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first root canal and terrified

G

geog15

Junior member
Joined
Jun 26, 2020
Messages
15
Location
liverpool
Please hoping a dentist can answer this. I need a root canal on a canine tooth after it died after having braces. Never had any dental work on it before and I've only ever had a couple of fillings not a root canal. Dr google tells me root canals seem to only last 10 years and as I am only 28 it absolutely terrifies I could lose my tooth before I'm 40. If I found a good endodontist is there a chance of keeping it for life? Also, is there any grain of truth in all the scaremongering about root canals and how they can cause cancer etc?
 
I'm not a dentist but when I had a root canal I was told it can last a lifetime, but it can vary from person to person.

They don't cause cancer. In 2013 a study (according to Dr Google anyway), researchers found that patients who had root canal were less likely to develop neck or head cancers. No idea if this is "official", but its what Google suggests.
 
Dr Google is taking the average life of a root canal placed in all teeth.

But... molar root canals are less successful because they have multiple narrow roots with very complex canal systems.
Canines are single rooted and have simple systems, in addition they are nearer the front of the mouth so access for treatment is much better... therefore the treatment is much easier and much more successful. They are also much stronger teeth, so far less likely to break afterwards, which is the main reason root canal treated teeth fail.
 
Thank you mumofboys I haven’t heard of that before but that’s reassuring!

Thank you Gordon! So hopefully I can keep it for life then. Just to ease my mind of all nasty scenarios, there’s so link with cancer or anything from lingering infection is there?
 
No there's no link to cancer. I'm a bit curious as to what possible mechanism there could be for one?
There was a pretty bonkers theory advanced a few decades ago called "Focal Infection" which is complete nonsense but it seems to get brought up every now and then by some of the more "woo" oriented web sites.
 
I think that’s what I’ve read, there was a film on Netflix about it saying there was a link with breast cancer because there is infection left over or something. It sounds ridiculous but the anxiety in me just thinks what if!
 
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