Hi m0ssman,

I am in the dental field and can offer you some information here. I will re post some of your thread and answer in bold type to make it easier to follow.

<<I experienced no pain after the procedure on Monday, nor the next day. By halfway through Wednesday I was in agony. I guess the local anaesthetic had worn off by then.>>

THE LOCAL ANESTHETIC HAD WORN OFF A FEW HOURS AFTER IT WAS INITIALLY GIVEN TO YOU. THE PAIN THAT YOU EXPERIENCED ON THE THIRD DAY IS NOT UNUSUAL BECAUSE THE TRAUMA AND INFLAMMATION FROM THE PROCEDURE HAD TAKEN HOLD OF THE TOOTH AND THE BACTERIA THAT REMAINS IN THE TOOTH WAS BUILDING UP WITH INTENSITY.

<<I started taking paracetamol, but it didn’t help a lot. I only got one or two hours sleep that night. I couldn’t do a lot on Thursday except sit there in pain. In the evening I got my wife to drive me to a pharmacy and bought some Paramol, which is a combination of Paracetamol and Codeine. I’d already had my quota of Paracetamol for the day, so I shouldn’t have taken any, but I was desperate so I took a couple.>>

THIS IS UNFORTUNATELY WHAT OFTEN OCCURS AFTER A ROOT CANAL PROCEDURE. THE AMOUNT OF PAIN KILLERS USED TO DULL THE PAIN CAN BE TOXIC IF NOT LETHAL.

<<Thankfully they worked, and I fell asleep straight away. After an hour or two I awoke in agony. The pain had radiated to my ear and the side of my head.>>

AGAIN COMMON BECAUSE THE INFLAMMATION IS BUILDING UP AS THE REMNANTS OF NERVE TISSUE STILL RESIDING INSIDE OF THE TOOTH ARE ON FIRE.

<< I massaged gently in front of my ear and the pain subsided. I have no idea why. The pain was now bearable, but not absent. I sat up all night watching TV, without really taking it in because of the distraction of the pain.>>

THE MASSAGE SIMPLY MOVED THE INFLAMMATION AROUND TO OTHER AREAS. BUT AS YOU SAID, IT DID NOT GET RID OF THE PAIN. SO THE INFLAMMATION IS STILL PRESENT.

<< I phoned the dental surgery when they opened and they said they’d give me a week’s supply of penicillin. I’ve started taking those now. They also said ‘continue taking the painkillers’. As if I could survive without them!>>

THE ANTIBIOTIC MAY TEMPORARILY SUBSIDE YOUR SYMPTOMS AS IT ACTS TO REDUCE SOME OF THE INFLAMMATION. HOWEVER THAT WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS THE ANTIBIOTIC CANNOT NOT KILL THE INFECTION THAT IS BREWING INSIDE OF THE TINY CANALS THAT WILL CONTINUE TO HARBOR NECROTIC NERVE TISSUE. THERE IS NO ACCESS TO THESE TINY CANALS SO THE NERVE CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THEM IRRELEVANT OF HOW MANY TIMES OR WHO PERFORMS THE ROOT CANAL.

<<I am well placed to assess the difference between extraction and RCT because my wife had an extraction a couple of years ago. She had been in agony with one of her teeth. The dentist had offered her a choice of RCT or extraction, and she chose extraction. She said as soon as the tooth was out the pain was gone. She now has a gap in one row of lower molars, but she says it doesn’t cause her any problems.>>

GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOUR WIFE HAD A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE WITH HER EXTRACTION. THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT THE ONLY WAY TO ATTEMPT TO CURE THE INFECTION IS TO REMOVE THE SOURCE OF THE INFECTION WHICH IS THE TOOTH. ANY OTHER DENTAL PROCEDURE IS ONLY A TEMPORARY MEASURE TO "RETAIN" AN UNHEALTHY TOOTH.

<<I was offered the same choice. Now I feel like a mug for choosing RCT, especially when extraction would have been a much cheaper option.>>

WELL PRICE SOMETIMES DRIVES PEOPLE TO CHOOSE ONE TREATMENT OVER THE OTHER. IN YOUR CASE YOU WERE PROBABLY TOLD THAT THE RCT WOULD CURE YOUR PROBLEM AND THAT IS WHAT YOU OPTED TO DO. IF YOU CHOOSE TO REMOVE THIS TOOTH WITHIN A WEEK OR TWO, YOUR DENTIST WOULD MOST LIKELY REIMBURSE YOU THE MONEY THAT YOU PAID FOR THE ROOT CANAL TREATMENT. IF YOU WAIT LONGER THAN THAT, HE WILL NOT FEEL OBLIGATED.

<<Is RCT a scam? Depends on your point of view.>>

RCT IS A SCAM IN THE SENSE THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT OFTEN INFORMED OF THE RISKS OF THE PROCEDURE OR HOW THE PROCEDURE DOES NOT CURE THE INFECTION PRIOR TO HAVING IT DONE. RCT IS A DENTAL PROCEDURE THAT SHOULD BE OFFERED TO PATIENTS BUT NOT WITHOUT THE FULL DISCLOSURE OF WHAT IT IS, HOW IT'S FLAWED AND WHAT THE SYSTEMIC HEALTH RISKS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH KEEPING AN UNHEALTHY TOOTH. EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO BE PROPERLY INFORMED AND ONLY THEN CAN THEY MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHAT THEY FEEL IS IN THEIR BEST INTEREST.

<< Some patients die after heart surgery, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that heart surgery is a scam.>>

WELL.... HEART SURGERY IS ACTUALLY IN A SIMILAR CATEGORY AS RCT IN THAT PATIENTS SHOULD BE INFORMED OF THE FLAWS AND RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROCEDURE. THEY SHOULD ALSO BE GIVEN INFORMATION ON OTHER TREATMENT/DIET/LIFESTYLE OPTIONS BEFORE CONSENTING TO THAT SURGERY.

<<Leaving aside the Mercola vs Dental Establishment debate, I find it a little unsettling that professionals can find it within their conscience to conduct a procedure that leaves patients in such excruciating pain.>>

IT'S BEST TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH AND SEEK INFORMATION FROM REPUTABLE, WELL ESTABLISHED PRACTITIONERS/EXPERTS WHO ARE WILLING TO TALK ABOUT THOSE TOPICS OF DENTISTRY THAT ARE OFTEN NEGLECTED TO BE MENTIONED BY MANY IN THE DENTAL PROFESSION.

EVERY PROFESSION, HEALTHCARE AND OTHER, HAVE SITUATIONS THAT LEAVE PEOPLE THINKING.......HOW CAN SOMEONE DO THAT TO ANOTHER PERSON? DENTISTRY IS NO DIFFERENT.

<<At the very least I think the professional body for orthodontists should conduct a survey, by getting their members to give patients a questionnaire to be completed say six months after the RCT. The questions should be designed to provide the following data: what percentage of patients experience severe pain after RCT, how long does the severe pain last (minimum, maximum, average). Anyone still experiencing severe pain after six months should be sent a follow-up questionnaire. >>

THIS WILL NEVER HAPPEN AND FOR ONE REASON. THE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS ARE IRRELEVANT AS EVERY ENDODONTIST ALREADY KNOWS THE RCT PROCEDURE IS FLAWED SIMPLY DUE TO THE ANATOMY OF THE TOOTH NOT ALLOWING ACCESS TO THE HUNDREDS+++ OF TINY CANALS AND THE FACT THAT AN INFECTED TOOTH CANNOT BE MADE HEALTHY AGAIN. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE PATIENT WILL HAVE PAIN EITHER WITHIN A FEW DAYS OR SOME TIME DOWN THE ROAD. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE TOOTH WILL EVENTUALLY NEED TO BE EXTRACTED. SOME ENDODONTISTS RECOMMEND RE ROOT CANALING TEETH EVERY FEW YEARS UNTIL EITHER THE PATIENT SAYS NO MORE OR THE TOOTH IS SO DECREPIT THAT IT CRUMBLES.

<<It would also be good if RCT patients could be followed up to produce data showing how long before the tooth has to be extracted anyway, shown in groups e.g. less than five years after RCT, five to ten years, over ten years.>>

THIS FOLLOW UP WOULD BE USELESS AS THERE ARE TOO MANY BIOLOGICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL VARIABLES THAT THE PATIENT IS UNAWARE OF WHICH WOULD RENDER THE COLLECTED DATA INSIGNIFICANT.

<<Prospective patients could then be given a leaflet with this info to help them decide whether to risk having RCT.>>

DENTAL PATIENTS SHOULD BE INFORMED BY THEIR DENTISTS OF THE ORAL AND SYSTEMIC CONSEQUENCES ASSOCIATED WITH RETAINING AN INFECTED TOOTH SO THEY CAN MAKE A PERSONAL DECISION AS TO WHETHER THEY ARE WILLING TO RISK THEIR HEALTH FOR THEIR TOOTH.

I hope this information answers your questions.