I have read a lot about root canals being bad for you but I don't want to get my tooth pulled and just have a gap. It is in a very noticeable spot upfront.
Is it really such a big deal to get a root canal?
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I don't know what I'm going to do when the time comes but I do know that root canals are really bad for us .. esp those who are ill.
So .. I hope I will have the strength to say no to one.
Posted by hammer (Member # 17201) on :
It's a hard decision to make , but I will never get another root canal. I have had 2 crowns and one root canaled tooth pulled. All had infections under them.
I also had to have cavitation surgery for an old wisdom tooth site that was infected with soft mushy bone. The infections in our jaw bone are so difficult to detect.
I am now on IV antibiotics for the jaw infection(and treating Lyme as well). Every time I removed a tooth, I got to a new level of healing.
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
I say no. I had mine removed and tx went better. I had a friend who didnt respond to tx until he had all his removed
I forget what they call it but you can get a fake tooth made to popin the space
Posted by gigimac (Member # 33353) on :
an implant? I have a tooth that has been causing pain off and on. At one point the pain was terrible until i took abx again. I am guessing my taking abx is what has kept it from getting really bad.
I have been dreading this for so long. getting it pulled, the discussion of why i don't want a root canal.
It has to happen eventually and I will have to decide between root canal and just pulled. I'm probably gonna get it pulled. The thought of getting sicker over a tooth is agonizing.
Am I hurting my health by putting off getting the (possibly infected) tooth that hurts pulled?
Posted by dbpei (Member # 33574) on :
hammer, are the IV ABX helping at all? Could you share your story about how you learned you had the cavitations and whether the surgery helped?
This is something I struggle with. Because my worst symptoms are in the vicinity of my jawbone (skull, sinuses, ears too) - I often wonder if I have undetected infection in my jaw bone and that is why I have not been able to get better.
I have had intense ozone treatment by a very reputable biological dentist with injections in my jaw bone and skull (did not help at all), as well as many other alternative treatments and a year of multiple ABX.
In 2013, I had oral surgery to remove an infected root canaled tooth and also recently had a dental implant removed in same area. Next step is to remove my last root canaled tooth.
I have read mixed reviews about the dental cavitation surgery and in my opinion, it is risky due to the trauma and difficult recovery period as well as the cost. I wish there was a good way to detect whether you have this besides Cavitat X-rays.
I find it hard to believe there would not be some type of markers in our blood work to help us determine whether we could have jaw bone necrosis.
gigmac, I don't mean to hijack your thread. I wish I had the answer for you. Would a bridge be doable for you if the tooth is in the front? I am now toothless on one side of my mouth where two of my chewing molars should be. My teeth are shifting a bit, but so far, I am okay with leaving things alone.
Below is a very good forum with a dental section that might help you make your decision.
i think a bridge could work. a bridge doesn't have harmful metals does it?
Another question, my son has two cavities that need to be filled but the dentist said insurance will only cover amalgam. I don't wanna put metal in his mouth even if they are just baby teeth.
Are there any other options? If his cavities don't hurt can I just leave it alone? I can't afford the white filling out of pocket.
Posted by dbpei (Member # 33574) on :
gigimac, there are many dentists who no longer use mercury in their fillings. See if you can find one on the sites below. I found my current dentist through the later one and I am so grateful. He is fantastic and he even takes my insurance.
thanks for that list dbpei.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Implants can be rough too .. esp for those with health problems.
Posted by luvs2ride (Member # 8090) on :
NO!!!!!!!!!!! I got 5 in 1996 after being treated for Lyme in 1995 and right now I am looking into removing everyone of them as they continue to harbor infection and cause me no end of grief.
Posted by dbpei (Member # 33574) on :
jethro, thanks for all that information on bartonella and a possible treatment that works for it. I just had my 5th MRI in 4 years, which is able to rule out acoustic neuroma - so I am pretty confident that is not what is causing my symptoms.
MRI continues to show one brain lesion but it has not changed in 4 years. Not sure if it is a venous malformation (like a birthmark on the brain that I was born with) or Lyme related.
Your website is interesting with lots of information I have not read before, so I will spend some time there!
luvs2ride - are they root canals you need to have out or dental implants? So sorry for your dental issues. I think the pathogens love to hide in this part of our body.
Posted by Theresa (Member # 421) on :
I am going in a few hours to finish two implants I started a year ago. I had 5 implants two years ago Every time I have dental work I relapse. Started in 1998 when I got bit. Many root canals then . Abscesses too. In 2013 after being fairly health for 5 years I had to replace dental work and my only choices were implants or removable dentures. I opted for the 7 implants. I now have been dx with lyme, autoimmune, bart and cidp. I am on iv doxy, ivig, various abx. The dentures may gave been the way to go. I'll see what happens after today's work. God bless, theresa
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
I didnt read all. Implants are bad for us. Bridge is good.
Many years ago dentist assoc. Said no more amalgams...too dangerous
It is horrible that an insurance company is allowed to do that
Many dental offices wont allow amalgam in them
They have to take old ones out in a special way
Again...medical system so screwed up
Posted by Andie333 (Member # 7370) on :
I just had a second tooth pulled that had previously been a root canal. I'm now scheduled to have a bridge put in. I agree with Kayak that this seems like the safest option.
Posted by Theresa (Member # 421) on :
It definitely is. I had no teeth left to attach bridgework. I just got back and they had to redo one implant. I,M trying not to take ibrufrin because enzymes are high. Theresa
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
Speaking for me only, I have never had a problem with root canals that I'm aware of.
Posted by dbpei (Member # 33574) on :
My last MRI was done through a newer 3T MR scanner. It is considered to be the 'gold standard' for ruling out acoustic neuromas. It was much louder and more invasive than previous MRI's. Not sure I want to put myself through it again, it was so bad this time.
I do believe that many of my symptoms could be related to calcifications blocking passageways. But I would want my LLMD to guide me through any treatment at this point. I am going to see a very good osteopath that my LLMD has recommended soon and hoping he will open things up a bit so my treatments can work better.
Praying I don't ever need jawbone surgery. Glad you got better and thanks for sharing your insights.
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
Does anyone have experiences with bridges? My friend has one and likes it
My current dentist who is not lyme literate or bio says no one is happy with bridges
I think he just want to make mire money on me
My info on this subject comes from experience and info from excellwnt bio dentist in montreal
Posted by hammer (Member # 17201) on :
I kept having pain in my lower jaw where I had already had a crowned tooth removed. I found a somewhat of a biological dentist who did a 3d cone beam CT (? I think that is what it is called).
It showed a cavitation where my wisdom tooth had been pulled 20+ years ago. She did the cavitation surgery and I had no problems. She uses platelet rich plasma.
At the same time I had her remove two teeth on the other side of mouth that had huge fillings that had already been replaced once.
She wanted to save the teeth. I insisted they come out. The pain that I have had for years in my left ear and up side of head were gone immediately after the surgery.
Still having some pain on side of cavitation surgery if I come off antibiotics. I have since gone on IV assuming I have some osteomyelitis so we will see how that goes. Of course we are treating Lyme in tandem.
I will return to her for another CT scan this spring. Her answer is ozone for any residual infection. My personal opinion is that isn't quite so effective.
I have autoimmune issues - misdiagnosed with RA in my twenties - and I need double knee replacement so I must resolve any jaw issues first.
This is a hard thing to say, but honestly I would remove all my teeth if I had to. I think they have hindered my health as much as anything else. I will not get implants due to my autoimmune.
Posted by hammer (Member # 17201) on :
Also, when we did the CT scan, there was a little spot of infection above one of the teeth the dentist wanted to save - an upper tooth near sinus area. She was going to put some kind of special packing in it.
I am so glad I had her remove that tooth. I don't believe there is any way that infection could resolve with the tooth still there. We will see how it looks this spring with new scan.
Posted by tickalert (Member # 7033) on :
I had two dental bridges that failed within a year of each other.
When I spoke to the oral surgeon, he said they cut off a lot of bridges.
My Dentist also concurred that bridges are very tricky and a lot of the time do eventually get decay under them and fail.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Bartonella might be involved in problems with the mouth / teeth / jaw.
KarlaL recently posted this excellent article. Much is here about how Bartonella can hamper blood flow for various reasons explained. [Also be aware that ibuprofen also constricts blood vessels in the body and that also puts more stress on kidneys.]
. . . Evidence of Bartonella quintana has been found in the dental pulp (of Napoleon's soldiers). . . .
page 2:
Some believe that devitalized teeth and jawbone cavitations may be associated with Bartonella infection . . . .
. . . very high incidence of root canals in his practice which may be related to a compromise of small blood vessels that feed the dental pulp . . . . -
Posted by Overwhelmed (Member # 38499) on :
Personally, I opted to have a root canal insted of pulling out the fractured tooth. Some type of substance was used vs the traditional chemicals.