Teeth decay/root canal

[LSad]

My daughter has a molar tooth that the dentist say is rotting away. She has given her two options, either have the tooth extracted or a root canal.

my daughter has opted for the root canal, but if the tooth is rotting away anyway due to coeliac will the root canal stop this?

[trents]

Is your daughter's celiac well-controlled, i.e., is she consistent in her gluten-free diet? How old is she? Is the bone in the jaw beneath the tooth solid? What about an implant? I don't see how a root canal would improve the situation except maybe to alleviate some pain. It certainly wouldn't prevent the tooth from deteriorating any further.

Edited July 20, 2023 by trents

[LSad]

19 minutes ago, trents said:

Is your daughter's celiac well-controlled, i.e., is she consistent in her gluten-free diet? How old is she? Is the bone in the jaw beneath the tooth solid? What about an implant? I don't see how a root canal would improve the situation except maybe to alleviate some pain. It certainly wouldn't prevent the tooth from deteriorating any further.

My daughter is 14 and she is on a gluten free diet. The dentist didn’t mention the bone beneath the tooth so I can only presume it is healthy. 
Not sure if a root canal take on people with coeliac. The tooth is at the back so I’m thinking an extraction maybe better for her. I just don’t want her to go through further treatment if the root canal doesn’t work and any more pain.

[trents]

A root canal simply removes the pulp with it's blood supply and nerves. My understanding is that it is mainly done for pain relief and to remove infectious processes that may cause further deterioration of the tooth.

"A root canal is performed when the soft inner part of a tooth, known as the pulp, is injured or becomes inflamed or infected.

The crown of the tooth — the part you can see above your gums — can remain intact even if the pulp is dead. Removing injured or infected pulp is the best way to preserve the structure of the tooth."

From: https://www.healthline.com/health/root-canal#purpose

I suppose if the rot is caused by an infection, the root canal would be appropriate.

[LSad]

1 hour ago, trents said:

A root canal simply removes the pulp with it's blood supply and nerves. My understanding is that it is mainly done for pain relief and to remove infectious processes that may cause further deterioration of the tooth.

"A root canal is performed when the soft inner part of a tooth, known as the pulp, is injured or becomes inflamed or infected.

The crown of the tooth — the part you can see above your gums — can remain intact even if the pulp is dead. Removing injured or infected pulp is the best way to preserve the structure of the tooth."

From: https://www.healthline.com/health/root-canal#purpose

I suppose if the rot is caused by an infection, the root canal would be appropriate.

There is no infection it’s just the tooth has not formed properly and is now rotting away due to coeliac.

[Wheatwacked]

Welcome to the forum LSad.

  Even on a gluten free diet low vitamin D will allow tooth decay.   What is your daughter's vitamin D blood test?  Enough zinc in her diet?

At 14 her mouth still has a lot of growth and shifting to do.  I had a lot of orthodontic work done as a kid to correct bite.  In my forties I lost a molar to an old filling. Had it extracted and now have a space that peanut occassionally gets stuck in.  But with that tooth gone my bite shifted and other than the peanut thing is much better; may for may not have something to do with TMJ eventually going away.  I would extract and give it time before reconstuction.  There might have been crowding stresses that caused the crack then0 Or the decay started then crowding made it worse, but I don't think root canal for a 14 year old worth it.

My wife on the other hand lost some teeth and went the root canal root.  Lots of money, pain, appointments and anxiety.

2 minutes ago, LSad said:

There is no infection it’s just the tooth has not formed properly and is now rotting away due to coeliac.

      "A controlled study made up of 2,827 children found a reduction of 47% in cavities of the children who received vitamin D supplements. VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY AND DENTAL HEALTH"

     "Since tooth decay is ultimately caused by acidic bacterial secretions, zinc helps protect against cavities. Zinc and Its Role in Oral Health"

[LSad]

28 minutes ago, Wheatwacked said:

Welcome to the forum LSad.

  Even on a gluten free diet low vitamin D will allow tooth decay.   What is your daughter's vitamin D blood test?  Enough zinc in her diet?

At 14 her mouth still has a lot of growth and shifting to do.  I had a lot of orthodontic work done as a kid to correct bite.  In my forties I lost a molar to an old filling. Had it extracted and now have a space that peanut occassionally gets stuck in.  But with that tooth gone my bite shifted and other than the peanut thing is much better; may for may not have something to do with TMJ eventually going away.  I would extract and give it time before reconstuction.  There might have been crowding stresses that caused the crack then0 Or the decay started then crowding made it worse, but I don't think root canal for a 14 year old worth it.

My wife on the other hand lost some teeth and went the root canal root.  Lots of money, pain, appointments and anxiety.

      "A controlled study made up of 2,827 children found a reduction of 47% in cavities of the children who received vitamin D supplements. VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY AND DENTAL HEALTH"

     "Since tooth decay is ultimately caused by acidic bacterial secretions, zinc helps protect against cavities. Zinc and Its Role in Oral Health"

Thank you god the advice. I was dubious about having her go through all this at such a young age. I just needed someone else to agree with me I suppose.

I’ve looked at her multivitamins and there’s no zinc in them so I’ll buy some and get her zinc up. 

[Wheatwacked]

Cold-Eeze (zinc glyconate) or generic has 13.3 mg.  It coats the mouth with zinc so goes to work fast. 

  If her vitamin D is mostly from multivitamin, get her blood tested.  Raising it may help avoid future autoimmune complications.  The tooth may be your first clue. Don't ignore it.

 "When the serum concentration of vitamin D is very low, the risk of rickets, osteomalacia and osteoporosis is increased. In children and adolescents there is a high prevalence of low vitamin D status, especially in females and during the winter... There needs to be a renewed appreciation of the beneficial effect of moderate sunlight for providing all humans with the vitamin D needed for ensuring good health.  Vitamin D and adolescent health"

[Scott Adams]

In this case I'd trust your dentist's opinion, and if they say that a root canal is an option I'd go with that.