Root canals have a bad name and reputation and history and… Please stop.
The annual Chicago Dental Society meeting always makes me think more about every topic in dentistry. The first one this year is root canals, and what an unfortunate web they have woven.
Some hilarious (with a capital H) speaker this year told a group of dentists not to remind patients they might lose a tooth if they did not fix a big cavity.
Noooo… Explain instead they might need a root canal, that will motivate them more effectively. Ha Ha Ha.
But that is the patient view. Most dentists don’t understand or at least try not to dwell on it.
Dentists want people to keep their teeth, even if implant advances have us questioning this procedure we know strikes fear.
Advances in therapies now promise another way to avoid root canals. Mineral Trioxide Aggregate has been an effective healing compound for over 10 years. Manufacturers have recently developed a formulation of MTA that may eliminate the need for a root canal in many cases. The problem with deep cavities is that by the time we remove all the decay we may be into the pulp (ie “nerve”) of the tooth. That means we schedule a root canal to save the patient from inevitable necrosis, infection and pain.
This new formulation is an alternative to that regiment. We carefully place it directly over the exposed pulp tissue and surrounding healthy tooth structure and it forms a very hard antibacterial, repair-inductive layer that can then be restored with a filling or crown (“cap”). Though not in use long enough to establish the long-term effectiveness, this treatment is an alternative to root canal therapy in some cases.
The best idea is to take care of cavities before they get to this stage, but it’s nice to now have a simple treatment for rapid decay.
Ask your dentist. Don’t procrastinate. It’s never too late. Make a dentist date.
