Root canals

[scottbushey]

Given the information here on VC Foundation Forum about root canals, what are our options if the Dentist recommends a root canal?

Thanks in advance,

SPB

[VanCanada]

1st option: Get a second opinion.
2nd option: Get a third opinion.

You would probably get three quotes for an insurance policy, a plumbing job, and so on. Why wouldn't you for possibly terminating the lifeblood of part of your own body?

Just my two cents. Good luck and keep us updated, especially the part about supplements you will be taking, if any (especially vitamin C) and the outcome of treatments, if any.

[scottbushey]

Let me be more to the point; What is the option if the dentist says you need a root canal and you went to the dentist in pain? Just tell him to fill the tooth? I believe once they start rooting around in there, the nerve is exposed and then filling it does not get rid of the sensitivity. The tooth remains sensitive to hot and cold. In the old days, the dentists didn't work in the same manners and we did not have this same sensitivity-so again I ask, what is one's option? Extraction?

Some times, I get the feeling when I ask searching questions here, I get the run around.

[scurvyencounters]

My brother-in-law recently got a root canal and I had a similar conversation with him. He got the root canal with a large crown over the top. I was really sad to hear it since I have read about the dangers of such a treatment. But what are the options?

Here is a web page that gives some good information on the subject. http://www.curetoothdecay.com/root_canal.htm

They sell a book called Cure Tooth Decay.

I hope this helps.

Ron

[freeform]

[Cobraman]

See my previous posts concerning this issue. As a dentist that does many root canals(of extremely high quality, I might add) it is not a perfect treatment, but a good treatment. I would be happy to address specific questions.

Given the information here on VC Foundation Forum about root canals, what are our options if the Dentist recommends a root canal?

Thanks in advance,

SPB

[scottbushey]

Cobraman,
Here's my plight. Most dentists will not just eradicate infection in a tooth and then fill it. I don't see what the issue is with just filling as the fillings I had done as a kid lasted 30 years. So, having said that, what kind of dentist should I look for? Should I ask if the doctor is against root canals; I would hate to be in the chair with a nerve exposed and the doctor telling me that there is no way around a root canal.

[Cobraman]

Problem is you can't eradicate infection in a tooth w/o either an extraction or root canal therapy(RCT). Once a tooth sustains a substantial trauma from a hit, deep decay, or exposed nerve of any kind a process of irreversible inflammation sets in. The tissues on the inside of the tooth swell just as they would from a hit on the arm, but the difference is that these tissues are in a confined space on the inside of the tooth. When they swell they sustain further trauma by banging on the inner walls of the tooth every time the heart beats. That is why there is a throbbing pain inside the tooth when one has a toothache. Eventually the swelling gets to the point that it cuts off its own blood supply and this tissue suffocates and dies. These tissues will then break down into component particles and bacteria that get in the bloodstream by any of a number of reasons are drawn to this site by a process called chemotaxis. They set up shop inside the tooth, multiply and cause infection. Someone may say "let's try an antibiotic", but this will not eliminate the infection because there is no longer any circulation inside the tooth to transport the antibiotic. It will only prevent the infection from getting out of hand, not eliminate it.

Now if a nerve is exposed(small exposure) and immediately cleaned and sealed, vitality of the tooth can be maintained and RCT can be avoided. I do this on a daily basis. This is something that many dentists do not know about or deal with. Some just find it easier to just do the rct than have the patient call them on off hours. If I was in the chair I would rather try to avoid the rct which weakens the tooth. This is why I treat nerve exposures this way. I get aprox.75% success by doing it that way.

If you have no prior pain in tooth and have deep decay, you can tell the dentist not to expose the nerve under any circumstances even if he has to leave a small amoun of decay behind. he can then do an indirect pulp cap after cleaning the tooth and he can seal and fill the tooth. Success rate would be high,but you may still have problems w/ it. At least you made an informed decision.

[Cobraman]

Another point is that sensitivity and pain do not necessarily mean infection. I am sorry to say there are plenty of poor diagnosticians out there. I have seen plenty of patients who have been referred to the specialist to get rct and came to see me and I found that the cause of the pain was easily treatable w/o rct. Dull pain can sometimes be just a sinus infection. Watch for extreme pain w/ throbbing, swelling, or extreme bite sensitivity. These are the main signs of need for rct, but even these need to be tested every time.

[jknosplr]

Cobra

Dull pain can sometimes be just a sinus infection. Watch for extreme pain w/ throbbing, swelling, or extreme bite sensitivity. These are the main signs of need for rct, but even these need to be tested every time.

If one is free of symptoms you describe, can one fully ascertain that they are free of any oral infections?

[Cobraman]

Cobra

Dull pain can sometimes be just a sinus infection. Watch for extreme pain w/ throbbing, swelling, or extreme bite sensitivity. These are the main signs of need for rct, but even these need to be tested every time.

If one is free of symptoms you describe, can one fully ascertain that they are free of any oral infections?

Yes. I assume you mean tooth infection. You can test, or look at radiographic evidence. A healthy non-infected tooth will feel cold, a dead infected tooth will not. Oral infection can be from any source w/in the mouth, including bone, cheek, gums, lip, etc. You can have an asymptomatic infection from a tooth if there is a sinus tract to relieve the pressure of an abscess. A clinical exam will find the sinus tract, as will an xray. If there are even slight symptoms, these will lead to a proper diagnosis by way of hot and cold testing, percussion testing, electronic pulp testing, and standard clinical exam. Other oral infections will be diagnosable by clinical and radiographic signs and symptoms.