Good day
This article, although sad, has a lot of unaddressed factors.
The main aim of a root canal treatment, is to remove all organic and inorganic material from the root canal systems of a tooth. This includes all bacteria, aerobic and anaerobic, and necrotic tissue and is done through mechanical and chemical methods. This is also done with the aid of antibiotics in certain instances.
The root canal system is then sealed, to prevent future contamination.
I always say to all my patients, that a infected tooth that requires a root canal, is on its way out, and a root canal is the last way we can save the tooth for a while longer. In my opinion, no man made tooth replacement, is the same as the God-given tooth you were born with. So an extraction is always last resort.
But like many medical procedures, there a lot of factors, host and dentist factors, that can influence the success of a root canal or any dental treatment for that matter.
Was the root canal indicated in the first place? Was it done by a trained dentist or endodontist? Were all the canals cleaned and decontaminated or were some left untreated?
And after the root canal treatment has been completed, did the patient go for their bi-annual check-ups to monitor the tooth for signs of infection or root canal failure?
In the article, it was never mentioned if the woman saw her dentist regularly. The sad reality is that most patients only see their dentist if and when they have a problem and/or experience pain. If she saw her dentist on a regular basis, any infection would have been picked up early and then treated accordingly.
I can send you a lot of peer-reviewed articles that demonstrates the success that root canal treatments can have. This is over years and years of study. Be careful of what you read on the internet as well as " holistic " medical professionals. We treat patients as a whole, yes, in accordance with our field and in combination with other fields. That doesn't mean we should ignore proven scientific clinical practices.