missing tooth. The procedure usually takes from 45 minutes up to one hour. In the following month, the bone will continue with recovery and regeneration. During the procedure, patients don’t feel any pain, since they are under anesthesia. After that, they might experience some discomfort of mild pain. They will be prescribed with anesthetics for that. The success rates are very high, especially if the procedure is done properly.