Dr. Katie To explains that root-canaled teeth can harbor large infections without causing pain, since the nerve is removed. A 3D CBCT scan detects hidden abscesses, bacteria, and fungi that may link to systemic problems like high blood sugar and abnormal blood work. Pathology reports show extensive microbial colonization in extracted teeth.
There's also a lot of buzz going around about root canals. Is it safe? Is it not safe? If I have one, what do I do? Where do you stand on that? Absolutely. I can tell you right now that we've seen so many patients that have zero pain, have no idea that they have an ongoing active large infections going in their bone is because of that root canal has been there for so long. They have no more nerve in it, they don't have no blood flow in it, and they have zero pain, and they have no awareness of that's what's going on. So if you have root canals in your mouth and you have zero pain, you still want to get screening. For example, the gold standard right now is definitely the 3D CBCT. That will be a simple scan, painless, a few minutes, and then the radiologist and your dentist will be able to communicate with each other based on that scan and evaluation and knowing that there's something going on in here, even patient have no pain. We have the technology a long time ago to do that. In medicine, they start doing that with the whole body scan, but it way more expensive, way more extensive, right? But in dentistry, it can be done really efficiently. And that way you can really look into the root canal and say, oh my God, I have no pain, but I have a huge abscess going on in my bone. I need to get— check it out. I need to do something about it. No wonder my A1C is not under control. No wonder my blood work is out of range because I've been fighting this infection that I didn't know about. So if you know that you have root canal, the best thing you can do for you is getting a 3D CPCT done to get evaluation. Don't wait for some things that they get painful. Don't wait for it to hurt because most of the case that we see, few patients have zero pain. Patients just really in awe when the pathology report come back when we had to remove the tooth, send it in for biopsy, and come back that they have huge abscess and mold and fungal and bacterial and viruses is staying inside the tooth. And so get screened, be smart, get it checked out, and don't wait for it to hurt.
