A lot of my patients have seen The Root Cause movie on Netflix about the perils of root canals. Does the movie have it right when it comes to root canals being bad for you and causing diseases like cancer, arthritis, heart disease and strokes? My answer is ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ Let me explain:

While there is some truth to what the movie is saying there is a lot of misinformation as well. So I will tackle the ‘no’ side first, as frankly, it is easier. First of all, the movie clearly states and is based on the simple premise that ‘all root canals are bad and are making you sick.’

Root Canals and Cancer

The claim put forward is that 97% of the people that have cancer also have root canals. While I respect putting out such a bold statement and the right of doctors to state their experience, I would also ask that they back it up with evidence-based research, or at least their own case studies or small pilot studies. Without research or proof, opinions are just that, opinions.

What about the millions of people who don’t have root canals and still have cancer or the people who have root canals that don’t have cancer. There are plenty of patients in my practice that have root canals and don’t have cancer. There are also plenty of patients in my practice that have cancer and don’t have any root canals. Is this proof that root canals don’t cause cancer? I would not be so bold as to make this claim.

Week in Review Conferences. But also a diagnosis of the root causes. However, despite the evidence, vaccine hesitancy stemming from both the documentary and the study have persisted. This documentary is 100% real and I have lab work to prove it! This documentary helped me realized that my daughter's Alopecia ( the immune system attacks the hair follicles causing them to fall out) was caused by a root canal that was done 2 years ago when she was 6 years old. The Root Cause documentary and some alternative dental practitioners present root canals as extremely dangerous. Their theories often cite root canal treatment as a hidden cause of any number of systemic, chronic diseases. Step 4: Root Cause Root cause identification is the most important step. The problem will be solved only if the corrective action implemented is addressing the real root cause accurately. Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a systematic approach to identify the actual root causes of a problem. Below are the tools frequently used in RCA. 5 Whys Analysis. The recent documentary on Netflix, Root Cause, is causing quite a stir. Many are questioning the safety and validity of root canals and their possible connection to the 'c' word—yes, cancer. Periodontist Dr. Scott Froum and Endodontist Dr. Omar Ikram debunk accusations made in the documentary on three levels so that you can begin to have intelligent conversations with your dental patients.

What I do know about cancer is that it is a multifactorial disease. There is literally a mountain of evidence that proves there are many other causes to cancer including microbes, infections, viruses, environmental factors and toxicity, genetics, smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, poor diet, immune issues, and systemic inflammation. And this list is not exhaustive. So why do the authors of this movie say that root canals, and root canals alone, are the cause of cancer? They may really believe it, or they may say it for effect. I don’t really know. What I do know is that it’s just not credible or true. To generalize with a disease like cancer is both irresponsible and lazy in my opinion.

“All Root Canals Are Infected”

Another claim made by the movie is that ‘virtually all root canals are infected.’ As evidence of this, the authors state that there are miles of microtubules and accessory canals in the body of the tooth that harbor bacteria and that these bacteria are released and found in other parts of the body. Thus is born the ‘sick tooth syndrome’ and the ‘focal infection theory’, where anaerobic bacteria associated with root canals release toxins that cause diseases in other parts of the body.

Root Cause Documentary Scam Alert

Don’t get me wrong. It is true that bacteria are left behind after traditional root canals are done. Please see my earlier post on the subject: Advanced Laser Endodontic Therapy. However, that doesn’t mean that all root canal teeth are infected or that you should pull them.

The Truth About Root Canal Infections

Here’s the bottom line about root canals that I have come to after 35 years as a practicing dentist and 25 years as a holistic dentist:

Root canal teeth no longer have a blood supply and so immune cells can’t reach the bacteria that remain in the tooth even after root canal therapy
There is research that shows that up to 40% of previously treated root canals have some form of problem or infection present
What to do with these teeth is an individual decision based on the amount of infection present, the health of the patient, especially the immune system, and the difficulty of the treatment involved.
Sometimes the only way to see which root canals are infected is the take a 3D image called a cone beam.

The normal x-rays taken in dental offices often don’t uncover infections around the roots of old root canal teeth. You need the better image provided by a 3D image similar to a mini Cat Scan. Can you see how this controversy might have come to pass? If your dentist can’t see the problem on the x-rays he/she has, there is no way to offer a solution.

What to do about old root canals, especially those that are infected, is a decision that should be made by each person after consulting with your dentist, other health care providers and loved ones. It also depends on how much you want to keep your teeth. As you can tell from the above, what to do about root canals is not a simple topic or easy decision to make. In all cases, proper history and records need to be collected and a thorough evaluation done before a final decision is made.

Technological Advances in Root Canal Therapy

The last thing I will say about this movie is that it is based on old beliefs and old technology. The movie cites research and work that was done quite some time ago, most of it before the turn of the century. George Meinig’s heyday was during the 1990’s and Westin Price’s research was done 100 years ago.

There have been quite a few advances made since then in technique as well as technology, especially in the last 10 years. I previously wrote an article highlighting the research done by Westin Price and George Meinig questioning the wisdom of doing root canals. In this article, I also discuss the improvements that have been made in root canal therapy since their day. You can read the article here: The Root Canal Cover-Up: Did George Meinig Have it Right?

So Where Does The Root Cause Have It Right?

This is a fair question. The ‘Root Cause’ does have some good things to say in questioning that all root canals are fine and there are no problems with them whatsoever. However, this will take more time to discuss and break down for you than I have time or space for here. Fallout 4 nsfw mods. Watch for my next post on what to do about root canal infections and how the movie the ‘Root Cause’ has it right.

Carey O’Rielly DDS has been a practicing dentist for 35 years. He went to USC Dental School and Duke University for his undergraduate degree. He grew up in Laguna Beach and now lives in La Costa with his wife Victoria, who runs his office.

He began his career by owning and operating a network of six offices in the San Francisco Bay Area. Presently he owns a private holistic practice in North County San Diego’s Encinitas.

Watch Documentary Root Cause

Dr. O started looking for solutions to his health challenges that resulted from the stress and environmental toxicity that built up over a ten year period running his dental network. He has ded