I know many of us deal with this issue. From my understanding, it's known that Lyme and other bacteria can harbor in the gums.
Root canals are a big deal because we want to try to preserve the tooth. There's alot of info from Weston Price about the dangers but that research was done many years ago. There is more recent thinking about the issue without minimising Price's studies on the subject.
I was thinking that the tooth needed to be removed because who wants something dead in their head? The other side is that we lose the use of a tooth which can change the way we eat or speak.
The more teeth are gone, the worse it gets down the line. There are alot of considerations so the more info we have, the better.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
The "cliff notes version"
What to Ask Before Agreeing to Treatment
Is a root canal absolutely necessary? Is it possible the tooth will recover and not need the root canal? Why did the pulp die? What are my options? What if I don’t do the root canal? Should I skip the root canal and go right to the implant? Will my infection spread to other teeth or to my bone? How predictable is the treatment?
And perhaps most important: Should I have this done by specialist or can you do as good of a job as a specialist can?
How Does My Dentist Know I Need a Root Canal?
For other conditions, a doctor can give you a blood test and the results will come back either positive or negative. It’s not so cut and dried with root canals. Diagnosing whether you need a root canal does have a scientific basis but it can be a bit of an art form to find out how diseased the pulp of the tooth is.
This is why you really need someone who is experienced. A practitioner who rushes this process could choose the wrong treatment of the tooth.
To diagnose whether or not you need a root canal, your dentist will need to determine if the pulp inside the tooth is dead or dying or if it’s possible that the pulp could recover.
Data Points Your Dentist Uses to Decide If You Need a Root Canal
Lingering pain: Your dentist will ask you about how your tooth responds to hot and cold. When you drink cold water, does your tooth get sensitive? How long does the pain last?
This is a way of figuring out if you have “lingering” or “non-lingering” pain. “Lingering” means the pain sticks around. Non-lingering pain goes away. If the pain goes away, the pulp inside your tooth might be alive enough to recover from the hot and cold, indicating that the tissue could potentially recover.
If you drink cold water and you’re sensitive for the next hour or more, that’s “lingering” pulpitis (infection of the pulp) which means your tooth isn’t recovering and the nerve is likely dead.
Positional pain: Does your pain get worse when you lie down or stand up suddenly or run in place? This can be the sign of an abscess and, likely, a dead tooth.
Spontaneous pain: If pain is brought on by a stimulus like a hot or cold drink, it’s possible that the pulpitis is reversible, but if you’re sitting there doing nothing and get a wave of pain, that’s probably a dead tooth.
Fistula on the gum: A fistula is a little white, yellow, or red pimple-looking thing that shows up your gum. What this tells your dentist is that there is an infection because there is pus, blood, and infectious materials trying to get out and the body is trying to vent it.
The problem is that it doesn’t always go alongside the tooth that is infected — a fistula can mislead the dentist as to which tooth it is.
Abscess: An abscess is typically seen on an x-ray. It is essentially a hole in the jawbone that shows up as a dark spot on the x-ray because the bone doesn’t want to grow in that area.
Bone won’t grow in the area around an infection and an infection typically comes from the tip of the root, which is where everything is spilling out from the dead tissue inside of the tooth.
Referred pain: I weigh this one heavily. If the pain is not only in your tooth but also referring to another part of the body, like your jaw, ear, or surrounding teeth, this could mean you have an abscess. What I try to do is ask my patients in such a way that they don’t know what I’m asking so that I get the right answer.
How Long Can I Wait Before I Get My Root Canal Done?
Once you find out you need a root canal, it’s like a ticking time bomb, because the infection will eventually blow up. You’ll get more pressure and more swelling if you wait.
You might get a bad taste in your mouth or might start to go numb. The infection could spread to more vulnerable tissues, like your heart. This is why people used to die of tooth infections hundreds of years ago.
Your dentist will prescribe you antibiotics for the infection. Once you start taking antibiotics, you’ve bought yourself four or five weeks. If you get on the antibiotics before the root canal is done, you’ll have less pain during the procedure because this will make it easier to get you numb.
As soon as you find out you need a root canal, you need antibiotics right away. Don’t delay! It could turn into a life-threatening condition if you don’t. Yes, a tooth infection can kill you!
I agonized long and hard 6 months ago and went ahead and had RC.
He couldn't get through part of it due to calcification so packed it with antibiotic had me come back maybe for apicoectomy (surgery through gums) to get the rest.
But just had x-rays after waiting 6 months and the infection has diminished. So will x-ray again in 6 months.
I'm still not sure I did the right thing. But glad I didn't lose the tooth or get an implant or bridge.
I had no symptoms before. Was just found on x-ray.
Posted by Brussels (Member # 13480) on :
>>If you drink cold water and you’re sensitive for the next hour or more, that’s “lingering” pulpitis (infection of the pulp) which means your tooth isn’t recovering and the nerve is likely dead.
I wonder, when the tooth is dead, we usually feel nothing.
Touching the tooth with cold ice is the procedure here: the dentist comes with dry ice and touch each tooth.
If no pain = dead!
I guess the 'lingering pain' story is for infection under the dead tooth??
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
That's weird. If it's dead, you aren't supposed to feel anything. Why would it be sensitive to cold?
If there is a way to fight the infection with antibiotics or whatever - why do we need a root canal? My teeth are feeling better after taking the abx for about a week. I've been using the ionic toothbrush & the violet ray (produces ozone).
It got a fistula & was oozing stuff but it stopped now. Isn't it a good thing is the toxins are coming out? I apply some goldenseal and some clove oil on a piece of cotton. I just leave it on there overnight. You could also use myrrh or other things.
If you can heal the infection - why not try to keep the tooth. I've been dealing with this for 2 years. I mainly went in because I cracked the tooth next to it.
He put a temporary filling on the cracked tooth. He was mainly admonishing me to get the other tooth out right away or get a root canal.
I asked him if he knew exactly what bacteria was causing the problem in my tooth. He didn't know. If it is Lyme - maybe there are other ways to deal with it besides root canal of pulling the tooth?
It could be Lyme or a number of other bacterias. Can we treat that? Lots of natural herbs kill bacteria.
Posted by sparkle7 (Member # 10397) on :
Here's more info...
What You Need to Know about Root Canals & Dental Implants
Marz - yes, it's a difficult decision. A family member said to me that she was glad that she had the use of the root canaled tooth for 7 years - even though it got infected & she had to have it removed recently.
Society needs to rethink the whole dental concept. There, I can agree with Dr. Huggins. The bacteria is in the tooth whether we get a root canal or not. I guess it just depends on how bad the infection is, how well the procedure is done & how our individual body handles it.
Posted by Kylie (Member # 52158) on :
Unfortunately you are right that many of us deals with this problem, but I would also add that many of us deals with crooked teeth that makes our smiles less attractive. Thankfully I found out a way to fix this problem without resorting to metal braces. Did you know that there is another way to move the teeth. If you are interested, you can find more information by clicking on https://tallah.com/sa/en. I am happy I fixed my teeth problem, and I hope this information will be helpful for many people