What Happened When My Root-Canal Teeth Were Pulled
When I had two root canal teeth extracted by my biological dentist, I paid a few hundred dollars for an analysis of what bacteria were found in these "dead" teeth. I want to tell you what I learned when got my results back from the lab in Colorado.
Weighing a Root Canal VS Extraction
In this article:
- Why My Root Canal Failed
- All Root Canals Fail Years Later
- Signs of Root Canal Infection
- What Happens to the Root Canaled Tooth?
- Bacteria Found in the Samples
- When Should You Worry About the Bacteria?
- After the Root Canal Tooth Extraction
Why My Root Canal Failed
My holistic dentist had told me previously that both of my root-canal teeth were failing.1 Since then, I’ve talked to half a dozen other dentists and people who have extensive experience with root canals about why root canals fail.
Dental Damage from Earlier Years
You would think that with all the good health habits I have, I would have better luck with my teeth. I confess to being more than a little disappointed that a bone graft and so much dental work would be required, notwithstanding my earlier years of eating lots of candy, ice cream, and diet soda.
All Root Canals Fail Years Later
But did you know that the EXPECTED time that a root canal lasts is a max of ten years? That’s right—endodontists KNOW that their procedure has a very limited life.
My brother Dave was in an ATV accident where his teeth planted in the steering wheel and killed ten of them. He had root canals on all of them, and guess what happened ten years later?
Yep, they were all failing.
Signs of Root Canal Infection
Sensitivity, blisters on the gum, pain, and even rashes can indicated a failed root canal.
But what about those first ten years? Are those pleomorphic organisms trapped in an anaerobic environment, in a dead organ, really contained during that time? Answer: no, they’re not! “Failing” just means that there are visible, discernible signs of rampant infection and decay. Teeth don't get that way overnight! When a root canal infection is obvious, you can be sure the problem has existed for quite some time.
Failed Root Canal Symptoms
In my case, the signs of infection were mild tooth sensitivity and a blister on the gums covering the tooth. I also had a raging, itchy rash on my trunk and arms that came and went for 2.5 months, until I realized it was related to my teeth.
What Happens to the Root Canaled Tooth?
Have you ever thought about the fact that the tooth is an organ? Biological dentists know this. Each tooth is part of an interconnected meridian in the body. When you decide to keep a dead tooth in your mouth through a root canal, you are truly fossilizing a dead organism in your living mouth. How can we think this won’t cause problems?!
Bacteria Found in the Samples
My test results came back saying that 10 bacteria were detected in the tooth sample. None of them were in the “active” concentration, where the microorganism is alive and well and not being effectively attacked by my immune system.
But two were in the “bright” concentration, which means “heavy concentration of the microorganism.”
The two most worrying bacteria were:
Getting your tooth tested with a bacteria sample can show if your root canal is infected.
Different Bacteria in the Body
I didn't panic about this. The fact is, everybody has candida (a parasitic fungi like yeast), everybody has cancer, most people probably have strep and even MRSA micro-organisms too. Everybody has many yeasts, molds, fungi, viruses, bacteria, and the toxic waste byproducts of those critters in their blood and guts and organs.
Believe it or not, candida can actually have valid functions in the human body. In proportion, when we're talking about tiny amounts in a teeming, healthy ecosystem, it’s not a problem.
When Should You Worry About the Bacteria?
The problem is when those baddies get out of hand, when the good guys in the body, like macrophages and healthy microorganisms, are overcome (by antibiotics! GMO-frankenfoods! sugar-feeding yeast and fungus!) and the baddies get out of control.
Killing tissues/organs such as your teeth, then trapping the bacteria in the teeth, deprived of oxygen, makes the baddies become super-psychos. That’s a gross oversimplification, but a google search on those two bacteria reveal that my own two breeds of baddies cause heart attacks, impaired immune response, and infections!2
Shudder.
After the Root Canal Tooth Extraction
It was weird to be missing two teeth for a while, but I was glad to be rid of the super-psychos.
The dentist offered me an antibiotic the day of my surgery, since he knew the baddies were out and running around. I said no thanks, that I wanted to help my body manage it. And it did. Every time I think of this, I send a gratitude message inward, thanking my body for heroic immune function during a rough patch!
What was the experience like if you’ve ever had a root canal? If you could choose, would you have a root canal or have the tooth extracted? Share your story in the comments section below.
Up Next: How To Find A Good Biological Dentist: 10 Questions To Ask
Robyn Openshaw, MSW, is the bestselling author of The Green Smoothies Diet, 12 Steps to Whole Foods, and 2017’s #1 Amazon Bestseller and USA Today Bestseller, Vibe. Learn more about how to make the journey painless, from the nutrient-scarce Standard American Diet, to a whole-foods diet, in her free video masterclass 12 Steps to Whole Foods.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that help support the GSG mission without costing you extra. I recommend only companies and products that I use myself.
Sources
- Zehnder, Matthias, and Georgios N Belibasakis. “On the Dynamics of Root Canal Infections-What We Understand and What We Don't.” Virulence, Taylor & Francis, 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4601489/.
- Georgalas, C., Kanagalingam, J., Zainal, A., Ahmed, H., Singh, A., & Patel, K. S. (2002). The Association between Periodontal Disease and Peritonsillar Infection: A Prospective Study. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 126(1), 91–94. https://doi.org/10.1067/mhn.2002.121318
Editor's note: This post was originally published on November 23, 2012 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
Posted in: Dental Health, Detox, Health Concerns, Holistic Care
I had my first root canal in 2004. Iwas just 9 at the time. It started failing 3 years after I did it. I took good care of my oral hygiene but it finally went bad in 2011! Since then I wanted to pull it off but I couldn’t find a dentist who agreed to do so. I still have that tooth & I am suffering from a lot of health issues since 2011. It started with recurring cough & cold issues followed by acid reflux & migranes. Now I am hypothyroidic have symptoms of RA. I’m so confused… Pls help me with advices.
Nora, Did they say why they would not remove it? Can you find a holistic dentist near you? https://greensmoothiegirl.local/healthymouth/getlist/
Hey . Need to discuss and seek some guodance from you . Have two root canal teeth. Want to get those removed .
Please WhatsApp on +919893289168.
Hi Shruti, as we are not medical professionals we cannot diagnose, treat or prescribe for any specific condition. Please refer to a holistic dentist in your area.
Holistic dentist in Clovis Ca
Having watched Root Cause on Netflix (before it was taken off with pressure from the ADA etc) I checked with a dental clinic in my country that had 3D cone x ray facility to find I had 4 of my root canal teeth infected…..I had been having various health issues and decided to have them pulled……to be honest I felt so much better afterwards. I have now just read ‘The Toxic Tooth’ by Robert Kulacz and Thomas E. Levy……again a real eye-opener about the toxicity of root canals and cavitations. Sadly root canal treatment is huge business and the ADA and other Associations will do all they can to discredit anyone whose work establishes the connection between root canal-treated teeth and systemic diseases. BAN ROOT CANALS.
I can not afford to have my two root canal teeth pulled and implants put in right now. Is there anything you can do to help lessen the effects of the leaking toxins?
Thank you!!
Is it safe to have root canal extraction from regular dentist? I am senior citizen and am on Medicaid and live in a small town.
Hi Emily, of course… you have to do what is best for you and where you live etc!!
To be honest, I am and was a bit skeptical about the science behind this. From what I’ve heard (and I’ve done extensive research), there is no scientific evidence to link root canals to any illness. However, being the very paranoid person I am, I’m still considering getting my root canal (2nd molar) extracted, but my wisdom teeth are also starting to grow out, pushing against it. I’m thinking of pulling the root canal molar and hopefully having the wisdom tooth replace it, but I was told this may be impossible because my wisdom teeth are growing at an angle into the tooth. I’m thinking perhaps by having the open space from extracting the root canal molar may give the wisdom tooth more room to grow into that space and straighten out, but I have no idea if that would actually work. Also, straightening and moving the wisdom tooth to the empty spot may make that area prone to more infection and cost a ton more, so does anyone have any opinion as to what I should do?
Also, is there a difference in the end result of having a root canal tooth extracted and having a normal tooth extracted? As in, would the extracted root canal site be more prone to infection, missing nerves, etc? Thanks!
Hi Ami, all good questions. These would be best answered by a holistic dentist.
Ami, it is best to have your wisdom teeth removed. Mine were pushing against my other teeth and I kerpt on getting gum infections there. So the dentist tooth them out but that was in 1992 but I have never regretted having them extracted. Most people have had their wisdom teeth out because they cause a lot of problems and you can’t do anything with them. They cannot be filled and they make the other teeth hurt.
I have just extracted 2 of my top teeth, both my top premolar and my top canine or eye tooth on the top right hand side of my mouth myself last night after months of pain. Because I could not find any dentist willing to take them out. They were hurting badly but the dentists I saw wanted me to have root canals, which I did not want as I am frightened of the side effects. So I had to extract the teeth myself. I did this by first putting Oralgel(benezane) gel which is a local anesthetic gel you can by over the counter, on my gums to numb them. Then I pulled both teeth out with pilers.
Yes it hurt when I did it as the gel only numbs the gums not the tooth but I got both of them out tooth and all without leaving any behind. But this is not the first time I have had to do it.
Last year I had to pull 2 other teeth my 2nd molar on the top left and my other premolar on the top right because a dentist I went to botched the tooth extraction of my first molar on my top right and the pre molar next to it was loose and no one would take it out. And they wouldn’t take out the 2nd molar either. So I had to extract them myself. I now don’t have any biting teeth on my top right hand side so I will probably have to get dentures when my gums heal. But I would rather have false teeth than a root canal which I cannot afford anyway. I won’t have implants because one dentist said I have bone reduction so I think my jaw might be too sensitive for those. So hopefully I will get denture so I will be able to crew hard foods again.
I am in the UK BTW and over here most dentists prefer to save the tooth by doing a Root Canal rather than extract them. But I am very worried about having a RC incase I have an allergic reaction to what they put in it .
I have 2 white fillings on my 2 bottom molar teeth and have not had any problems but I don’t know if the fillings they put in a RC is the same as that or not. As I said before I had to pull my own 2 teeth myself because no dentist I went to would do it. Also I did not want to pay £1500 for a Root Canal and a crown as it would have been for each tooth, when I did not really want it, and it might not have worked if I had still had the toothache. As RC can fail and the teeth would have to have been taken out anyway.
I will now have to get dentures because I have no biting teeth on my top right of my jaw. But I don’t want implants because it means having meta screws in your jaw and because my dentists say I have got bone reduction. I think my jaw is too sensitive for implants. So I want to get dentures, but one of my top teeth on the other side of my mouth a premolar on my top left is loose. But I am not sure what to do about it. Because if that has to come out I will have a gap in between my molar and other tooth. So I am hoping to save that tooth if the dentist can.
Thanks for this. I had a faulty routine filling put in. My current dentist told me my dentist beforehand (never going back to that one) didn’t clean out the decay well enough before she filled it so there was decay between my molar and the filling for six months. I couldn’t reach it with a tooth brush or floss and didn’t know until it reached rather close to my nerve. If my nerve ends up being too damaged then I will know it’s better to just get it extracted. It’s better than paying for a root canal that I’m not covered for (on disability and can’t work) and have it cause me more problems when I’m in my late 30’s. Kind of sucks because this is my other dentists’ fault and not mine- but I’m glad I found the right information and my new dentist did such a god job informing me of what happened.
I have been ill with upper respiratory infections since February of this year [flu, pneumonia, flu again, pleurisy, what we thought was a sinus infection, then maybe a cold or another sinus infection, and now a confirmed (via a camera scope) throat infection, same spot I had a staph infection (not MRSA) at 18 months ago]. The ENT has me on Doxycycline (10 day dose) and Mupirocin. I am scheduled to get my root canal tooth extracted tomorrow. Both the ENT and holistic dentist do not seem concerned. Has anyone had a tooth extracted while being treated at the same time for another infection? I would think you would want your body in tip top shape before doing an extraction, but at the same time I am thinking I am sick possibly from this tooth. The day of surgery will be day 4 of 10 of the antibiotic and then the dentist has me on some homeopathic drops too.
Hello – just read your comments as I search for answers on my health issues which seem to be related to a root canal! Your description sounds EXACTLY like mine – several months of colds, sinus infections, antibiotics, etc. and the cone beam scan showed the only pocket of infection was right above my root canal’d tooth. So I am curious how was the outcome after you had the teeth removed? Did your sinus and other issues clear up? I would love to hear how you are doing now since our stories are so similar!
I was diagnosed with myalgic encephlomylitis (ME) with chronic fatigue and post exertional malaise. I progressed to having serious nutritional malabsorption. This started as fatigue and symptoms piled on over a few years. I was diagnosed with SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) that left me homebound to the point even taking a shower exhausted me for a day. I was treated with Xifaxan 4 times. I got my first wheelchair in Jan 2016. I got 2 neighboring root canals removed early this year when my dentist said that he no longer felt that root canals were safe and mine were quite old. He had come to the conclusion that many of his patients have autoimmune illnesses and sleep problems due to root canals. I have steadily improved in the last 6 months and no longer need my wheelchair. I have been able to resume many of my normal activities if I rest and anticipate returning to a normal life as I continue to heal. I was amazed! Frankly, I didn’t think there would be any difference at all but opted for the removal because of the age damage to the tooth.
Gloria, that is truly an amazing recovery story. It is so wonderful to hear stories like this that give many people hope. We need more dentists like yours to realize the damage root canals can cause and treat their patients accordingly. Thanks for sharing your story!!
That is so encouraging, thankyou! I had 3 root canals removed yesterday & 13 amalgam fillings removed earlier. I am hoping I will notice improvement in energy and autoimmune problems.
Did a 3d CBCT scan turned out had a fractured root canal tooth on my first molar and had infected radicular cyst underneath it and abcess infection which extended up until my wisdom tooth..so had the root canal tooth extracted and a cyst removed.. unfortunately couldn’t do ozone as there wasn’t surgeon who would ozone treatment in my state.. the surgeon said we should keep it under observation for 3 to 6 months to monitor the healing process… as he said in some cases it could relapse and the remaining 2 molars would need root canal or in major cases it needs to be extracted…. but in my case he said there is 90% chance it won’t happen….
1) i would like to ask are there natural and effective ways heal and my up my oral health and to cure dental abcess…ive heard that tea tree oil and colloidal silver are good but not so sure…
2)any specific oral care routine i should follow?
3)i would be needing braces and would like to avoid any dental implants because of my condition …can braces be used to pull the 2 back molars forward? so that i would’nt need implants?..but if not possible bonded bridge is my best option is it safe?
would like to have your opinion…
Hi KD, you have some very valid questions that would need to be addressed by a dentist. We recommend you follow up with a holistic dentist to help guide you. If you don’t have one in your area, perhaps you can find one that will be bale to work with you remotely via skype etc.
I recently got 3 root-canaled teeth removed. When the dentist showed them to me after, I was appalled. How could I have let those decayed and infected things live in my mouth for so long? I had to have a sinus lift and bone graft put in. I had a great dentist do the work for me in Mexico. She even used ceramic implants which are more biocompatible.
My question is that after the procedure, I have been getting night sweats and chills, waking up sweating. Is this normal? She said that this was my body was detoxing itself. I just want to make sure that this isn’t a result of new infection.
Thanks!
Hi Joseph, we can’t advise you about your specific, complex health problems as we are not practitioners, so that isn’t ethical, and of course we have no access to the complex interplay of factors that comprise your health history. Those symptoms can be from a detox reaction but of course, an infection is not out of the question. You would need to check with your dentist or health care professional for further evaluation. Best of luck and so glad that you were able to remove those decaying root canals.
Hi random question i need my root canal pulled out! Is it the same as having a tooth taken and do all the screws and crap they put in with it come out or do they have to be screwed out separate after the tooth?
Hi Stacey, I would check with your dentist to explain the exact procedure to you. I hope you can find a holistic dentist in your area to take are of removing that root canal for you.
I had a root canal about 10 years ago. They also created two gaps in the tooth for placing a dental cap. I did not use any dental cap though. What happened after that root canal was a disaster for my life. Suddenly I found people are going away from me for bad breath coming out of my mouth. For last 10 years I suffered loss of my confidence and honor as well as other health issues. Everything was due to the root canal tooth. So, I have the root canaled tooth removed recently. After that, I am now fine with no bad breath problems and also having a better health. So, guys, just remove those root canal teeth and do not do root canal anymore. It always fails.
Hello all. I had a failed root canal tooth extracted on August 7 2019; after five years of declining health and every symptom you can think of. After having the root canal done, I was sick for five years until I decided to have the tooth extracted last month… The procedure was utterly horrible, as the holistic dentist didn’t prescribe anything for the pain but two weeks later and I felt GREAT! I no longer had the crushing weight-of-the-world exhaustion I was used to having… that is until I took two days worth of antibiotics an infectious disease doctor prescribed for me. The dentist sent my extracted tooth to the lab to be tested for bacteria – I had a large amount of “serratia marescens” bacteria, the bacteria that causes meningitis – and was told I needed to be on some heavy antibiotics. The antibiotics made me feel horrible and I was told to stop them. This was two weeks ago and now I’m right back to feeling exhausted and sick again. I broke down today and I hope finding this post will help me; I just feel like I was certain this was what was making me sick and after it was removed, I felt like the old me!! To have that and now it’s gone again, well, I’m struggling keeping my hopes up… Anyone experience something similar? What should or can I do?! I wish you all the best of health and happiness! Thank you for reading this.
Hi, I’m now in a similar situation. I got rid of my root canal tooth and waiting for improvement. I have inflammation in my body which isn’t located. I hope the tooth was the source since doctors suspect lupus. I advise you to visit an immunologists to have tests done because your symptoms may be caused with some of autoimmune disease.
Thank you for confirming my concerns of having an infected root canal. I also have been suffering with a raging rash with blisters on my torso and back area…then a blister on my gums near the infected tooth.
Dentists all tell you root canals are sure way to preserve your teeth, but that is a non truth.
Now I am the victim of loosing two teeth due to a failed root canal that lasted less than four years. Yes it is depressing. and a lesson learned the hard way.
When you really think about it…how can a dead tooth with no blood supply fight off infection…it can’t!