Once upon a time, the American Association of Endodontists – root canal specialists – had what they called their annual “Root Canal Awareness Week.” Maybe they finally realized how unappealing that can sound to many, as they’ve since rebranded it and made it a month-long event, as well. It’s now “Save Your Tooth Month.”
Of course, they don’t mention that what’s being saved through traditional root canal treatment is actually a dead tooth. All the living human tissue has been removed from it, leaving just an outer shell – well, that and any bacteria and other pathogens still in the dentinal tubules, where normal disinfection methods can’t reach.
That lingering infection doesn’t necessarily stay confined to the tooth, either. After all, the tooth is still connected to the body. Pathogens and, importantly, their toxic byproducts can easily enter the general circulation – a pathway that can introduce these toxins to other tissues in the body.
While some intriguing new procedures offer the promise of more thorough disinfection and even restoring a diseased pulp to health, much remains to be questioned about the wisdom of conventional root canal therapy. That’s the focus of this excellent conversation between Dr. Mercola and Dr. Robert Kulacz, author of The Toxic Tooth, must-viewing for anyone considering root canal treatment:
Prefer reading to watching video? You can download a transcript of the conversation here.
Ready to learn even more about root canals? Explore our archives.
Image by Gillicious
