The word “Root canal” sounds like anathema to many people. It is usually associated with excruciating pain, a harrowing dental procedure, or, for those holistic-minded who have delved into the Weston Price controversy, a formula for poor health and a high risk for diseases.
A brief introduction to root canals: It is a PROCEDURE in which a dead nerve is removed from within a sick or degenerated tooth and the resulting void in the “canals” is filled with a substance that merely fills up the space and should be stable and antiseptic enough to last and not to promote bacterial growth. See also the article Root Canals – Procedure Risks Disinfection Materials.
Many people say they want to AVOID a root canal. The best way to avoid one is to PREVENT it by staying proactive with proper home oral hygiene, routine dental cleanings and exam visits, and minimally invasive dentistry for small cavities before they grow over time. Once the nerve dies, unfortunately, the only option you have is to extract the tooth if you are determined not to have a root canal.
True, some root canals arise after a large procedure involving crowns or large fillings. Many times a tooth may be asymptomatic, and after a dentist works on it, it develops pain and infection. The dentist may be blamed for these problems; however, a large cavity or a tooth needing a crown is already at an advanced stage of neglect or deterioration. Proper, timely care could have prevented it. Any large procedure may drive a tooth “over the edge” due to poor circulation, vibrations, and the trauma of being worked upon.
THE ROOT CANAL CONTROVERSY:
The root is made up of millions of tiny tubules that emanate out of the main canal and extend through the full thickness of the dentine layer. These carry nutrients and stimuli back and forth. As the tooth dies, these tiny tubules also die but retain moisture and organic matter, which begins to deteriorate and become food for bacteria. Even after the main canal is treated and filled, armies of bacteria can still live in these tiny tubules.
Many sources claim that a dead tooth in the body will cause certain ailments and detrimental effects on health. Weston Price, George Meinig, and Hal Huggins were proponents of this theory, and today most holistic dentists do not recommend root canals. Many even suggest pulling root-canaled teeth to improve health. (1)
Dr. Sarkissian does not assert that extracting all root-canaled teeth in a person suffering from a disease will reverse the disease. He is convinced, however, that, in principle, a root-canaled tooth is not desired for many reasons, and even if it were not directly responsible for a particular disease, he would not be surprised if it contributed to poor health or some compromise in the organism’s health status.
Some correlations in statistical data are very disturbing, such as the one showing a proportionally high number of root-canaled teeth in women suffering from breast cancer. (3)
WHAT ARE THE CHOICES?
1. KEEP THE TOOTH and perform root canal therapy. The canals are accessed, and the dead or infected nerve is evacuated with special files. The narrow canals are widened with successively larger files to remove the contaminated, toxic layer of dentine lining the canal walls. Most filing procedures do not remove all dead tissue because the root canal system consists of convoluted, unevenly branched canals with numerous branches and uneven recesses. (Picture 1-1). To eliminate these, we use the latest dental laser, the iPlus by Biolase (Picture 1-2), and a side-firing tip to disinfect the canal walls after manual instrumentation. The laser energy is generated in pulses and uses water as the target, killing bacteria, pulverizing organic matter, and opening up the tubules (Picture 1-3). Laser energy is then transmitted along the millions of dentine tubules just like fiber optics, killing bacteria lodged deeper inside them (Picture 1-4). After disinfection, the canals are filled with a biocompatible paste which lines the canal walls and seals them (Picture 1-5). To see step-by-step illustrations of the procedure, see The Last Resort – Root Canal Treatment.
The tooth is restored with a bonded fiberglass post and a metal-free zirconia crown, or a CEREC porcelain same-day onlay. (How To Get Your Crown The Same Day)
(click on picture to enlarge – press the ESC key to close bigger picture)
2. EXTRACT THE TOOTH. The roots are extracted, a thin layer of the contaminated bone lining the sockets is removed to ensure the periodontal ligament is completely taken out and healthy bleeding is encouraged. Generally a ridge preservation graft is placed along with a membrane, which acts as a scaffolding to create, or at least retain the width and height of the bone, in order to facilitate placement of a metal-free Zirconia implant.
A tooth is shown here with a failing root canal, with a “blister” (fistula) on the gums, and an ugly crown. Saving this with a new root canal would have been doubtful, not to mention a waste of money. The tooth was extracted and restored with a metal-free implant.
Some subjective and isolated reports by patients also mention a mysterious worsening in health or well-being coinciding with a root canal being performed. Yet clinical studies confirming these reports are currently lacking.
FACTS AND ROOT CANAL TRIVIA:
You can’t ignore a dead tooth. The decomposing tissue inside it is essentially gangrene, which eventually spills out into the bone and causes either a massive, painful infection or a chronic, degenerative, painless lesion, which, long term, is even more destructive than the painful phase.
Many teeth die or are extracted because a deep crack under a large filling (particularly mercury amalgam) weakens the cusps or the tooth’s structural integrity. Heavy chewing or clenching forces, plus expansion of metal non-bonded fillings from hot and cold fluctuations, basically crack the tooth and split it in two. Research shows that teeth with large amalgams are more likely to need major work, such as root canals or extractions, than teeth with onlays or crowns. (4)
Infrared photography of the head usually reveals a zone of “inflammation” in the tissues and bone exactly where root-canaled teeth are present.
A major reason for extracting teeth is unhealed root canals, which carry a “bag” or a “cyst” of inflammation known as a GRANULOMA around the tip of their root(s).
These granulomas are considered a “focus of infection”, which is known to affect the general well-being of the person through meridian blockages. The body’s immune system is working overtime to deal with these chronic degenerative lesions. They usually harbor bacteria and viruses, including Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which one study found in more than 80% of periapical granulomas. (2)
A cross-section of an extracted, root-canalled tooth shows that much of the contaminated tissue in the recesses of a root canal system remains untreated.
A study has shown that Aspergillus, a disease-causing fungus, is likely to be found in many root canals with inflammation around their roots, especially those near the sinus. This may explain why root-canaled teeth in the upper molar areas, which border the sinus, continue to cause symptoms even when there is no other apparent reason. (5)
RESOURCES:
- Burton Goldberg on Root Canals as Risk factor for Cancer
- Epstein-Barr Virus Infection In Chronically Inflamed Periapical Granulomas
- Dr. Mercola on The Dangers Of Root Canalled Teeth
- Natural History Of Treatment Outcomes For Teeth With Large Amalgam And Crown Restorations
- Aspergillus In Endodontic Infection Near The Maxillary Sinus
I have morning headaches off and on for the last 17 years. A!I I need to do to fix myself of the headache is to get up. No need for aspirin, ibprofen, or Tylenol. I just get up and move around a little and it goes away. They are very annoying and painful. I have been to my GP, ENT, pain management, optician, optimologisty, back to pain management, psychiatrist, and therapist with no answers and no luck getting rid of them. I have had one root canal on my left lower jaw, which just happens to be the same side of my head the headaches are on j
in my left eyebrow area, and the same side I developed lung cancer. Never smoked a day in my life. They removed the upper lobe of my left lung. Wondering if that root canal could be the ROOT CAUSE?
That is a very hard to answer question. But if you suspect that it might be the cause, the only way to find out for sure would be to have this tooth extracted.