Are Root Canals Necessary?

While it is true that root canal procedures have been done as far back as 2000 years ago, there have been questions amongst some these days that root canal procedures may not be healthy. Some believe that leaving a “dead” tooth in the body may lead to cancer.  May I kindly interject right away that based on the evidence known today, ROOT CANAL TREATMENT IS SAFE AND DOES NOT CAUSE CANCER!
Yes, I realize you may have friends or some medical providers of some kind who emphatically state that root canals are not safe or that they cause cancer. I do not doubt this at all. Perhaps they heard of someone who had root canal treated teeth who died of cancer. Perhaps they heard of someone who said they knew someone in this predicament. While I cannot state that root canals prevent cancer, I can state that root canals do not cause cancer.
Now, I did have a pathology instructor in dental school who stated that a person can have “as many diseases as he pleases”. I never forgot this wisdom. In applying this wisdom, yes, a patient can have a root canal treated tooth and may have cancer. That person may also have strep throat and diabetes. You see, all these conditions can be totally independent of all the others. Anything can independently happen. That is the only association that root canal treated teeth and the existence of cancer have; that independently, a person can have both. Neither causes the other.
Yes, I know I may be stating something contrary to someone you know. In this, it is not about who you know. Instead, the important thing is the science and well-done research. We can safely go by just that. Whether we are building a skyscraper, curing cancer, solving a mathematical equation, or growing a business, we must rely on facts and proven strategies and science. We cannot rely on what someone says….
So it follows then that yes, root canal treatment is a necessary part of dentistry. This treatment assists us in treating abscessed teeth, teeth with extremely deep decay, teeth which are irreversibly inflamed, and they assist us in rebuilding teeth that are severely broken down. There may be other reasons as well. The decision on whether a root canal treatment needs to be done or not rests with a reputable dentist. The reputable dentist will gather information from the patient, will evaluate the tooth with a careful visual examination, and will also evaluate radiographic views of the tooth in question, to determine if a root canal treatment is indeed necessary. This is not a decision to be done casually or lightly. But when they are needed, you can feel comfortable knowing that root canal therapy is indeed safe and a useful part of current dental treatments.
If you have any further questions or concerns over root canal treatment or anything else, we invite you to contact us at (972) 250-2580, or in any other manner you see available within this web page.