What exactly is a root canal?
The standard root canal procedure effectively kills the tooth by removing all the dental pulp. The dental pulp contains the blood supply, nerves, and connective tissue. Once the pulp chamber in the center of the tooth is emptied of these vital tissues, it is incapable of carrying on necessary functions.
The filling materials such as gutta-percha, which are used to fill the pulp chamber, are chosen for their properties to expand into the tiny spaces, cracks and crevices of the voided roots. Gutta-percha, a common dental product, is the rigid natural latex produced from the sap of the Palaquium gutta tree. This type of filling material has been the cause for many root canals that have gone bad.
Truth be told, every root canal is problematic because once the tooth has been devitalized, it can no longer perform the critical functions of cleansing, repair, and growth. A root-canaled tooth is in fact a dead tooth. The introduction of toxic and/or allergenic filling materials sets up an environment that invites infection. Therefore, every root-canaled tooth ultimately becomes infected; albeit, most are low grade, subclinical infections.
How does a root canal affect the tooth?
Because a root canal will always eliminate the tooth’s capacity to properly (continue to read)