Our practice gets calls everyday about root canal therapy and it has been an area of great controversy and more and more patients are raising the issue. From my perspective, as a dentist, I am torn between the two polarities, that of those who feel that all root canaled teeth should be removed and root canals should never be performed and those who do not feel that root canaled teeth have any systemic impact. From a neuromuscular and structural perspective I have serious concerns with the removal of teeth that support the jaw and bite. I have treated many patients that had their root canaled teeth removed and now have bite issues. They are trading one set of problems for another. Not to mention the cost. I feel patients should become fully informed about the issue and need to do their own research. I have attached below a link to the OraWellness blog that I feel has a balanced approach to the issues and hopefully can help you make decisions requiring your care.
http://www.orawellness.com/blog/my-dentist-says-i-need-a-root-canal-what-are-my-options/
We continue to provide root canal therapy as a service (we need to be able to chew and support our jaws) but have additional treatment modalities that have been show to improve the ability to clean and disinfect the root canal system of a tooth. These include the scientifically proven PIPS technique (http://www.oralhealthgroup.com/news/pips-improving-your-outcomes-using-laser-activated-irrigation/1002704268/?&er=NA) using our Lightwalker laser
(http://www.lightwalkerlaser.com/en/procedures/endodontics/). We also infuse the cleaned out canals with medical grade ozone prior to placing a bio-compatible filling material
(http://www.oxygenhealingtherapies.com/).
There are many sites on the internet that address this issue. Of course there is much misinformation as well. As with many medical and dental therapies each individual must do their own due diligence. Please feel free to contact our office if you want more information.