I should have also mentioned that my dentist does not use mercury Amalgam fillings. In fact, one of the things he specializes in is switching out mecury fillings for composite.

Dan

Hi Dan,

**What alternatives do I have to the root canal?**

Have the tooth removed and replace it with a bridge. Preferrably one made with materials that don't include metals.

http://www.johnsdental.com/articles/denture/thermflx.htm

**- If removal of the tooth is a recommended alternative, then do I need to go to a dentist who follows a particular protocol? There was an interview with a dentist elsewhere on this site who had written a book and had a recommended special protocol for removing the tooth and the infection, so that's why I ask.**

Yes, it is highly recommended that you seek out a dentist that understands the protocol for not only removing the tooth, but cleaning the socket. Failure to do so might cause you to have to have a cavitation done at a later date to clean the bacteria and toxins that have surely accumulated from the abcess. This happened to me before I was aware of the protocol. When I finally had it cleaned out, my jaw bone where the tooth was, was like mush. This had to be cleaned out with a burr on a drill so that the bone could heal. After I had this done, a facial pain, locking of the jaw, and head ache that I used to get up the back of my neck disapeared. Of course all of this happened after I removed a root canal tooth that had been there for years.

**If I decide against the root canal, should I be concerned with what might be half-done work that the dentist did a couple weeks ago? I'm referring to the procedure where he injected some kind of medicine. I don't know if the filling he put on top of that could be a permanent one, or if he put in a temporary one in anticipation of the root canal.**

More than likely it was a temporary filling. He probably put something into the tooth to try and kill the bacteria from the abcess. It really doesn't matter if you have the tooth removed by a dentist that knows what he's doing.

I am not qualified to advise you to do anything, but if you want my opinion here it is.

* Find a new dentist. One that doesn't do root canals or use Amalgam fillings and understands the protocol for removal of same.

* Whatever you do, don't have a Root Canal. You will probably save yourself a lot of aggravation and money at a later date. As well as saving your health.

* Do not have Amalgam filling put into your teeth and have any that you already have removed.

* Don't take my word or anybody elses for that matter. Do some research on this web site and also all of the internet.

Believe me your health is at stake.

Good luck.

Despite the "anti-root-canal" rhetoric I see on the Web, I'd go to that appointment. It's doubtful the problem will go away on its own and neglecting it will make it worse.

You could be me. I'm going for a re-evaluation of my 4th root-canal in less than a year and a half.

Thanks Southern Belle, clary, InCharge, and jimmeq for your honest and timely responses. In particular, InCharge, thanks for your detailed response. I have taken your thoughts and advice to heart. I've really been thinking hard about this for the last few days. I talked to the offices of the only "holistic dentist" I could find in Atlanta (a Dr. Cann), and it turns out that she refers patients that need root canals to the same dentist that I'm going to for my root canal. :-) So, as you might expect, she does not take a position against root canals (neither, though, did the assistant I spoke with take a strong position in favor of a root canal; she was not selling anything, was very fair with the various options and their plusses and minuses, and actually spent several minutes on the phone with me when I wasn't even a patient).

Is there a dentist in Atlanta that does recommend against root canals in general? I supppose there probably is, but I could not locate one in a fairly exhaustive internet search (not that dentists are known for their internet presence). I did locate a dental surgeon who specializes in extractions, and who is known for using a technique to clean out the socket to prevent cavitations. Actually turns out to be the same doctor that removed all four of my wisdom teeth about 18 months ago. So I know the extraction option is open to me.

So for me it comes down to weighing the spectrum of opinions:

A - NEVER have a root canal

B - Don't have a root canal if you can help it

C - I had a root canal and it turned out very badly

D - I recommend root canals in general, but only if you use MY particular method (the biocalex debate comes in here)

E - We recommend root canals in general as a first option, "to try to save the tooth," but we also admit that in a certain small percentage of cases, the procedure is unsuccessful; in those cases, we recommend (the "A" camp would take issue with the "E" camp's definition of "successful")

F - We LOVE root canals

G - Anybody who is against root canals is obviously an irresponsible quack

Both of the dentists' assistants that I spoke with today were in th "E" camp. All of the other positions were ones I encountered on the internet. (Please understand that it is not my intention to mock or disparage any of these positions--except maybe the last one, but I'll leave that alone.)

I appreciated the candor of the two dentist's assistants that I spoke to today, and understand their reluctance to take a strong position, but the end result is that it's my decision--and the clock is ticking. :-)

What I think it comes down to is a roll of the dice: it appears that the vast majority of these things turn out okay. I've seen some stats (though not verified them), and spoken to several acquantences about root canal experiences and stories, and did not hear a single horror story (which of course does not prove that the horror stories I've heard on the internet are not real). If it does not work out, according to both people I spoke with today, then I'll know it, and at that point the tooth can be extracted. (I also came across the counter-argument from the "A" camp that x-rays don't always reveal infection, and bad things can happen with your health and you won't know it really traces back to your infected tooth. It seems a strong argument, but is perhaps mitagated by my awareness to the risk, and my already generally good health.) Finally, the root canal will be covered by my insurance, while extraction and prosthetics will cost me a few thousand.

I'm going to roll the dice and go for the root canal. The dentist I go to is as far as I can tell one of the only "alternative" dentists in town. He's a mecury-free activist, an alternative health buff, and seems tuned-in to the shortcomings of "traditional" root canal technique. I spoke to the only other "alternative" dentist I could find, and she sends her patients to my dentist. Perhaps I'll come to regret the decision, but this seems the prudent course.

Thanks again,
Dan