The Alternatives to Root Canals
We talk a lot about the alternatives to root canals typically the only alternative mentioned is extraction of the tooth. But is that really the only alternative? Surely there must be other options, right? This was the question posed by Sean after listening to recent podcasts (Root Canals, Infections, Formaldehyde, Oh My!).
The truth is, there are other alternatives depending on the situation. We’ll try to explain it all in detail, here.
First off, if you really need a root canal, then that means the damage has gone too far and you are having serious symptoms (toothache or swelling). At that point, the healthiest option is to extract the tooth and replace it.
Root canals, however, are often recommended for the wrong reasons (such as when a dentist has exhausted or ruled out other sources or causes for tooth pain). A common incident is when the bite is off and the problem tooth is sore and causing pain. Another common example is when the gums have receded and the tooth is painful because of exposed dentin. Of course, taking out the nerve will cut sensation or feeling to the tooth, but it by no means is the source of the problem is cured.
The reason root canals are so often recommended is because many dentists don’t spend enough time diagnosing the root cause of the problem. Diagnosis is time-consuming and inefficient. For every minute a dentist spends diagnosing the source of your dental pain, he or she loses money (because that time could have been spent seeing more patients). While many dentists will dedicate the time to properly diagnose problems, far too many take the easy route and make assumptions in order to quickly provide a solution. Root canals will most often remove the cause of the pain (again, because you’ve removed the nerve), therefore, root canal therapy is often recommended.
Now, if the dentist has properly diagnosed the cause of your problems and if you really have a true need for a root canal (infection or deep cavity), then the damage is too great to reverse. The healthiest alternative to a root canal is simply to take out the infection by removing the tooth.
Does this sound barbaric when you can “save” the tooth with root canal therapy? Probably at first. But what dentists are unaware of are the links between leaving an infected tooth in the body and other systemic illnesses (such as breast cancer). It’s called the focal infection theory. A better question would be, “Would you jeopardize your health to ‘save’ a tooth?”
If you have an infection or severe decay that has caused a deep cavity and a root canal is recommended, your only two options are extraction or root canal therapy. That’s why knowledge and prevention is of utmost importance: learn how to prevent decay and the spread of tooth decay and you’ll never have to deal with a root canal.
If a root canal is recommended to you, you should definitely get a second or third opinion to confirm the true need for the procedure. Unfortunately, too many dentists do root canals for the wrong reasons and you may have other, less “barbaric” solutions if you were misdiagnosed and don’t need to undergo the procedure.
If you already have a root canal and are wondering if there’s a link with that tooth and the rest of the body, view a tooth meridian chart (we have an interactive meridian chart here: Tooth Meridian Chart) or visit a natural or holistic dentist. A lot of times, extracting the problem tooth can help alleviate or eliminate problems (not always, so again, get a second or third opinion before taking action).
The short answer to the alternatives to a root canal question is… If you really, truly need a root canal, you have only two options: root canal therapy or extraction. However, there is always the chance that you have been misdiagnosed and have many, safer, more appealing options available to you.
Related posts:
- Why Are Root Canals Bad? At The Center for Natural Dentistry, we do not recommend...
- Can Root Canals Cause Breast Cancer? For over 100 years, dentists have been performing root canal...
- What are the alternatives to root canals? Episode 7 of Dangers in Dentistry, originally aired on KPRZ...
- Root Canals, Formaldehyde, Infections — Oh My! Episode 15 of Dangers in Dentistry, originally aired on KPRZ...
- FAQ: Are Root Canals Safe? What Options Do I Have? We just had someone call and ask “What alternatives to...
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>If your bite is in alignment, you shouldn’t have any issues with any materials for your crown. That being said, if you’re concerned, you could try a product called Bruxir, which is zirconium oxide and is very, very strong. The largest problem with gold is that it can create a battery effect in your mouth, but if you are most compatible with gold, you should make the decision that’s best for you and your body. Just because a product is metal-free doesn’t mean it’s the best product for YOU.
Good luck!
Dr. Marvin.<
Thank you for your reply. I decided to go with what the Doc recommended. I am going with an Elite II PFM Crown, which is Gold and a little Platinum. It is compatible with me according to the Clifford Reactivity test and since there is so little tooth left the doc said it's the best choice. I had never heard of Bruxzir before so i didn't mention it to him. I will keep it in mind for replacing my other crowns, all of which are on my large Molars. Lava is out since Bruxzir appears to be superior (thanks for the recommendation). If I like the Elite II, though, I may just stick with that. As for the battery effect i am concerned about that because I have a little es but according to my research it is mainly a problem with conflicting metals, such as putting a Gold Crown on top of a mercury filling, etc. I will definitely keep an eye out for symptoms. Hopefully it won't be an issue since I think this is the last crown this poor tooth can handle (had to remove a botched Lava Crown only 2 months prior).
Hi Dr. Marvin -
I have a periapical abscess on tooth # 8 which had a root canal 38 years ago. The pain is slight and is mostly by the gumline and there is no swelling, pus, or bleeding. Naturally, the endodontist recommended a re-treat of the root canal. He said the only other option besides extraction, would be an apico, but that due to the spaces in the original root canal that are filled with bacteria, the abscess could return. I’m wondering why I didn’t have this problem for several decades and if perhaps an apico would fix it for another few decades.
I have a long, sad dental history of teeth 6 – 9. I broke my two front teeth 38 years ago at the age of 8 when I fell on some metal-tipped stairs. Twenty years ago, one of those teeth(#9) required an apico, which was unsuccessful and I ended up with an extraction and a four tooth bridge because I was told that a three tooth bridge would not have a good aesthetic result. So I consented to have perfectly healthy tooth #7 (as well as tooth #10 which was necessary for the bridge) incorporated into a four tooth bridge. A year and a half ago, I was told that tooth #7 had corroded and I ended up with a titanium implant. I now have a temporary bridge over teeth 7 – 10. I do not yet have an abutment.
After reading about the problem with root canals and metals in the mouth, I am wondering if it is possible to, and if I should, replace the titanium implant (tooth 9) with a ceramic one. Further, what alternatives do I have to a re-treat for tooth 8?
Hi Cindy,
You’ve definitely gone through some work on those front teeth. Without seeing exactly what’s going on, I can’t really tell you in particular what your options are, but in general terms, your options are exactly what you stated. If #8 is infected, extraction is typically the best long term option. As for the titanium implant, removing and replacing an implant is a large stress on your body. If you don’t have systemic health problems that are aggravated by titanium and don’t have any allergies, etc., I probably would just leave it alone. There is no perfect material for replacing a tooth, and every option has it’s drawbacks.
Good luck to you… If you ever want us to take a look at it, just give us a call.
Dr. Marvin
Well, I got the crown put in and feeling some discomfort so i have to go back to see if the bite needs to be adjusted. The first Lava Crown mishap and then this replacement so soon afterwards has made the area very sensitive.
I have a strange taste in my mouth also, i hope it isn’t from the metal base but I am not a happy camper right now.
Hi Dr. Marv,
I also wanted to know if you’ve heard of oil pulling and if so what is your thoughts on it? It’s supposed to help gums and teeth by drawing out toxins.I was thinking of trying it to see if it would soothe the gums around that new crown. I’ve tried hydrogen peroxide already which helped a little. Warm salt water isn’t doing much.
Thanks
Hi Dr.-
I have an interesting conundrum with a tooth that is adjacent to a crown I received three years ago.
One week ago, I flossed as usual. The next morning, my gum was sensitive. Over the next few days, I developed quite a bit of pain radiating over the side of my head the tooth is located on. The gum was extremely sensitive between the tooth and the crown, it was swollen and had a bad taste that occasionally came from between.
Four days after this happened, I finally was able to get into the dentist. He shot cold and hot into my teeth, tapped on them (which was minimally painful in the not-crowned tooth and absent in the crowned tooth) and finally said that while he saw “a small infection” that his diagnosis was that since I did not have decay in the non-crowned tooth, that the circulation in my root was bad and the nerve was dying. He recommended a root canal and prescribed me Amoxicilin.
I am at a loss and will likely seek a second opinion however, the last two days or so, the pain has subsided greatly and I’m just wondering if what simply happened was that I injured my gum and them got an infection it it?
Any insight?
Thank you,
C
Hi Steve, sorry for the delayed response. How’s your recovery coming along?
Yes, I have heard of oil pulling. I’ve heard mixed results. I had one patient who swears by it, but it’s not something we typically “recommend” to our patients (that’s not to say it doesn’t work, just that we don’t get asked very often, to be honest). If you are still having problems around that crown, you have bigger issues that your dentist needs to address… it shouldn’t still be hurting unless there’s something wrong or something that I’m unaware of since I haven’t done an exam.
Best of luck! Keep me posted.
Dr. Marvin
Without seeing you, it’s very difficult to say. How did the dentist determine you had an infection? Visually? Advanced Imaging? Something else? Did he check your bite? Where was the infection? It’s possible to cut your gums flossing, it got a little infected, and healed up just fine. Not typical, but possible. It’s also possible your bite was out of alignment, you were sensitive to something in your dental work, etc. Just so difficult to say without seeing it. If you’re still having problems, I would seek someone who uses Cone Beam scans to helps determine what’s going on beneath the gumline. I always recommend second opinions… knowledge is your best advocate when it comes to your health!
Dr. Marvin
Hi Dr Marvin,
Found your website (what a great site btw) on a Google Search after reading about root canal dangers on Dr Mercola’s website and looking for answers, thought I might ask you.
I have an old root canaled tooth that is obviously infected (bleeding at gumline, sometimes oozing foul smelling pus like substance, and gumline above it a lil swollen) causing me issues and seems to be affecting my system, i am getting sick often (colds) and for a healthy guy this is odd. The tooth/gum is infected, I’m pretty darn sure I need an extraction, but being a front upper tooth, i right now am not sure I afford the extraction and a good replacement tooth/bridge/crown, so vanity and budget are limiting me, so need to do as much as possible to control infection, keep mouth clean and bolsten immune system, anything else u might suggest?
And re extraction, what do u suggest and what kind of replacement is best solution?
Thanks
Jared
Thanks for the compliments. The BEST solution is a bridge or ceramic implant, but you already know that. There are some good removable options now that may be appealing to you, including “Snap-It” which is a partial denture that snaps over the teeth… looks good and is more comfortable than a traditional denture. That might be a good place to start looking… but in my experience, patients always ultimately want a permanent solution after the realize the limiting factors of a removable appliance.
Hope that helps. Good luck!
I am curious why you do not mention pulp capping as an alternative to root canal? I have brought up many results in my googling about it and it seems to be a relatively harmless alternative. Do you have an opinion on it? Thank you so much for all this great info on your web site.
Hi Dr. Marvin, it is a tough decision to make….my front tooth (No. 9) has been dead for quite a while. After researching root canals, I would prefer to just extract it, but being a front tooth makes it especially hard. I’ve decided against the Titanium implant, and may go with a resin bonded bridge. Most people I know think I’m crazy but I’d rather extract a tooth that risk my health.
What is your position on socket grafting when extracting the tooth?
My question would be, why do you need to graft? If you have healthy bone and no auto-immune problems or other issues I’m not aware of, you shouldn’t need to do any grafting. Properly extracting the tooth will allow your bone to heal itself without the use of any artificial grafting material.
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Hello Dr. Marvin, is there a source where I can search for natural, like-minded dentists in the U.S.?
Dan,
There are but not all of us are like-minded and have similar positions on all of these subjects. If health is your main concern, go look on websites and read what they stand for. So far, there isn’t an organization out there that has set any standards for alternative dentists… at least not yet.
If you like what I have to say, then you can surely make it a vacation to San Diego and get your dentistry done here.
Dr. Marvin
Please help! I have a bottom wisdom tooth that is lying sideways pushing into the root of the bottom molar next to it. The wisdom tooth has not erupted & is lying beneath my gums. An old childhood filling fell out of the bottom molar & now my dentist says a deep cavity exists but he may be able to save the tooth with a root canal & crown but the wisdom tooth need to be extracted. My oral surgeon advised against removing the wisdom tooth since it’s not causing me pain, but recommended pulling the bottom molar instead. I’m 37 and have pretty good teeth, I don’t want to lose any of my regular teeth. Please help Dr. Marvin; thanks!
Dr. Marvin why is any dentist allowed to put the second most substance known to man in peoples mouths? Also how would it take to put these criminals in jail?
thanks,
–Briccio
Hello Doc. PLEASE I NEED YOUR help. About 2 years ago I had a root canal and the dentist used a mercury filling. At the time I did not know that it was in fact mercury. He put a crown on it and I have not have any issues. However after finding out that there is in fact mercury in it is there any way that he can remove the crown an put a composite filling in it instead??? Is there anyway he can get all of the mercury out of the root canal???
-TINA B
Back when amalgams were first used it wasn’t widely known that they were toxic (it still isn’t as widely known as it should be). The ADA actually held patents on amalgam fillings, and they also accredit the dental schools. Add it all up and you should have your answer. Unfortunately, politics typically rule over health.
I would have that root canal looked at before I worried about the mercury in there. If there’s an infection, you may be better of just extracting the tooth (which would get rid of the mercury as well).
I am also curious about pulp capping as an option. What is your opinion?
I would love some insight here regarding what to do with my 9 teeth which have had a root canal. Yes,I have had 9 root canals and currently have 13 crowns.
Reading all of these articles lately has me a bit freaked out and lying awake in bed at night wondering if and when one of them is going to kill me.
Is my only option to get them all taken out and how feasible is that since I can’t imagine that much of the tooth is left underneath those crowns……do I have any options?
Wow, I’m so sorry to hear that… unfortunately you don’t have a lot of options. You can have root canals retreated, but you’ll have the same problems later that you may or may not have now. You can extract the teeth. Or you can do nothing. We would have to have you in for an exam to give you the best possible advice, but I would recommend you seek out a good biological dentist and schedule an appointment to see what he or she recommends.
Good luck!
Capping the pulp is always better than a root canal. If you can use ozone with it you’re in even better shape.