Lots of information there! I was unaware of the mis-treatment era in which perfectly healthy teeth supposedly connected to an unhealthy organ were pulled, or all teeth were pulled prophylacticly. Actually that matches modern choices of cutting off/out healthy body parts for the same reason. It seems the controversy will continue because “no long term study has been performed.” (Hasselgren, footnote 94 in above article). No tiny part of the body is in isolation from the rest, even a tooth. I will continue to explore all sides and carefully make choices for total body health for myself. May everyone else take the same approach and respect others who come to different conclusions from the same information.
Dentists are very good at taking care of your teeth. Dentists are not experts at taking care of the rest of you. A dentist who tells you he can pinpoint the cause of your heart disease is (not to put too fine a point on it) a quack.
Now, if a dentist wants to tell me that root canals are bad for my teeth, gums or maxillofacial bones, I’m all ears.
Translation: “I will continue to seek out ludicrous theories by fringe practitioners while ignoring good evidence from the vast majority of modern-day experts.”
a dentist that says either is a quack
What is a root canal?
It’s a procedure where the dentist accesses the tooth cavity and files out the pulp from the root canal down to the apex of the tooth. None of that can cause cancer or heart disease.
The next part of the procedure might be a link though.
**Dentists sometimes use Calcium Hydroxide paste between visits in the filed out canal.
Sometimes the put in Formacresol between visits.
They always flush out the cavity during filing with Chorex ( bleach )
They always insert gutta percha plug )rubber) into the cavilty before restoration of the tooth after root canal.**
My guess would be the formacresol use since it is mutagenic in adults
Would you mind sharing the conditions that made your 6 root canals necessary?
way too much Dr Pepper and not enough toothbrushing from gradeschool through jr. high. Although the RCTs were done later the damage was done then. One in high school, two in college, three since graduating from dental school. The latest three years ago. In all cases the teeth were restored but developed irreversable pulpitis later.
You haven’t provided any links to show any of these claims actually occur.
And, even if you had, you haven’t shown any of them are performed with regularity or by honest dentists.
In short, when come back, bring any sort of evidence at all.
I can’t give you cites for Marmite Lover but it is generally correct.
I think many dentists now use MTA(mineral trioxide aggregate) now v. calcium hydroxide. These are used to stimulate dentin formation in the tooth.
We used to usually use formocreosol between visits. It was to kill bacteria and pulp tissues. Now i think most dentists do single appointment RCTs so don’t use it. When we did it would be on a tiny cotton pellet squeezed as dry as possible.
Irrigation with bleach. yep do that, it helps cut the blood and cleans the canals. it is suctioned out not left in and is in the canal not out side the apex.
Yes, gutta percha is the obturation material of choice in various forms.
So this is based on what I do, but I think is the current state in dentistry.
Thanks. That actually does help.
What do you personally do to avoid a 7th root canal? What further advice (besides avoiding pop and brushing enough) do you tell your patients? With your records and observations covering thousands of people, do you see any connection between poor general health and poor dental health, or not? Have you done any questionnaires about eating habits, lifestyle, etc. that might help find connections? I value your response as the voice of extensive professional experience.
I my case all the teeth needing endo had been previously restored, there was no decay in any of them at the time. They all had had very deep decay and ultimately the nerves were damaged and all got pulpitis. So really I just take care of my teeth now and keep my fingers crossed. I haven’t had a new cavity in about 35 years. All the work I’ve had do is replacing old stuff although don’t have to do it very often. Most work in my mouth is over 30 years old.
What I tell my patients is that sugar is the enemy. Now just obvious sugar such as candy and cokes but also the hidden sugars such as in milk, fruit and processed foods. Quantity isn’t as important as frequency. Sucking on hard candy all day or sipping on sodas give the bacteria a constant source of food. Quickly eating one candy bar isn’t as bad. I really think reduction of sugar is more important for most people than improvement of hygiene.
As for the general health, dental health connection. Tough call. I would say, painting with a very broad brush, that people that don’t seem to value their general health also don’t value dental health. The other way around doesn’t seem quite as clear. Many people do value general health but not dental health. To a point higher education and income levels seem to make a difference but as with all things human there is a lot of variation. I’ve had Ph.D.s with crap for teeth and welfare folks that took great care of their teeth. I’ve not done questionaires on health/lifestyle but there is a lot of research out there like that. Done by ADA, dental schools and public health agencies.
Also I think genetics must play a part. I’ve seen way too many people who don’t take care of their teeth with healthy teeth and way too many people with lots of dental problems who try very hard taking care of their teeth to think that it is all behavior based. A majority probably is due to behavior but there has to be more to it than just that.
The only thing I can really say is the more sugar one eats and the more often one does so the more likely one is to have dental decay.
I may be in need of a root canal. My first at 49 years of age.
I have a family history of stomach cancer and kidney failure, unfortunately. My question is to those of you who have had root canals - are you still in generally good health and when were they done?
Not a bad reason to revive the thread, which I haven’t read.
I’ve had at least 3 (my teeth are awful) and I’m in fine health. I have an irregular heartbeat, but it is under control and does not affect me in any way. I’m almost 64 and I’ve been in the hospital only one night my entire life. (For me - I’ve stayed over night more than that helping others.) I also almost never get sick.
Just one data point. So, my advice is to do it.
In general I advise everyone to never take medical advice from the internet, unless it’s a medical web page for that purpose, from credible medical experts. Even then … don’t take chances with your health.
Thanks, Voyager. Just the kind of info I’m seeking.
And normally, FX, I don’t get medical advice from Internet, but I called a dentist to inquire about root canals, and was told by the receptionist that the doctor did not perform them due to their health-related links. I was curious and googled. Found quite a few holistic dentists (not in my area) espousing a book called Root Canal Cover Up. ( written by endodontist in the 1980’s or 1990’s)
I would advise getting a few more opinions and, unless you are picking your dentists from a particularly new-wavey list, you should get a better opinion.
Well, dentistry has some major rifts in what is considered best practice.
I think so. I see both sides, I suppose. Only reasonable alternative to root canal treatment is a dental implant. Not sure how “holistic” an implant is, though. Still a foreign object in human tissue. Chance of bacteria migration in that situation, just as in a root canal so I’m confused.
I don’t think it’s correct to describe a dental implant as an alternative to a root canal. They’re different things. In fact, I had a root canal followed by installation of a dental implant.