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Root Canal Danger

Root canal infection can be very serious and be spread to other parts of the body. If you think you have a root canal infection, the best advise is to get it treated by an endodonsist who specializes in root canals- not your family dentist as quickly as you can.

Symptoms of a root canal infection can be very hard to spot. The infected tissue inside the tooth can die very quickly so there may be no signs of pain a tall. In some cases pain will be felt in the tooth, and there may also be swelling and tenderness of the gums.

Critics of root canal treatments contend that it's almost impossible to fully clean all the intricate canals. Even if it were possible, and the dentist performs the most meticulous job, the dentin consists of miles of tiny tubules which can house the tiny microscopic that cause decay and infection. In a normal healthy tooth the tubules transport fluid that carries nourishment to the inside of the tooth. The dead root canal filled tooth no longer has any fluid, and the bacteria can live there and be difficult to flush out with anti-biotics. A filled root seems to be a favorite spot to start a new colony. A defective or cracked dental restoration can allow bacteria to recontaminate the area. Sometimes the roots are not fully cleaned, or even missed altogether.

Dentists recognize the the fact that it is impossible to completely eliminate all bacteria. Most endodontists will tell you that Root canal cannot be guaranteed 100% and carries a 10 - 15% failure rate.

The most famous anti-root canal advocate is the dentist Weston Price who performed extensive experiments in the 1900s and showed that the bacteria produced in the root canals were responsible for a host of diseases, including arthritis, heart and circulatory diseases. This work was more recently revealed by George Meinig in his book the Root Canal Cover up, who charges that all root canals produce bacteria, which in healthy individuals is kept at bay by the immune system. Over time, particularly as people age and have more root canals with weakened immunity, the body can no longer fight off the bacterial infection, resulting in chronic disease.

If the tooth cannot be retreated your options are not good. You will probably have to pull the tooth and get an implant. So worth looking at as quickly as you can to spare lots of expense later on.