Hi Sandy,

One of the major issues with root canaled teeth is they can be symptom free for many years but that does not mean they are healthy. For example, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure...... can be symptom free for years too but that does not mean that something is not going on. People don't have spontaneous heart attacks from coronary artery disease.... it's a progressive disorder that can go on for many years without a single symptom. Abcesses in the mouth are not spontaneous either.. they are a progressive infection that originates from an unhealthy tooth.

Up until about 10 years ago, during every root canal procedure formaldehyde was injected into the canals of the tooth as a disinfectant. Keep in mind that formaldehyde is a poisonous irritating gas often referred to as embalming fluid. Cotton pellets were soaked in formaldehyde and placed inside the tooth as a preservative prior to placing the root canal filling material. Formaldehyde lasts indefinitely. So when someone says they have a root canaled tooth more than 10 years old.... they most likely have formaldehyde inside their tooth. Perhaps people should have been told that this poison was being used....? I certainly think so. Unfortunately there are still some dentists who continue to use it.

There are many reasons why some dentists tell their patients to hold onto unhealthy teeth. One main reason is... trying to convince the patient that although they may be symptom free, there is a problem. Many people do not have the finances or won't spend their money to replace the teeth that they have removed, so they hold onto their teeth until the problem becomes very severe. Eventually, a bad tooth shows signs of infection..... those signs can be subtle like temperature or pressure sensitive... bad taste or odor... on/off swelling... bleeding from the gum.... bone loss... mobility. Or a person can wake up one morning with severe pain and swelling.

I'm sharing all of this with you.... and whomever.... because these are things that people have a right to know about. The decision to be proactive or wait and see is completely up to the individual. However, you and so many others might not be in this predicament today, if you had been better informed years ago.

Sandy, I know you are mentally shot from all of this and rightfully so because now you have a menagerie of dental problems that are becoming more evident and it's very worrisome. Perhaps your intuition, more than anything else is telling you something has to change?

I share this information with the best of intentions and I know it is disturbing to say the least..... I'm sorry, I wish people were better informed right from the get go.

Would you consider consulting with a new dentist... someone who is not associated with your current one?

Bryanna