Root Canals and Whole Health Dentistry
“Are root canals dangerous?”
Root canals are one of the most discussed topics in holistic dentistry.
Over 100 years ago, dentist and researcher Dr. Weston Price showed that even after a root canal, bacteria can remain inside the microscopic dentinal tubules of a tooth.
That’s one reason this topic still comes up in holistic dentistry today, that the bacteria in the tubules can be a chronic problem.
But in Whole Health Holistic Dentistry, the answer isn’t the same for everyone.
Some people have autoimmune disease, allergies, chronic inflammatory conditions, or undiagnosed medical problems.
In those patients, I tend to advise against a root canal.
Sometimes I’ll even consult with their functional medicine doctor first before making a decision.
But a healthy person with a strong immune system is a different situation.
Your immune system is constantly fighting bacteria throughout your body every day. The bacteria that may remain in the tubules would be handled by the immune system.
So in those cases, a root canal may still be a reasonable option to preserve a tooth.
When we do consider a root canal, I like to work with an endodontist specialist as it is a very precise procedure done with a microscope. And bioceramic sealer such as EndoSequence is preferable as is considered more biologically compatible.
But before recommending the procedure, I also need to determine whether the tooth is predictably restorable and has a good long-term prognosis.
For an immune-compromised patient, medical conditions, allergies, auto-immune conditions etc. root canal treatment may not be ideal. Extraction then becomes part of the conversation. But you also have to consider how that patient will heal after an extraction and how they will tolerate the procedures to replace the tooth if that is decided.
And if extracted, does it even need to be replaced? For example, the very last molar — the second molar — is what I sometimes call the “least important tooth”.
Many people lose those teeth and rarely miss them.
A first molar is an important chewing tooth. And other teeth may be involved in the smile and phonetics.
So we may ask questions like:
*Does the tooth really need to be saved?
*If so, is root canal treatment compatible with this patient
*If it’s removed, does it even need to be replaced?
*And if so, what is the best way to replace it and what are the long-term risks and benefits?
A helpful way to think about this is with knee surgery.
Sometimes an orthopedic surgeon can treat a knee problem with arthroscopy, preserving the natural joint. But many factors need to be considered just as with a root canal – overall health, immune system, other medical conditions etc.
Other times the joint is too damaged and the better solution is a knee replacement. Like extracting and replacing a tooth.
Dentistry can be similar.
A root canal is like arthroscopy — we’re trying to preserve the natural tooth.
An extraction with replacement is more like a knee replacement — removing the structure and replacing it with something artificial.
Whole Health Dentistry doesn’t follow the idea that
“Here’s the problem, so here’s the treatment.”
The decision is much deeper than that. It requires understanding the individual patient and taking the time to think carefully about what is truly best for them.
It considers not just the tooth, but also the whole person, the health of the person, and the long-term outcome for the whole body.
Dentistry typically just treats the tooth — but whole health holistic dentistry treats the whole person.
“That’s why the question ‘Are root canals dangerous?’ doesn’t have an easy answer.”
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