Root canal teeth are frowned upon in the holistic community. For those in the know, endodontically treated teeth are a source of chronic low grade infection and can create a stress on the entire immune system. Statistically, it has been shown to have a correlation with autoimmune diseases and some types of cancers.
Photo credit Creative Commons: Larry Shaw
As an integrative dentist, I have had many patients come to me throughout the years looking for an alternative to root canal. Conventional dentistry says that the only other choice to root canal treatment is extraction of the tooth. And this may be true if the nerve is irreversibly infected. But for many cases, root canal can be avoided altogether.
A typical example is a tooth with a deep cavity but the nerve is still vital. With the use of lasers, ozone, topical medicaments, nutrition and homeopathy, the nerve can heal itself. For resistant infections, we also use Acupuncture to open the meridian of the tooh involved so that the other modalities mentioned above can work more effectively. If the nerve is severely infected or is already non-vital, root canal can still be avoided, after the infection is brought under control. This may take longer to achieve, but is worth the effort in the long run.
The challenge is that conventional dentistry believes that a painful, abscessed or dead tooth is already a sign that a root canal is obligatory. And in many situations, this may be so. And this philosophy can work for the masses that are looking for a quick fix. But for those of us who know that the body can heal itself if given the proper environment to do so, the integrative treatment mentioned above may be the solution.
Our teeth can protect themselves from infection when we nourish our body with specific foods that keep us in balance. It requires some conscious choices of food and supplements. It may not always work, since much depends on your state of health and how committed you are to seeing this through.
When you do this, you can heal infected teeth, and you may prevent the need for root canals.
So for those of you looking to avoid root canal, rest assured, you can. Always seek out a second opinion before undergoing any invasive or surgical procedures.
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