What are the alternatives?
[ul]
[li]Leave it untreated? This will hurt a lot and may well kill you.[/li][li]Have the tooth extracted? That’s an option - can you cope without it?[/li][li]Have it extracted, then get an implant? (sounds like you’re against that notion)[/li][li]Have it extracted, then bridged? Not as great an option as an implant, in most cases.[/li][/ul]
Even if it’s true that root canals are teh evil, what viable alternatives have you?
**You can’t handle the truth! **
Ironic user name of the week.
Kayaker FTW!
If you are so paranoid about the root canal procedure, just have the damned tooth pulled.
For what it’s worth, my Dad had multiple root canals done. He died at age 90, and never had cancer, of any sort, ever. He died from complications of old age and the Guillane Barre syndrome he contracted during WWII - BEFORE he’d ever had a root canal done.
That you are a true believer, is not evidence, or even convincing, of anything other than than you aren’t interested in facts as much as confirmation. No, you’re not going to find any converts, very likely, on a site like this. You are totally barking up the wrong tree my friend. Most people frequenting this site highly value real actual science. That means peer reviewed studies by reputable persons, not “It’s all over the Internet!” That ain’t evidence of anything. And when you present this as an actual talking point, well, you come off looking somewhat like a Sasquatch hunter, or Mayan calendar believer. Also all over the Internet. there are plenty of loons holding up dodgy websites etc as some kind of proof.
When all it really proves is that ‘true believers’ are like religious believers. There is little point in trying to dissuade such a person, especially with reason. If they could reason at all, they wouldn’t believe in sasquatchs to begin with.
If someone shows you something blue and tries to convince you it’s red, and you correct them, yet they still maintain it’s red, you should save your breath. 'True Believers ’ are usually people who are already so heavily invested in being right as to be blind to any reason whatsoever.
You should consider taking this dog and pony show off to an audience that you have at least a chance of convincing to drink the koolaid. You’ be doing all of us, and yourself a big favour, I think!
when a root canal is done all the living material is taken out of the tooth and it is filled in, there is nothing left in the tooth to get infected.
If you want a reasoned, scientific debunking of Dr. Weston and all the woo-spinners, go to Dispelling the Myths about Root Canal Treatment.
Just a few highlights:
Yeah, like I’d trust a British critique on American dentistry!
around 30 years ago…
so far, nope.
If you don’t want a root canal - pull the tooth.
Root canals - in and of themselves - are not any more dangerous than other dental procedures.
end of story.
“Non-believers”?:dubious:
Cult-type behavior & terminology is a red warning sign of con artists & quacks.
ineedthetruth, you do need the truth the problem is that you don’t believe it when you see it. “Are root canals really toxic”? Of course not, there is a root canal in every human tooth. Now if what you really mean is is root canal therapy toxic that is something else. The answer of course is still no but it is something else. But we’ll go with root canal to mean root canal therapy since that is common usage and I’m sure what you mean.
I’ve had six root canals, the first one being 40 years ago.(Too much Dr Pepper as a kid) and no ill effects from them yet. FWIW I am a dentist and have done somewhere between 1500 and 2000 root canals over the last 26 years. In the vast majority of cases the patient is able to retain the tooth that would be extracted. Do some fail, sure for a variety of reasons but not because they are toxic.
Most root canals are done because the patient has a cavity that has gotten to the nerve and is causing pain. Just like in your case. I guess in all your research you didn’t notice the research about limiting sugars or good oral hygiene to prevent cavities. The initial decay is the sorce of the infection not the root canal therapy. Will the therapy always work, of course not but it does the vast majority of the time so we save a lot of teeth that would otherwise be lost.
Can we get all the bacteria out of the canal prior to obturation of course not but the body is able to help with that. Can an ER doctor get all the bacteria out of a cut prior to placing stiches nope, but they still stich them up.
The filling material in root canals is usually gutta percha which is basicly inert and prior to placement the canal is irrigated with disinfectent (usually bleach) to kill bacteria that may be in the canal. Sure some bacteria can remain but the therapy itself isn’t toxic.
We’ve been through this before.
Fear of going to a dentist leads to believing crackpot theories on the Internet.
Then, inexplicably, they come here seeking confirmation of the crackpot theories… one of the last places to endorse such things. Go figure.
OK, so since the OP does not seem to grasp the concept of ‘data’ vs. ‘anecdote’ I will give him an anecdote.
I had 6 root canals back in 6th grade thanks to some sloppy orthodontia work. Six of them. This was also when they didn’t fill and drain all the roots at once, they did them one root per appointment, then a capping. Do the math - 24+ fun dentist appointments for me!
Today? I have a full head of hair. And it has been close to 30 years on those root canals. I’d expect some cancer to have kicked in my now.
The only complication is that the caps had to be replaced as they were sized for my younger mouth.
And since this is how the OP thinks I will simply make this reference: “uuhh, Bon-jour?!”
This.
It seems Ineedthetruth is in need of a root canal but is afraid of it. Hey - it’s not on my top 10 list of fun things to do either - but most medical procedures are not fun. They are necessary to retain your health and well being.
If you let your fear overrule your health needs - you will pay the price. It is completely your choice. You are currently panicking and grasping at crazy straws. Just get the damn root canal and save your tooth - especially considering you’ve already lost a few others at this point.
One redeeming feature of spending time on the Dope is that you can learn about forms of bizarreness that you never dreamed existed. I thought I was up on woo in general, but the idea that root canals are toxic and lead to all sorts of diseases is new to me.
In general, ineedthetruth, any time you hear a claim that a particular medical procedure, drug, or supplement is the key to preventing or causing a vast array of dissimilar medical problems, the claim is likely to be bogus.
Bazinga! (as Sheldon Cooper would say). Immediately distrust whatever Weston Price or the Weston Price Foundation (known for promoting the wonders of raw milk and warning against the devastation caused by flouridated water, soy-based foods etc.) says.
Do not depend on WP, Mercola and similar sources for accurate health information; proceed on the assumption that whatever they are telling you is dubious and seek confirmation from reliable sources.
In the matter of root canals, as in so many other things, you won’t find such evidence. A lot of the dire warnings come from so-called “holistic dentists”, who have built up profitable practices through “alternative” methods like yanking out amalgam fillings, a painful and expensive procedure which doesn’t improve the health of [del]victims[/del] patients. Some also advocate removing teeth treated with root canal therapy (the linked site is typical of the dire warning websites which cite no published research, just undocumented claims based on ludicrous theories like breast cancers developing in the same “acupuncture meridian” as one’s root canal).
I have seen no logical explanation and no compelling evidence for the proposition that root canals are “toxic” and cause cancer or other diseases.
And I doubt anyone here will be able to convince you you’re actually being taken for a ride by quackery promoters. Do some independent reading and apply rigorous standards to what you hear, utilizing the same skepticism with which you approach mainstream medicine and dentistry, and your conclusions are likely to be far different than what they are now.
I had root canal on a dead, but not infected tooth, nearly 50 years ago. Aside from the slight discoloration, it has not given me any identifiable trouble since.
I’ve had a few minor health problems, but they seem to have had causes other than that tooth.
People I’ve known with tooth infections who have had root canal, were miserable before hand and miserable for a period after as well.
Medical types might know if some sort of systemic and lasting infection can be a result of an infected tooth. I’ve had one for 20 years due to food poisoning.
Nice replays guys. I am going to be off work around 5 pm est. I will post the links then. I believe by the time I’m done some will believe me. See you in few hours.