Root Canal Alternative Treatment

A root canal-treated (RCT) or root-filled tooth is one in which the dental nerve, commonly called the pulp, is intentionally removed and is filled with an inert material called gutta percha.

What are the pros and cons of root canals?

The pro of a root canal is obvious: the painful or dead tooth is treated and extraction is avoided. But we must ask two key questions before starting a root canal.

• Can the tooth be restored?
• Can a predictable RCT be performed, or are there risks for a poor result?

How is a root canal properly diagnosed?

A root canal is a treatment, not a diagnosis. Good dentistry, like good medicine, starts with a proper diagnosis of the tooth.

Some dentists argue that a diagnosis is academic and a waste of a patient’s time. The result is always the same, they say, a root canal. However, establishing a true diagnosis of tooth pain may avert an unnecessary root canal of an otherwise healthy tooth.

What are my options once a root canal is inevitable?

It’s important to understand that all teeth problems are unique. No treatment is universal. Individual circumstances may dictate that a specific treatment is not an option.

The root canal is a three-step procedure. First, the dentist must remove the nerve from the root system and seal the space with an inert material called gutta percha. Second, a post-core must be placed to prevent root fracture. Third, a crown should be added to prevent fracture of the tooth.

What is the success rate of root canals and what constitutes failure?

With recent improvements in technology, root canal success rates are estimated between 86% and 98% that means that as many as one tooth in seven may be classified as a root canal failure.

Research has found four major causes of root canal failure:

• Tooth or root fracture
• Infections including bacteria (primarily enterococcus fecalis, etc), viruses, and fungus.
• The body’s reaction to root canal materials, microorganisms, and cements which inadvertently are pushed past the tooth into the bone.
• Cysts

Can a failed root canal have a systemic effect on the body?

When we consider that a tooth is an open biological system which communicates with the body whether alive or dead following a root canal, the question of systemic effects on the body becomes an important issue. One study focused on chronic dental infections that is, infections which produced no visible or symptomatic signs.