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Root canals - LT health issues
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<blockquote data-quote="Stirfry" data-source="post: 1277324" data-attributes="member: 10055"><p>Hi everyone- Sorry for joining the discussion a little late. I’m a dentist and willing to discuss this subject and answer questions if anyone is interested. </p><p></p><p>Very briefly: A root canal (or endodontic therapy) is a procedure where the pulp (nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue in the center of a living or “vital” tooth) is mechanically removed with small files or rotary instruments (or, more likely, a combination of the two). This is done when the pulp is exposed to the outside world or otherwise damaged through tooth decay, trauma, or other reasons, resulting in its swelling and a condition called pulpitis, or what most people call a toothache. Your tooth hurts not specifically because the enamel or dentin or other mineralized structures are damaged- they are not alive- but because the pulp inside is swelling and has nowhere to go. Incidentally, this is the same situation that happens to the brain when it swells because it is encased inside a mineralized compartment– the skull.</p><p></p><p>If the trauma is of a certain intensity or duration, the pulp dies. The tooth can stay like this for a while and sometimes it’s totally asymptomatic, but more often than not, given enough time, pain and bone loss associated with the apex (root tip) will manifest due to chronic inflammation. That’s when it’s time for a root canal.</p><p></p><p>Good endodontic treatment involves filing away at the interior of the tooth, down to the root apex, and making it as sterile as possible (I was always taught in school that endodontic failures were usually the result of incomplete canal instrumentation). Then the root canals are filled (or “obdurated”) with an elongated cone of rubber material called gutta percha that is a softened with heat and secured in place with dental cement. The pulp chamber itself is just filled with a temporary restorative material until the final restoration can be made. Usually this is a crown or some sort of full coverage because endodontically treated teeth are notable for drying out over time and becoming a bit more fragile than vital teeth.</p><p></p><p>That’s it, that’s all it is. All the talk about nerves and ozone and bacteria that I noticed in this thread is more an example of “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing” rather than providing any useful information. In all my training in dentistry over the years (and in my career as an academic dentist) I’ve never heard of any reputable clinician or scientific publication linking endo to any systemic illness. So yes, people saying those things and writing books like that are most likely quacks and charlatans, or worse they are trying to exploit the fears of sick or weak people to make a buck.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Stirfry, post: 1277324, member: 10055"] Hi everyone- Sorry for joining the discussion a little late. I’m a dentist and willing to discuss this subject and answer questions if anyone is interested. Very briefly: A root canal (or endodontic therapy) is a procedure where the pulp (nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue in the center of a living or “vital” tooth) is mechanically removed with small files or rotary instruments (or, more likely, a combination of the two). This is done when the pulp is exposed to the outside world or otherwise damaged through tooth decay, trauma, or other reasons, resulting in its swelling and a condition called pulpitis, or what most people call a toothache. Your tooth hurts not specifically because the enamel or dentin or other mineralized structures are damaged- they are not alive- but because the pulp inside is swelling and has nowhere to go. Incidentally, this is the same situation that happens to the brain when it swells because it is encased inside a mineralized compartment– the skull. If the trauma is of a certain intensity or duration, the pulp dies. The tooth can stay like this for a while and sometimes it’s totally asymptomatic, but more often than not, given enough time, pain and bone loss associated with the apex (root tip) will manifest due to chronic inflammation. That’s when it’s time for a root canal. Good endodontic treatment involves filing away at the interior of the tooth, down to the root apex, and making it as sterile as possible (I was always taught in school that endodontic failures were usually the result of incomplete canal instrumentation). Then the root canals are filled (or “obdurated”) with an elongated cone of rubber material called gutta percha that is a softened with heat and secured in place with dental cement. The pulp chamber itself is just filled with a temporary restorative material until the final restoration can be made. Usually this is a crown or some sort of full coverage because endodontically treated teeth are notable for drying out over time and becoming a bit more fragile than vital teeth. That’s it, that’s all it is. All the talk about nerves and ozone and bacteria that I noticed in this thread is more an example of “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing” rather than providing any useful information. In all my training in dentistry over the years (and in my career as an academic dentist) I’ve never heard of any reputable clinician or scientific publication linking endo to any systemic illness. So yes, people saying those things and writing books like that are most likely quacks and charlatans, or worse they are trying to exploit the fears of sick or weak people to make a buck. [/QUOTE]
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