A Root Canal?! Tell Me There Are Alternatives

Indeed, there are alternatives, but to really appreciate them, it helps to understand why a dentist might recommend a root canal in the first place and what that procedure is meant to accomplish.

The ABCs of Root Canal Treatment

If you have a tooth that’s been recommended for a root canal, it’s because that tooth’s pulp is in a bad way. The pulp is the living tissue deep within a tooth, rich with blood vessels and nerve endings. It can become infected – by deep, untreated decay, for instance, or bacteria gaining entry through a damaged restoration. The pulp can also be damaged through injury or even the cumulative trauma of repeated dental procedures.

Either way, the pulp becomes inflamed. The tooth becomes painful. Root canal therapy is meant to eliminate those symptoms – unfortunately, at the expense of the life of the tooth.

Treatment involves removing all living tissue from the tooth. The pulp chamber and canals that run to the tips of the roots are disinfected, and the hollowed out tooth is then packed with a rubbery material and capped.

There are two especially significant problems here, which we’ve looked at before on this blog, starting with the fact that standard methods can never completely disinfect a root canal tooth. The tools and chemical disinfectants can’t get into the miles of microscopic tubules that form the layer of dentin between enamel and pulp, nor complex root structures. Any pathogens left behind are free to proliferate once the tooth has been sealed off. Any residual infection can enter the bloodstream through the root tips.

The other big problem is that the now-dead tooth blocks the flow of subtle energy along that tooth’s meridian. This can lead to problems with other organs on that same meridian, along with emotional imbalances, lower energy and vitality, and other issues. 

As a biological dental practice, we think that the risks involved in leaving a dead tooth in a living mouth are greater than the reward of “saving” the tooth. 

Root Canal Alternatives

If you’ve been told that you need a root canal, the first thing to do is to get a second opinion from a biological dentist to see if less invasive procedures can be done to repair any structural damage and help the pulp heal. Ozone is one excellent tool in this regard, for it does more than kill pathogens. It can support tissue healing.  

But not all teeth can be repaired or healed. In such cases, the tooth should be extracted in a biologically sound way. The periodontal ligament that joins the tooth to the supporting bone must be removed completely. The underlying bone must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

This is to minimize the risk of lingering infection that can ultimately lead to jawbone osteonecrosis, commonly called “cavitations.” These are areas of infected, dead, and decaying tissue below healthy-looking gums. Early on, there are few noticeable symptoms, but as with root canal teeth, over time, the pathogens and their toxic byproducts can migrate, fueling disease and dysfunction in other areas of the body, far beyond the mouth.

Options for Replacing the Missing Tooth

Once the tooth is gone, it will need to be replaced, even if it’s far back in your mouth and unlikely to be visible when you talk or smile. Adjacent teeth will drift into the gap, throwing the bite out of balance. This, in turn, can lead to problems with the jaw joints (TMJ), chronic pain, oral hygiene, and more.

The traditional option is a bridge, which is a good aesthetic and functional solution. However, placing one requires cutting down healthy teeth to support a prosthetic tooth between them. We’re not fans of working on perfectly healthy teeth in this way, although there are some bridge styles that keep that work to a minimum.

As an alternative, you could replace the tooth with a partial denture. Most people think of partials for replacing multiple teeth (which they do extraordinarily well), but with today’s lightweight, flexible materials, even single tooth “pop-ins” are an option.

Your very best option is to go with a ceramic dental implant. Functionally and aesthetically, an implant is the closest thing you can get to a natural tooth. It serves as an artificial tooth root onto which a crown can be placed. Where more teeth are missing, implants can be used to support a partial or even full dentures!

And that’s just the start of a dental implant’s virtues. You can learn more about them here, along with what makes ceramic a better, safer option than the more common titanium implants and what makes them the replacement of choice here at the Holistic Dental Center.