New Documentary Claims ROOT CANALS Cause Illness. Dentists Say Don't Believe It.

[appalachiablue]

A new film claims root canals cause cancer. Don’t believe it, dentists say. Oral care professionals urge Netflix, Amazon and other companies to remove Root Cause, a documentary spreading misinformation. The Guardian, Feb. 4, 2019.

Dentists, endodontists and dental researchers are warning Netflix, Apple, Amazon and Vimeo to remove a documentary that spreads fear and misinformation about the safety of root canals and extracting wisdom teeth.

Root Cause takes viewers through the Australian film-maker Frazer Bailey’s years-long quest to identify the cause of his fatigue, anxiety and depression. Bailey tries therapy, antidepressant medication, juice cleanses, chakra balancing and hypnosis. He even drinks his own urine. But aided by holistic dentists, he eventually concludes that the source of his malaise is a root canal he got as a young man – a procedure he needed to save a tooth after getting punched in the mouth.

Bailey’s 72-minute film makes eye-popping claims about how cancer, heart conditions and other serious illnesses are caused by asymptomatic infections inside root canals or in the empty spaces left behind after a wisdom tooth extraction. Bacteria and other toxins, the film argues, fester in the jaw and then travel to other organs along “meridian lines”, which according to traditional Chinese medicine move life force throughout the body, spreading infection and causing cancer and other illnesses to take root.

Among the most jarring claims in Root Cause is a connection between root canals and breast cancer. “Ninety-eight per cent of women that have breast cancer have a root canal tooth on the same side as their offending breast cancer.”

Large-scale population-based research shows that people with root canals actually have a lower risk of cardiovascular mortality or death from a cardiovascular condition.

And there aren’t any studies that show people who get root canals have a higher risk of cancer, said Eric Jacobs, senior scientific director of epidemiology research at at the American Cancer Society, in an email. In fact, research on the link between cancer and endodontic procedures like root canals shows that people who have had these treatments have a lower risk of certain cancers...

MORE, https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/feb/04/root-cause-documentary-netflix-dentists

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. Oh, dear lord.

As for the breast cancer connection, I'm guessing that before root canals were done women never got breast cancer? Isn't THAT reassuring!

Anyway, I thought it was the wearing of brassieres that caused breast cancer. So which is it? Huh? Root canals or bras??

[at140]

2. Not disease, but what root canals do is to considerably lower MI

MI= moment of Inertia, making the tooth structurally weaker, and after a few years it will crack.
I had 16 root canals done, and all 16 teeth developed root cracks and had to be extracted.

But without a root canal, they would be extracted immediately.

[at140]

3. 98% of women over 40 probably had a root canal done

so the stats are bogus.

[DURHAM D]

5. I doubt your statistics. nt

[at140]

7. I do not know any one over 50 who never had a tooth problem 100%

Ok may be not 40 but make it 50. Most breast cancer victims are over 50.

[DURHAM D]

4. Crazy maybe.

I happened to have a dentist appointment last week so I asked about the film. My Doctor burst out laughing and said "I knew you would be the first patient to ask me about it". He thought it interesting but needed a lot, a whole lot, of study.

otoh - I mentioned it to a friend who had breast cancer about 10 years ago on her right side. Two years ago her one tooth with a root canal developed a cyst and had to be pulled. It was on her right side. She is a believer.

Meanwhile, I have 8 root canals and so far no known problems. I am considering having all my teeth pulled.

[DeltaLitProf]

20. What did you think of the article above?

Science would seem to refute any connection between root canal and breast cancer. Plus, the filmmaker's theory depends on a long debunked woo woo theory about energy channels in the body.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

22. Pull all your teeth! That's the smart move!

[MontanaMama]

6. When a tooth is dying or dead

from decay, trauma etc. the only options are root canal therapy followed by a full coverage crown or extraction and implant placement. The 3rd option is to extract and do nothing to replace the missing tooth which is a poor option because the underlying bone will deteriorate and possibly compromise the adjacent teeth. I worked in a high end dental practice for 21 years and never saw evidence of bacteria and other toxinsfester in the jaw and travel around the body. Root canal therapy removes infection, decay and necrosis from the canal of the tooth along with the nerve and replaced with sterile gutta percha. Losing teeth is a bigger hit to a person’s general health than root canal therapy. I’d have to see a bunch of science saying otherwise before I’d believe this story.

[DURHAM D]

8. The documentary is really interesting.

Hope you get a chance to watch it.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

13. I doubt that it is. nt

[DURHAM D]

15. Well Mama, why don't you watch it and then decide. nt

[Dr Hobbitstein]

17. I leave pseudo science to the wildly uninformed.

Why would anyone who wants to live in a factual world watch what is obviously unsubstantiated bullshit?

[DURHAM D]

18. Sorry about your Wheaties. nt

[Dr Hobbitstein]

23. At least I can chew my cereal.

Not contemplating removing all my teeth because a “documentary” with no basis in science pushing woo told me to.

[DURHAM D]

24. and you believed that...

poor thing

[Dr Hobbitstein]

25. Your post just gave me cancer. nt

[at140]

9. I agree 100% what you said

but it indisputable that the roots weaken due to the root canal procedure,
making them susceptible to eventual cracking. And a cracked tooth can not be repaired by filling. so extraction follows.

[MontanaMama]

10. That's true

which is why a root canal must always be followed up by a full coverage crown either gold, porcelain or porcelain with a metal under structure. Crowns are the best and only way to protect a root canal treated tooth. A tooth that has had a root canal no longer has a blood supply and is weaker that a live tooth but if it has a properly prepared crown over the top of it, it can last for years, decades or longer. Cracked teeth can be covered with a crown and can also last for many years as well. If the root of a tooth cracks, extraction is necessary. Replacement options for that tooth can vary.

[at140]

21. I had the best crowns done cuz I had great dental insurance but crowns do not

Protect tooth roots, and that was what happened to me. Roots are much weaker structurally after root canals.

[Big Blue Marble]

11. While not a dentist, I, too, have spent much of my life in the dental field.

You clearly state the options when a tooth is in trouble due to infection, decay,
or deterioration. And often the best choice for the patient is to have RCT to save the tooth.

It is incorrect to state that root canal therapy completely removes all infection
and totally sterilizes the tooth. It is likely that most RCT teeth have some residual
bacteria which cause no symptoms or any health issues in healthy people with strong immune
systems. There is some risk that the tooth will later have symptoms and need retreatment or root surgery (apicoectomy).

Most people can live successfully for many years with a RCT tooth. I have not seen
this movie. I am sure that it is not based on science and is most likely to scare people into
having stable RCT teeth removed. That is unfortunate. But root canals are not ideal
and neither are implants. Both are a compromise and patients need to know the
risks of both for making the best decisions regarding their dentistry.

[MontanaMama]

12. Agree 100% with your post and

I want to make it clear that I did not state that RCT “totally sterilizes a tooth’. I stated that the gutta percha material used to fill the canal is sterile. I too would hope that dental providers would inform patients of the risks and benefits of root canal therapy so that they can make an informed decision.

[violetpastille]

14. I'm 50 and I let dental hygenists clean my teeth about every 12 years.

Seriously.

I'm such a jerk I don't even use proper toothpaste. (baking soda and peroxide) My teeth are beautiful, white and straight and my gums are sort of bullshit.

I don't like to floss. I have to really yell at myself about that. And when they bleed when I floss I make a dentist appointment. True story.

I offer myself as a subject in the "experiment" group as I haven't had breast cancer yet, either.

The only "known environmental cause of breast cancer" is the ionising radiation as that which is used in mammograms.

We're all going to die of something. That's the important part to remember. If you had root canals and you have breast cancer, it's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong.

Something comes at some point for all of us.

[Big Blue Marble]

16. You might like the Hydrofloss.

It is designed for those who hate to floss. Check it out on line.

[IcyPeas]

19. I have a bunch of root canals

Yet I have always taken good care of my teeth. It sucks. Genetics I guess. But no cancer here either.

And this guy only ever had one root canal? One?

[Liberty Belle]

26. In both my root canals the dentists missed extra roots, the infection lingered,

I got sick with chronic sinus drainage, pain, etc., and both teeth eventually had to be pulled.

The first time, the infection/illness cleared up immediately, within 24 hours after the tooth was pulled. Before that I'd even undergone sinus surgery trying to fix what was thought to be a sinus problem only.

The second time, the dentist punctured up into the sinus and I've had low-grade drainage that's remained ever since, 2 years ago, despite lots of expensive tests and trips to a half dozen different experts, both medical and dental.

I would not have another root canal as my teeth apparently have lots more roots than usual, and even with a microscopic tool the second time, a root was still missed.

A dental infection can go to your heart or other organs via the bloodstream, FYI.

If you've had one and feel fine, I would not worry about it. But if you're ill over a long time on the side the tooth is on, get it checked out. Mine were both redone twice, and still they didn't find all the problems.

[Runningdawg]

27. My last conversation about a root canal

Me - I need a tooth pulled. Here is $500

Dentist - You don't get to make the diagnosis.
We don't pull teeth, we only do root canals that will be 3K