Fact Check: Are Root Canals Silent Killers?

The user in the reel says, “What happens when your dentist tells you, you know what? We need to save your tooth or for some other reasons, sometimes even cosmetic reasons, when you do a root canal and they drill into your tooth and they rip out the nerve from the tooth with many of these corresponding blood vessels, then they seal that tooth, shut, what does this do? It creates an abscess in there where blood cannot reach. And what starts to form in there is rotting flesh, anaerobic bacteria.

Now if you ask any medical practitioner, any medical expert, is it okay to put rotting flesh into your body? They'll tell you, of course not. It's crazy, you're going to die. It's gangrene basically. Well, this is common practice in dentistry right now on a daily level. And there's a lot of research about”

The reel can be accessed here.

Fact Check

The claim that root canals are a "silent killer" is false and unsupported by scientific evidence. Root canal treatments are a standard dental procedure used to save teeth and eliminate infection. Root canals are safe, routine procedures—not “silent killers”—and there's no scientific evidence linking them to systemic diseases.

What is a root canal treatment?

Root canal treatment is a dental procedure that aims at removing infected or inflamed pulp from within a tooth. After the pulp is removed, the inside of the tooth is carefully cleaned, disinfected, and then sealed. Afterwards, the tooth is restored with a crown or filling for protection and will continue to function like any other tooth. This process helps to get rid of harmful bacteria, stop further infection, and preserve the tooth's natural structure. 

Are Root Canals Silent Killers?

Root canal treatment is safe, effective, and supported by extensive scientific evidence. There is no valid scientific evidence linking root canal therapy to systemic health problems or chronic illness. Root canal procedures are part of advanced modern dentistry, and today's techniques make the treatment highly predictable, successful, and safe.

An article published in Clinical Oral Investigations concluded that endodontically treated teeth demonstrate high long-term survival and success rates. The study suggested that the strong long-term prognosis of these teeth supports choosing root canal treatment over extraction and implant placement for managing teeth with pulpal or periapical disease.

According to the American Association of Endodontists, root canal treatment does not cause illness or systemic disease. Claims suggesting such a link are false and based on outdated, discredited research.

A review article published in International Endodontic Journal concludes that there have been no publications to suggest that root canal treatment has any adverse systemic effects.