Dental procedures that help salvage bad teeth

Filling the gap

People lose teeth for various reasons such as tooth decay, cavities and infections, gum disease and injuries to the teeth. Fortunately, there are dental procedures such as dental fillings, root canal therapy and crowning teeth that can help prevent teeth having to be extracted and you ending up with a gap-toothed or no smile at all!

Getting cavities means getting fillings

The only way the inner area (pulp) of the tooth can become infected is if the hard, outer shell of the tooth (enamel) is somehow chipped, cracked, or damaged for example through bacteria infected tooth decay and cavities (holes). Cavities cause permanent damage to the enamel of the tooth and also infect and damage the nerve of the tooth.

Dental fillings involve drilling out the decayed enamel and replacing the damaged area with fillings made from various substances. Quite a bit of controversy has been attached to the common and popular use of toxic silver-mercury amalgam fillings. Although mercury kills bacteria that might cause infection it is “highly toxic for the brain and the nervous system, and is associated with neuro-muscular diseases, autism, Attention Deficit Disorder, and many other nervous system disorders”, says. Lawrence Wilson, MD. It may therefore be worth your while and your general health to speak to your dentist about using less toxic filling materials for your cavities.

Getting to the root of the problem

A tooth’s nerve tissue (pulp) is housed in its canals and pulp chamber, the hollow area that lies more or less in the centre of the tooth’s crown. When cavities are so bad that the decay has reached the pulp of the tooth, root canal (endodontic) therapy may be necessary to save the tooth. The rationale for root canal therapy is that if a tooth is dying or not healthy, it is better to leave it in place and try to save it, rather than just to pull it out!. A severely broken, but not infected, tooth might also need root canal therapy to “save” it by placing a post into the root and building a core and a crown around that post.

Unfortunately, a tooth whose nerve has died provides a prime location for bacteria to live and thrive in and create other toxins and by-products, which may ultimately start leaking out of the tooth’s root tip and persistently irritate and inflame surrounding tissue. That’s why with root canal therapy the dentist first has to clean out that space inside the tooth originally occupied by its “nerve” tissue. He or she then fills in the now empty but cleansed space and seals it to make sure contaminates can’t leak back in or those that may still be trapped inside, leak out.

According to most dentists root canal treatment is the only way in which to “save” a decayed and dying tooth. However, some dentists who practice what is called holistic or biological dentistry are of the opinion that root-canal filled teeth are extremely prone to infection and that chronic infection anywhere in the body, especially dental infections, are terribly damaging to health. The only alternative treatment is to extract the tooth.

Crowning it

Infection-caused cavities often destroy a lot of the tooth in the process and also leave the tooth extremely weakened. In such cases root canal therapy takes care of the infection while a crown shaped like a normal tooth and made from gold or porcelain is placed over the top of the tooth or anchored with a post inserted into the dental cement to strengthen and stabilise the tooth.

You don’t always need a crown after root canal treatment, so talk to your dentist about the necessity or not of having this procedure done.

Other options?

Some dentists practise holistic dentistry, also called alternative dentistry, unconventional dentistry, biologic dentistry or biocompatible dentistry. They emphasise approaches to dental care that consider the patient’s dental health in the context of their entire physical as well as emotional or spiritual health. They strongly believe in nutritional balance to heal and in future hopefully eliminate tooth decay and tooth loss.

It is up to you to demand the dentistry you want and trust to keep your health and your smile intact!

 

Sources
Causes and consequences of tooth loss. Retrieved from: http://www.studiodentaire.com/articles/en/causes-consequences-of-tooth-loss.php
How does root canal prevent tooth loss? Retrieved from: http://www.sharecare.com/health/root-canal-therapy/how-root-canal-tooth-loss
What is root canal treatment (Endodontic Therapy)? – What’s its purpose? What does it accomplish? Retrieved from: http://www.animated-teeth.com/root_canal/t1_root_canal.htm
Wilson, L. 2014. Biological, holistic, preventive and minimally invasive dentistry. Retrieved from:  http://drlwilson.com/articles/dentistry.htm