Dr Med Dent Dimos Panagidis is for me, Cyprus best specialist in root canal treatment. Dr Dimos is living in Cyprus since November 2019, and was a lecture at the University Heidelberg in Germany. He has a clinic where he treats teeth with trauma and make root canal treatments. His clinic is DP Endo Clinic and is situated in Limassol.
I am getting many questions about root canal treatment and already treated teeth, and especially from people who like to live or are having a holistic lifestyle and holistic way of thinking.
For me a holistic lifestyle and holistic way of thinking is a view of life where you are making healthy choices, for your mouth, body, and mind, and taking time to focus on your health.
I guess that no one are interested to have poison in their mouth nor in their body, and most people want to live and have a balanced mouth and body.
Recently I am hearing many comments about better to extract a tooth, if infected, than to get a root canal treatment and not to have a dead organ, the tooth, in your mouth. Therefore I contacted Dr. Dimos Panagides, to explain me some things about root canal treated teeth, and then, hopefully help people to make their own best choice.
Correct or not: A root canal treated tooth means, if done correctly, that there no longer is any organic material inside the tooth, which can connect to the body?
Wrong. The tooth itself contains organic matrix (Enamel about 1-2%, Dentine about 20%). A root canal treatment beside pain relief and functional rehabilitation of a tooth aims to disinfect (not sterilize) the inner space of the tooth and seal it in a way that no contact and reproduction of bacteria in this space occurs.
‘The overall objectives of RCT is to exclude the root canal system as a source of microorganisms. Therefore a primary task includes efforts to eradicate bacteria resident in the RC System. A second charge is to provide measures to ensure that RC infection will not recur. This means that intra- as well as extra radicular infections should be eradicated and that materials implanted in the RC should be innocuous and not cause adverse tissue reaction or systemic complications’ (Bergenholtz)
An inflamed or infected pulp tissue (nerve and blood vessels), – means that the nerve is dying?
No. We distinguish between reversible and irreversible pulp (=tooth nerve) inflammation.
If a nerve is inflamed, can it be healthy again, with ex anti-inflammatory medicine?
Yes by reversible pulpitis we could proceed with vital pulp therapy in form of a partial pulpotomy. This procedure has according to the studies a success rate of about 95%
A dead tooth means that the blood supply to the tooth is lost?
The tooth is NEVER dead. Just non sensitive. A necrosis can occur at the tooth nerv (pulp necrosis). The pulp chamber is devoid of a functional pulp tissue. In this case the TOOTH does n’t hurt in thermal or biological stimuli BUT is still in function and responds in mechanical stimuli like pressure.
Is a root canal treated tooth a dead organ, and therefore toxic for the body?
No. The root canal treated tooth is still functional and gives no toxins to the body. It is surrounded with nerves, vessels, and fibers and does all the work that a tooth is supposed to do!
Is a correct root canal treated tooth toxic for the body?
No. We use only materials that are approved for the use on humans! It’s a functional unit in our body and with nothing to evenly replace!!!
Are you actually killing the nerve, when you are making a root canal treatment, or is it dead already caused by the bacteria, which made the infection?
A pulp necrosis can occur through a bacterial influence or even through a traumatic injury. So we proceed with a root canal treatment only when there is no possibility of regeneration of the pulp or the pulp is already necrotic. (Strategical RCTs became very rare nowadays). So actually, we are not killing the nerve. We remove the nonfunctional or necrotic nerve.
Does a tooth with a correct treated root canal, still collect bacteria, so it actually is a ticking bomb?
Bacteria can enter a root canal treated tooth as well as a vital tooth and cause Caries. Bacteria can also enter the tooth via coronal leakage by a defect restauration. Therefore, is very important after a RCT to continue with the restorative and/or prosthetic rehabilitation of the tooth.
To avoid spreading of the infection outside of the tooth in the periapical tissues as well as further complications, which affects the prognosis of the success of the root canal treatment.
If the tooth is infected, is there another solution than to get a root canal treatment?
No. Just the extraction of the tooth which is actually no solution and no alternative as there is no sufficient replacement of a natural tooth.
When is a root canal really necessary?
By pulp necrosis, irreversible pulpitis and in case of RCT teeth by apical lesions that persist or recur. Additionally an insufficient RCT-tooth with or without clinical symptoms should be retreated before new prosthetic rehabilitation (under circumstances).
As soon as a dental nerve has been infected, is there a possibility, that the nerve can heal itself or regenerate?
Not exactly by itself. By reversible Pulpitis and the suitable therapy there are a lot of chances to regenerate the Pulp. Nowadays we can also revitalize pulps/revascularize teeth…
Does a root canal treated tooth need to be extracted sooner or later?
No if treated correctly
Correct or not: What causes a dead tooth: Trauma, aggressive tooth grinding and caries?
All could cause Pulp necrosis – NOT a dead tooth as we mentioned above.
Actually, if we want to think holistic we should insist of getting a root canal treatment, when needed, as all other options to replace a tooth are connected either with foreign bodies in our jaws or with invasive measurements on healthy teeth!!!! The option of removing a tooth and leaving an empty space -depending in many factors- could also in the future be hazardous for our body …
It is clear enough that nature has mostly given you the best natural tooth, and that it is very important to prevent that the natural tooth gets destroyed.
Here we have gone through what can happen to the tooth, if we don’t take care, or by unlucky situation gets an infection. We have been given different solutions, if the damage should happen.
Thank you very much to Dr Dimos.
Stay healthy and don’t forget –
Prevention is the best medicine
Prevention is better than cure
