Question:
About 14 months ago I had a root canal. The pain did not go away - it
got worse. The endodontist said that I had an atypical root
structure, with two branches to the root. Originally she went into
the larger of the two roots. Since the pain didn't end, she tried to
go into the smaller one, but couldn't really get all the way in to
clean it all out. There was still pain after this second procedure.
She recommended yet another procedure, the name of which I can't
remember, but I was so sick of the lack of results that I just dealt
with it, and eventually the pain faded.
About 3 months ago the pain returned with a vengence. I was six
months pregnant at the time. I went to my dentist first. I was
concerned about having X-rays while pregnant, so through question,
answer and probing he determined that the tooth next to the one that
had been worked on previously had decay, and he filled it. That
didn't do the trick. I asked my OB, who okayed another X-ray, and
went back to the endodontist. Upon examination of the X-ray, she
could not see any sign of infection or other problems. She thought
maybe the pain was due to the hormonal changes of pregnancy, but
wanted to lift the gum and file down the root once I had the baby.
I am now about a week from delivery, but I have doubts about going
ahead with the procedure above. It sounds like she's just guessing
about the efficacy of the procedure she wants to do. I live in a town
with just 2 endodontists, and the other one takes 6-8 months to get an
appointment with. What should I do?
Answer:
http://www.zip.com.au/~rgammal/RCTframeset.htm
http://www.ericdavisdental.com/root_canals.htm
http://www.whale.to/d/root2.html
http://www.drshankland.com/rootcanal.html
http://webpages.charter.net/kyarbrough/rootcanals.htm
http://www.dentistry-toothtruth.com/faq.htm
http://www.cfsn.com/maz/
http://cnorman.best.vwh.net/blazing/dental.html
http://rheumatic.org/teeth.htm
http://www.zip.com.au/~rgammal/root_therapies.htm
http://zap.intergate.ca/root.html
http://www.toothwisdom.net/
http://www.dentistryholistic.com/education.html
http://www.karlloren.com/ultrasound/p25.htm
Toxicity from Root Canals
The next subject to be discussed are root canals and their possible source of
toxicity. Approximately twenty five million Americans undergo root canal
therapy every year in an effort to prevent the loss of teeth that have
abscessed. The root canal is the left portion of the tooth which houses the
vital organs such as the nerve and blood vessels. The dentist endeavors to
clean and sterilize this canal and fill it with a sterile, non toxic inert
material. This usually renders this tooth serviceable and non painful; however,
the entire inner hard core of the tooth is made of dentin which has several
million dentinal tubules. These tubules allow the circulation of lymphatic type
fluid to circulate from the vital organs of the root canal to the outside of
the tooth. This is a viable circulatory phenomenon which has a purpose. It
services the periodontal ligament as well as the sensory aspect of the nerve
and blood centers in the root canal. If the body chemistry is healthy, the flow
of lymphatic fluid is from the root canal to the outside of the tooth. This
creates an irrigation for the tooth and usually prevents the accumulation of
plaque to form. When the body chemistry is not healthy, then the circulation is
from the outside of the tooth to the inner root canal. This allows for no
irrigation, but rather an accumulation of plaque to form. There are many more
reasons for maintaining the integrity of the circulation in the dentinal
tubules. Root canal therapy completely destroys this integrity, and what
happens to the non-circulating fluid in these tubules? This fluid as it ages
becomes stagnant and becomes a toxic substance. This porous structure now
becomes a septic mass emanating poisons into the body. Is this what you want?
Mercury amalgams are said to be the caskets of the body. Root canals are said
to be the cadavers of the body.
I do not recommend root canals for anyone. Each individual has a right to their
decisions. Many people simply do not wish to lose a member of their body. I
respect this, and I always discuss the consequences.
The next area of discussion is whether the root canal filling actually
sterilizes the apical end of the tooth. There are so many lateral canals at the
root end of the tooth where bacteria can harbor that it is unlikely that a
complete aseptic condition exists. This, however, is a debateable subject.
Again, the complete acceptance of root canal therapy as a viable substitution
for extraction is completely and whole heartedly supported by organized
dentistry. You are in violation of the code of ethics if you speak out against
root canal therapy. When I was a practicing dentist, I always let the patient
make that decision after explaining all pros and cons.
Well, I have seen perfectly performed root canals and twelve months later, the little black ball, the abscess, has not resolved.
This happened on a strong healthy 21-year old, so it does happen.
Now if the ball is not enlarging, and if it causes no pain, then perhaps we leave it alone. If it is causing pain, then it needs to
be addressed.
The procedure is not complicated (less so in the anterior ~ front, more so in the posterior ~ back), therefore the decision whether
to do it or not is evidence-based.
