Hello Bryanna,
Thank you for your quick reply and I especially appreciate your honest advice and taking the time to read my post and look at the attached xray!
Your opinion is greatly valued and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts on this forum.
Yes- all of the graphs on the screen are my teeth. I have two other root canals, both of them being in the upper jaw-one on the right side of my mouth which is the second tooth from the back and the other is on the left side of my mouth the third tooth from the back. I have a crown on my lower left side-second tooth from the back and some fillings on other teeth- can't remember which ones exactly. You mentioned you would focus on tooth 19 so I'm wondering what are your thoughts on those teeth that you saw with root canals?
Finding out about having thyroid disease was extremely life changing and I have been making great efforts to learn more about the disease and have found more answers from a holistic/alternative/functional medicine direction than from traditional medicine. I've read many articles about the negative effects of root canals and fillings on our bodies and have considered having the teeth that have had root canals removed if that is something that I should consider? If so, are there any negatives/cons to having teeth extraction? After having teeth extracted, especially some of the back teeth that are used to chew, are there any recommendations to make eating easier? Partial dentures?
I appreciate you letting me know about the various places where there is an infection in tooth 19- my general dentist did not share that with me and I'm disappointed that he was considering just leaving me on antibiotics-although I think he mentioned having the tooth pulled since I kept saying it to his other staff while they were talking with me prior to meeting with him.
I will be contacting an oral surgeon about extraction and will share with him/her what you shared with me. I'm nervous that not everything will be removed as you mentioned. Worse case scenario....let's say it is not (I'm used to something going wrong at this point so that's why I'm asking), can I have that taken care of after the original extraction procedure? I've become very weary of doctors and due to prior experience- especially with this tooth- i think I would like to get a second opinion from another oral surgeon or dentist after the extraction just to cover all bases.
I knew a bridge or implant was not the best choice and I'm disappointed that my dentist is being so pushy about it- but I would imagine that that is the route he has been taught to take or I'm sure he wants the money from me and my insurance company.
Thank you for your advice about oral care, I've tried oil pulling before and have read many articles about it so I will make it my regular routine. You didn't mention supplements since I have root canaled/infected teeth so it wouldn't be worth it but out of curiosity- what would be supplements you recommend?
Thank you for your advice on on gluten and dairy free products- I do try to stay away from them due to the reasons you've mentioned. Like I mentioned before, once I found out about my thyroid disease - I conducted a ton of research on my own via the internet and library (mainly holistic and alternative and functional medicine) and I've been amazed at the amount of information that is out there but is not being used by traditional doctors. My autoimmune/thyroid disease has been life changing and I'm continuously making efforts to better my health. I refuse to just let a doctor prescribe me a pill to take rather than researching other options while taking medicine.
Again- I am extremely grateful for the light you've shed on my personal situation! The fact that you have taken the time to read my post, examine my picture, and take time away from you day to write a response and offer advice is above and beyond what I expected. Words cannot express how thankful I am that you are offering your help/opinion here for free online without asking for anything in return! I'm glad to see that there people are so helpful and generous in sharing their knowledge with others.
Thank you,
~CJ
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryanna
Hi cjuch,
Thank you for posting the radio graphs.
Because you mentioned that you are concerned about your physical health and how your teeth relate to that, let me first clarify the systemic health risks associated with all root canaled teeth. Due to the biology of bacteria and the intricate anatomy of both the teeth and the jaw bone, there are no exceptions when it comes to non vital teeth being inflamed and diseased.
Irrelevant of how many times the teeth are root canaled, the status of the vitality does not change and the inflammation and infection does not dissipate. Because the blood vascular system of the mouth is the same system that supplies blood to the rest of the organs and body, the bacterias and toxins that live in our teeth, jaw bone and gum tissue continually travel throughout our entire blood system. So the potential for systemic health problems are greatly increased in people who have retained their non vital and infected teeth.
Regarding the post.... any size post is damaging to the delicate structure of the tooth. The post acts like a wedge in a very confined area and eventually bacteria forms around the post and decay occurs.
A side note about the thyroid gland and something to think about and even do some research on. The thyroid has numerous important functions but it is also a major filtering organ for the entire blood supply that is continually being utilized by the body. So the bacterias that end up in our blood from infected teeth, filter through the thyroid before they move on to other areas.
If all of those radio graphs on the screen pertain to your teeth, then you have several root canaled teeth. All of which appear to have posts in them. Since you are writing here today about your lower left first molar which is tooth #19, I will focus on just that one.
Tooth #19 is root canaled, has a large post in it and it is indeed infected. It has a very pronounced infection in the jaw bone in at least 3 different places. One is surrounding the mesial or front root, another is at the distal or back root and the third place is at the furcation which is located at the junction where the top of the root structure comes together. There is diseased and moderate bone loss around the circumference of this tooth as well as at the furcation. Also the distal, back root, appears to be fractured about a third down from the top of the post.
Regarding the replacement of this tooth.... to be truthful, placing an implant in this area would carry an elevated risk of failure and infection because of the longevity and intensity of the infection in the bone. It is imperative that if you have this tooth extracted that you see an oral surgeon for the procedure. A general dentist will most likely have some difficulty removing this fragile tooth. It is equally important that you advise the surgeon that you want him to be sure he is very thorough in removing the entire tooth, the periodontal ligament and all visibly diseased bone to try and prevent further problems down the road. Although these surgical steps are suppose to be done with every extraction, you cannot just assume they will be.
Regarding the antibiotics.... the most an antibiotic drug will do for you with tooth #19 is temporarily subside some bacteria and inflammation. The only attempt at curing this infection is to remove the source, which is the tooth along with the rest of the diseased tissue and bone.
Regarding oral home care.... Thorough tooth brushing with a soft bristle brush or an electric tooth brush twice a day and thorough flossing and tongue scraping before bed are what will keep the plaque from accumulating on and in between the teeth. Avoid mouthwash that contains anything other than herbs or essential oils as most mouthwashes are derived from toxic chemicals and alcohol. All of which irritate the oral mucosa and reduce the flow of saliva predisposing the user to tooth decay, gum disease and in some instances oral cancer. To freshen you breath you can put a few drops of peppermint oil in warm water and swish around. Another therapeutic measure for the health of the gum tissue is called oil pulling. You would use a teaspoon or so of coconut oil and swish it around in your mouth for about 30-60 seconds, spit and rinse out.
Regarding supplements that benefit oral and dental health... there are many of them. However, they would be most beneficial to someone who does not have any root canaled or infected teeth because supplements cannot alter the process of disease that is going on inside of a tooth causing further breakdown in the bone. So it would be a waste of your money to invest in them and misleading for me to suggest them to you at this time.
Be careful of what you are eating while avoiding gluten and dairy. Many products on the market that proclaim to be gluten or dairy free are highly processed and loaded with unhealthy additives. I always suggest that when someone really wants to get their diet on track, to work with a nutritionist for the proper guidance.
I hope this information has been helpful to you.
Bryanna
tooth #19 your lower left first molar.
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