I figured it was about time I weighed in on the root canal controversy. I'm going to assume you know what root canal is, and spare you the gory details the anti-root canal crowd like to use to shock people. Sometimes they carry around posters, big magnified closeups of actual root canal procedures, to raise awareness of just how horrible it is. Personally, I think that's more than enough to persuade me that I'd never want to have one, but some of the anti-root canal extremists even spread stories about root canal causing cancer and things like that, which doesn't seem to have lots of science behind it but they like to play it up to scare people out of having root canal.
Anyway, I'm not an extremist. Although I would never choose to have root canal myself, I think it should be up to the individual to decide whether or not to have it done for himself. HOWEVER, I really don't think people should be allowed to use root canal as an alternative to proper dental hygeine. I mean, if you brush and floss regularly, or better yet if you avoid cavity-causing foods entirely, and through no fault of your own you still get a decayed tooth bad enough to need root canal, then you should not be punished for that. But people who don't brush or floss really have no right to then turn around and have an endodontist clean up after their carelessness.
So I think people who want root canal should need a letter from their dentist confirming that it's actually medically necessary, and that they weren't at fault for the damaged tooth in the first place. If you're not going to take care of your teeth, you shouldn't expect other people to do it for you.
This sounds like part of a PR thrust to help National Health to approve fewer root canals
ReplyDeleteAre you working for them? Are you shaming us for not taking care of our teeth? It is always interesting to try to figure out what is driving a controversy. Thanks for your part, but give us a clue.
Well, glutton-shaming is a buzzword these days, and I don't really want to get on that bandwagon. It's none of my business what you put in your mouth, but I don't want to have to subsidize your immoral lifestyle with my dental insurance premiums.
ReplyDeleteAha! Thanks for the insight. I agree that too big a slice of the pie goes for unworthy procedures. Immoral is a funny word for it, though. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI am not a big fan of going to the dentist. I don't know if it is the sound of the drill or the smell of the teeth being ground away. I literally get the nervous sweats as soon as I register and take my seat in the waiting room. I don't know if I will ever get over my fear of the dentist office unless they knock me out in the parking lot.
ReplyDeleteJoanna @ Westheimer Dentist
Thank you for this brief discussion. I was a good overview of some of the problems. No one really knows about this stuff and it should be more discussed. It is weird how little we know about the business behind our own health and wellness. But nicely put and it is always good to hear another perspective on the topic.
ReplyDeleteQuinn Kimbrough @ Top Temecula Dentist