Getting To The Root Of Root Canals
Dentistry is now investigating the links between root fillings
, dead teeth and systemic health problems. This issue will be as controversial as the mercury amalgam issue and has the potential to reshape dental care into the next century.
A root canal treatment is done to save a tooth which otherwise would have needed to be extracted. They are usually done when a tooth dies either due to trauma, decay or having dental work done on that tooth.
Certain dental materials are toxic to teeth especially if they are placed too close to the pulp, they will kill the tooth. Care should be used when drilling teeth, as this can cause irreversible damage to the tooth especially if not enough water is used to cool the drill and the resulting overheating burns and cooks the tooth.
Whatever the cause of injury to the pulp (frequently called the nerve) it will die and set off a chain of events which may affect some individuals' health for the rest of their lives. A tooth is made of three parts, first is the outer layer of enamel which is inert and is what you see when you look into the mouth.
Secondly, the inside of the tooth and most of the root is made of dentine which is a living tissue with its own nerve and blood supply. Dentine is perforated by millions of tiny holes called tubules, there are 3 miles of tubules in a lower front tooth consisting of fluid flowing through these tubules which can cause hot and cold sensitivity of teeth and creates a vast market for sensitivity toothpastes.
Thirdly there is the pulp in the middle of a tooth in a space called the root canal. As well as containing nerve endings it contains blood vessels, lymph and connective tissue.
There is a constant bathing of the dentine component of the tooth from the pulp with nutrients and fluid flowing out along the tubules into the surrounding periodontal tissues. This is essential to maintain healthy teeth.
When the fluid flow reverses then decay starts in teeth. Any injury, chemical, bacterial or thermal can cause these tissues to swell, but as there is little room for swelling in the center of a tooth, an increase in pressure due to this swelling often cuts off the blood supply to the tooth and all the vital tissue in the tooth dies.
You may often experience a throbbing pain as the body tries to pump blood into the tooth to help this inflammatory process. The pulp and the tissue in the tubules become necrotic and problems start.
With multi rooted teeth it is possible for the pulp in one root to die but other roots stay vital as they have separate blood supplies. This causes problems for dentists trying to diagnose whether a tooth is alive or dead.
Eventually, the necrotic tissue in the one root will slowly kill off the vital tissue in the other roots and the tooth is then described as dead or non-vital. This may or may not be painful and the degree of pain felt may vary from a slight twinge, to tenderness to bite on, to a full blown toothache which you cannot believe is happening to you.
The dentist then has the choice to take the tooth out or to do a root treatment. Today in this technological age the dentist will offer to treat the abscess, deal with the pain and save the tooth.
This is where opinions split as to what is best to do. Do we look to save individual teeth or do we look to treat the whole patient?
The standard way to root treat a tooth is to drill a small hole into the tooth to gain access to the root canal. If the tooth is not fully dead or there is a great deal of inflammation then this procedure can be uncomfortable though often the tooth and the pulp are dead so no pain is felt.
Through varying techniques of instrumenting the root canal and flushing irritant fluids down the canal the dentist hopes to remove as much of the necrotic tissue and bacteria as he can. Then a sterilizing liquid is sealed into the root for a few days in an attempt to further treat the infection and necrotic tissue.
Antibiotics are often given to treat the infection outside the tooth. Of equal interest is the relationship of root filled teeth to traditional Chinese medicine and body energies.
All teeth are linked to the body via meridians and having a root filled tooth or a large amalgam filling on a meridian may block energy flow (the chi) along this meridian and cause a disease in an organ or body function remote from the tooth.
For example, a front upper incisor is on the kidney bladder meridian and having a root treated tooth here may cause gynecological problems, kidney problems, impotence, and sterility if you follow a Chinese medicine theme. These teeth also relate to spinal segments and joints, the front incisor relates to the coccyx and posterior knee.
This energetic relationship between teeth and the rest of the body is opening whole new avenues of dental care and the chance for dentists to work with other complementary health workers. There are charts available which illustrate the relationship between teeth organs and disease.
by: Ignacio Lopez
Make A Choice And Don’t Buy Any Geenral Category Of Outdoor Umbrella Or Outdoor Patio Heater For Your Use Some Info About Root Canals Let's Talk About The Dreaded Root Canal Tooth Pain Resulting From Root Canal VCP, Pioneered by eSilicon, Now an Official GSA Category Root Canal Therapy: Getting to the Heart of the Matter We Can Change The World - One Grassroots Group At A Time Getting To The Root Of Your Memory Problems Six Characteristics Of Powerful Grassroots Communities Systemroot System32 Ativvaxx Dll Failed To Load ? - Easy Fix ! Trees and How Their Roots Can Cause Problems Maybe You Uncovered The Root Of Your Anxiety This 3’s Roots are Strong