Root Canals: Can I get your opinions please..

Good Morning everyone,

While on vacation in Jamaica in September, I took a fall and broke three of my top front teeth. Anyhow, I'm still dealing with all of this as I had to get oral surgery to enlongate one of the teeth in effort to put a crown on it. I've always loved my teeth and prided myself in taking good care of them, so this has been quite the ordeal for me.

I've had to have two root canals and I think the third tooth is going to require a root canal as well because I'm having a lot of sensitivity in it. While looking something up over the weekend, I saw that there is some controversy with regards to how safe root canals are for our health. I've never had them before this incident. They are saying something to the effect that toxins can build in the tooth or something like that and cause immune problems and even cancer in our bodies. So, of course, I am FREAKING out over this! That's all I need, is more problems with my immune system (or even cancer)!!!

May I ask your opinions on this please? I'm scared to death now. I know that I may be reading into this more than I should but I am really concerned...

Also, I had quite a flair in my symptoms over the weekend which I am going to post separately on another post, but now I'm thinking..OMG......these symptoms are from the root canals! When does the worry ever end!!!! Now I keep kicking myself over and over for being so careless and just wishing that I could reverse time.

Hi Carrie,

I had two root canals, then got lyme. Within two years, both failed and I lost the teeth.

A root canaled tooth is a dead tooth - the roots are removed. Many lyme docs believe the bacteria congregates in that dead tooth and causes problems. Some believe the tooth should be pulled, as well as any mercury fillings removed. Continue to research it before you decide so you are comfortable with your decision.

Carrie48, you really didn't have much choice so don't worry about it. Millions of people have root canals and are perfectly healthy and live long, happy lives.

Implants are even more invasive (and expensive) than root canals. Amalgam fillings may be dangerous but the composite fillings might be bad too. Not having teeth has its own issues and problems.

No matter how careful you are with your teeth, accidents or genetics forces some of us to make less than ideal choices.

Carrie,

I opted not to get implants as they are in the back. I saw a surgeon about doing it, but he was concerned that my sinus cavity was so close to the implant area.

Good luck with your RCs. I would probably do what you are doing since these are your front teeth.

i heard that bad rooot canals can couse huge problem and that there are dentists that use ozone while doing root canal to get all the sperochete or other infection out.

Carrie,
I'm not sure what to believe as far as fillings and root canals. I, unfortunately, have bad teeth in my genetics, and have at least one filling in every tooth and about 5 root canals. I never had to wear braces though because I have pretty straight teeth! Anyway, only because my amalgom (metal) fillings that had been in for many years were causing several of my teeth to turn a horrid gray color, I started getting them replaced over the last few years. I go to a regular dentist and I'm sure he did this "unsafely" as far as biological dentistry is concerned. I just want you to know that I feel GREAT right now and I'm still doing the follow-up Jernigan's protocol, so all of this filling replacement was done while treating Lyme. So much of what is happening with Lyme happens at the same time as other, non-related, things are going on with us. It is just so very hard and frustrating to know and figure out what is related or what is causing what! I've been where you are at many times (with different problems), and I know you can't help but to think it must somehow be related to the Lyme because of the flare in symptoms. I agree also to do what you have to with your teeth, keep treating the Lyme and don't beat yourself up over the decisions you had to make. We all do the best we can with the info/knowledge we have. The Lyme takes a very long time to treat, no matter what else we have going on or what treatment path we take.

Hi All,

I wanted to report that the last few days, I have felt terrific! Even with the root canals. I believe that my symptoms were a herx and not related to the dental work that I had done.

I am still having to deal with the dental issues of my fall however. The new crowns they had made for me were awful, looked way too big for my mouth, were so white that they looked totally fake (even though they are!), and made me look like I had fangs! I said "oh no....send these back!" so they did and then they put back on my temporaries.

I talked to my dentist in length about my concerns and she went over everything with me and assured me that they use the safest procedures. She also said that since my root canals were not "infected" when I received them and were instead needed because of "trauma" that I really had nothing to worry about. I know she was probably telling me what I wanted to hear, but I do feel much better about this. Plus, as I check around, it's like everyone and their brother has had root canals. I had no idea that so many people had them! Also, I wrote down everything that they used during the procedure in-case anything ever comes up at another dentist and they ask what was used.

Even still, in the future, when this is all said and done, I will be checking into a holistic dentist.

When they were working on my temporaries, there was dust flying everywhere! Of course, the dentist and her assistant are wearing masks, but there I sat breathing in all this crap. I finally said "I don't feel comfortable breathing in all of this" and she said "oh, lets put the oxygen on you".

I guess we absolutely must be our own advocates when it comes to our safety. Geezo!!!

hornet599 - i just wanted to let you know that Carrie hasn't been on the forum for almost three years...so you may not get a response.

There has been other discussions on route canals, though...if you're interested...you could do a serach (upper blue bar - right hand side) - and type in something like: "Lyme - route canals"