Kawartha Endodontics: PULP FICTION

Root Canal Myths
The Top Root Canal Myths - - Busted

Root canal therapy is considered to be the most feared dental procedure. Does that surprise you? A survey conducted by the American Association of Endodontists reveals that most people with a fear of the dentist base their fear on someone else's experiences, not their own.

The inaccurate information about root canal therapy prevents patients from making an informed decision regarding their teeth. There are many patients that go as far as requesting that a tooth is extracted, rather than save it with a root canal.

Before you believe the hype, take a look at the top root canal myths, and learn the truth for yourself.

Myth #1: Root Canal Therapy Is Painful

Root canal therapy is almost always preformed because a tooth is causing pain from an irreversible condition. Pulpitis, an infected pulp, broken teeth, or a slowly dying nerve are all common reasons for root canal therapy.

Root canal therapy is used to alleviate pain. Most people who have root canal therapy admit they did not experience any pain during the appointment and felt better afterward.

According to the American Association of Endodontists, the perception that root canal therapy is painful stems from early treatment methods used to perform the procedure. In addition, if you are suffering from pain on the day of your appointment, your apprehension and fear may heighten the sensations you feel during the procedure.

Myth #3: Root Canal Therapy Causes Illness

The idea that bacteria trapped inside an endodontically-treated tooth will cause illness, such as heart disease, kidney disease, or arthritis, stems from research conducted by Dr. Weston Price from 1910 to 1930 -- almost 100 years ago. Recent attempts to confirm Dr. Price's research has been unsuccessful in proving that root canal treatment causes illness.

Bacteria can be found in the mouth at anytime. Even teeth free from decay and gum disease have tested positive for bacteria.

Myth #5: The Benefits of Root Canal Therapy Don't Last Very Long

A common misconception is that the benefits of root canal therapy don't last very long after the procedure has been completed. This myth originated after patients experienced their tooth breaking months after a root canal was performed on their tooth.

When the nerve is removed from the inside of the tooth, the blood supply is eliminated from inside the tooth. The tooth eventually becomes brittle, and depending on the size of the filling used to close the tooth after the root canal, the forces from grinding, eating, and even talking may cause the tooth to break. Failing to have a crown placed on the tooth may cause this to happen.

Technically, it is not the root canal that has failed; it is the restoration on the tooth that has failed.

Myth #7: Root canal treatment causes illness.

Truth—Root canal treatment is a safe and effective procedure.

Research studies performed in the 1930s and 1940s and those conducted in later years showed no relationship between the presence of endodontically treated teeth and the presence of illness. Instead, researchers found that people with root canal fillings were no more likely to be ill than people without them.

Over the past several years, however, a very small number of dentists and physicians have been claiming that teeth that have received root canal treatment (endodontic treatment) contribute to the occurrence of illness and disease in the body. This claim is based on the outdated research performed by Dr. Weston Price from 1910-1930. His research stated that bacteria trapped in the teeth during root canal treatment can cause almost any type of disease, including arthritis, heart disease, kidney disease and others.

The presence of bacteria in teeth and the mouth has been an accepted fact for many years. But presence of bacteria does not constitute "infection" and is not necessarily a threat to a person's health. Bacteria are present in the mouth and teeth at all times, even in teeth that have never had a cavity or other trauma.

More recent attempts to copy the research of Dr. Price (and to check its accuracy) have been unsuccessful. Researchers now believe that the earlier findings may have been caused by poor sanitation and imprecise research techniques that were common in the early 1900s.

These more recent studies support the truth we report today—that teeth that receive proper endodontic treatment do not cause illness.