Conyers, GA, specialists discuss root canal safety, by the numbers

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In the early 1900s, radium was all the rage to “cure” everything from creaky bones to a dull complexion. Around the same era, arsenic and mercury were advertised as cure-alls, formulated into products ranging from lotions to cough syrups. Today we know better. Yet, an erroneous theory from the early 20th century continues to plague the treatment that yours truly, Conyers Endodontic Center, specializes in to save severely damaged teeth. We congratulate you on making the most informed decision by visiting an endodontist’s virtual destination when exploring Root Canal Safety in Conyers, GA.

As specialists in root canal treatment serving Covington, Loganville, Lithonia, Snellville, and environs, Drs Rolin Desir, Alison St. Paul, and Candace De Veaux each perform an average of 25 such treatments weekly. They intimately know the procedure, and with such experience and the latest tools, they are only getting better at this well-established and highly successful way to “save” teeth. For your peace of mind, we are providing a few more statistics from the American Association of Endodontists to chew on:

  • Each year, 25 million root canal treatments are performed.
  • That figure comes out to upwards of 41,000 root canal procedures performed each day.
  • Almost 90% of patients who undergo root canal treatment are satisfied with the result. That is an exceptional track record. Remember: At Conyers Endodontic Center, we are often the last hope to save teeth. By the time patients visit us for care, they are often suffering from very deep and severe infections. It is these infections that can produce a great deal of pain. Root canal treatment resolves pain and other disruptive symptoms and prevents continued threats and complications to overall health.

Remember that theory we mentioned, the one that is still floated about in certain circles to question the well-established safety of root canal treatment? Well, it is called “focal infection theory.” And it is about as credible as using radium to clear your skin or treat your arthritis, and not expecting your jaw to disintegrate during the process. As the AAE reports, it was first introduced in the early 1900s and popularized by Dr. Weston A. Price. Positing that root canals could cause bacteria in dentin tubules to “leak” elsewhere and give rise to all sorts of diseases, from heart to kidney problems, he advocated for teeth to be extracted and not saved. We know much more about how diseases arise, and modern scientific research has unanimously rejected the notion of root canal treatment as the cause of disease.

The real threat to your health comes from either oral infections that spread and become systemic, or from unnecessary extractions that affect how you eat, speak, look, and your overall quality of life. Root canal treatment is well-proven to restore oral and overall function and health. Call (470) 486-6025 to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced root canal therapy specialists at Conyers Endodontic Center.

Dentists are asked to use the following guidelines to address patients who inquire about a connection between root canal treatment and illness:

  • Acknowledge the patient’s concerns; stress that optimum health is the goal for every dental patient.
  • Provide the patient with written information about endodontic treatment, and discuss it. The AAE has a variety of patient education brochures available for purchase (www.aae.org/onlinestore).
  • Provide the patient with information from the AAE website about common root canal myths:
  • aae.org/patients/treatments-and-procedures/root-canals/myths-about-root-canals-and-root-canal-pain.aspx#2.
  • Indicate that the patient is in control of his/her own decision to move forward with any dental procedure, and reiterate a commitment to the highest quality dental care.