Question:
I have a back tooth where a small chunk cracked off it a few yrs. ago.
The tooth is not sensitive at all and I have no pain .
While getting some other work done on my teeth I had my Dentist X ray
the tooth and tells me i need RCT . He tells me that the tooth has
decay close to the root and bacteria has most likely already invaded
the area around the root .
I asked him if he could just clean the tooth out and fill it or put
some kind of temporary crown and see how the tooth feels down the
road. .
But he refuses to do that stating that's it's not a good idea .
Telling me something about sealing bacteria in will cause worse
problems latter on.Thing is the tooth is not infected sensitive or
painful in any way
Answer:
http://www.zip.com.au/~rgammal/RCTframeset.htm
http://www.ericdavisdental.com/root_canals.htm
http://www.cfs-recovery.org/mercury.htm
http://www.holisticmed.com/dental/root.html
http://www.bioprobe.com/biocalex/article.asp?article_id=14
http://www.whale.to/d/root2.html
http://www.drshankland.com/rootcanal.html
http://webpages.charter.net/kyarbrough/rootcanals.htm
http://www.dentistry-toothtruth.com/faq.htm#treatment
You most likely will be needing root canal therapy. Am I certain of that?
Nope. Dentists come in two varieties ....... some will try a conservative
treatment first .... and then continue on with root canal, ... post ...
crown ... as required. Other dentists will do it all right at the get-go.
Who is right and who is wrong? Its hard to say. There are
advantages/disadvantages to both approaches!
By "root," you probably mean "pulp," and what you've related *sounds*
reasonable. Remember: he has seen the x-ray of your tooth -- no one here
has.
I'd have to see the x-ray, but in such a case, I would do your bidding as
long as it did not constitute malpractice or a breech of ethics. If I see
an x-ray such as you describe and conclude what your dentist concluded, then
I recommend treatment and note my recommendation in the record. I inform
you of the possible consequences of *not* following my recommendation and
try to give you percentages of risk whenever possible, and I note *that* in
the record. At that point *you are informed,* and it's your decision. As a
matter of fact, I'm happy to accomodate your wishes because if the tooth
survives without a root canal, that's a small victory in a big mean world.
And yes, I'd drive to the office 7 months later at 3:12 am to treat you
because the pain was driving you mad. I wouldn't even be upset or say "I
told you so." Just don't say I didn't warn you. And yours would become yet
another of hundreds of examples which collectively become the practitioner's
"experience." When faced with the next scenario like yours, I'd have even
more ammunition with which to make a well-reasoned recommendation based on
knowledge and experience. Are you getting this? I'm *not* saying your
tooth is going to abscess, rather, I'm saying your dentist's recommendation
should be strongly considered when making *your* decision.
Listen to your dentist, and put what he says on the scales. Then put your
perception of the problem (to include your assessment of his motives) on the
other side. Does it balance? Probably not. He's seen a lot more teeth and
x-rays of teeth than you have, and he's seen people in the horrible pain of
an abscessed tooth. Yeah, it could be that he's thinking of adding on to
his house, but I doubt that would prompt him to recommend root canal. The
rub: if you choose to follow your own path against an experienced dentist's
advice, you're gambling. For some, gambling makes life a little less dull,
but no sane person will argue that it builds character. Enduring the pain
of abscess does, so I don't really see how you can lose.
Come on, knock the root canal shit off. Please? For me? Your amalgam
opinions I can accept as personally valid, but the root canal bunk is just
that. You're way, way out in left field. If you only knew how ignorant
your beliefs make you on this subject. There ought to be a law, and I
really mean that.
We don't know if the tooth absolutely needs a root canal or not.
However, it is quite common for decay to be *much larger* than a patient
suspects without any symptom of pain.
People often seem to think there will be adequate warnings of a cavity
that will allow them to get a tooth "filled" before the decay gets too
large. In my experience, *rarely* does a "cavity" hurt before it needs
endo and *often* it doesn't even hurt by the time it requires endo to
save the tooth.
See what happens when you try to placate these dental-cyberterrorists?
JanDrew persists in telling you how poisonous root canal therapy is. This is
going on while hundreds of people are listening. Too bad you bothered going
to dental school, Carlo. JanDrew coould have taught you everything by
referring you to web sites.
