Root Canals

[RobinN]

Dr. Robert Atkins had a patient who knew of the danger of root canals. This woman had an 11 year old child as a neighbor. The child had a root canal three days earlier and had slipped into a coma and was “going fast”.

When this information was given to his patient, the patient insisted that the MD contact Dr. Atkins. After much arguing with several of those caring for her, an intelligent Maxillary-facial surgeon asked the obvious question, “What do we have to lose?” Within an hour after the removal of the root canal tooth, the child was awake and up and walking. This case does illustrate that a presumably healthy young person can face possibly deadly consequences from root canal surgery. My impression is that this child almost certainly had some serious defect in her immune system that permitted her to become critically ill in a few days.

This ability of bacteria to mutate and change in root canals is the same process occurring now in bacteria after exposure to antibiotics.

http://www.newswithviews.com/Howenstine/james35.htm

This article caught my eye, as my daughter had a root canal the year prior to her first seizure.
Perhaps one more trigger to understand.

 

[Birdbomb]

The patient whose root canal tooth was placed in an animal not only became well they became well in 24 to 48 hours. This means that a person suffering from the chronic degenerative disease rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune illness) can be completely cured in 48 hours. The animal receiving the infected tooth from the person with rheumatoid arthritis developed full blown rheumatoid arthritis in 48 hours.

Infected root canals have a deleterious effect on the immune system permitting the development of many degenerative diseases including heart disease, arthritis, kidney disease, blood stream infections, subacute bacterial endocarditis, phlebitis, anemia, leukopenia (low white blood cell count), back, neck and shoulder pain, neuritis etc.

These are some pretty tall claims. Too bad there are no citations noted to back them in this article.

I am not saying I agree with this, nor do I think it's as simple as the above quotes seem to want it sound. If my RA would disappear as soon as my root canels were yanked, I'd begin a new website and push this guys' findings. I do think what he's trying to say has some merit, just don't think I'll by the whole cow.

Remember if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

 

[RobinN]

I am not saying that it is that easy, only that it is something to think about. Perhaps just one more way the threshold is lowered.
When I have time I will see what else I pull up on the subject as it interests me.

 

[Birdbomb]

Well, I had my first root canal at age 19 but my RA symptoms go back to before I was 16. So I really doubt there is that much of a connection for me. But Hey, you never know! Thanks, RobiN :banana:

 

[RobinN]

Nope we never know do we. I need to check out something else that I just read.
Not confirmed:
Spanish researchers recruited 20 adults with gum disease, characterized by puffy red gums. Half of them had diabetes.
After the standard dental treatment called scaling and root planing, the scientists discovered something surprising.
The diabetics' blood sugar dropped by as much as 20%, and remained down for at least 3 months.
That change significantly reduces the risk of complications such as heart disease, stroke,and kidney failure.

Interesting, especially for those that say that blood sugar might be a trigger of their seizures.

I will continue on my search.

 

[RobinN]

MJ Is everyone who has ever had a root canal filled made ill by it?

G Meinig: No. We believe now that every root canal filling does leak and bacteria do invade the structure. But the variable factor is the strength of the person's immune system. Some healthy people are able to control the germs that escape from their teeth into other areas of the body. We think this happens because their immune system lymphocytes (white blood cells) and other disease fighters aren't constantly compromised by other ailments. In other words, they are able to prevent those new colonies from taking hold in other tissues throughout the body. But over time, most people with root filled teeth do seem to develop some kinds of systemic symptoms they didn't have before.

MJ It's really difficult to grasp that bacteria are imbedded deep in the structure of seemingly-hard, solid looking teeth.

G Meinig: I know. Physicians and dentists have that same problem, too. You really have to visualize the tooth structure - all of those microscopic tubules running through the dentin. In a healthy tooth, those tubules transport a fluid that carries nourishment to the inside. For perspective, if the tubules of a front single-root tooth, were stretched out on the ground they'd stretch for three miles!

A root filled tooth no longer has any fluid circulating through it, but the maze of tubules remains. The anaerobic bacteria that live there seem remarkably safe from antibiotics. The bacteria can migrate out into surrounding tissue where they can "hitch hike" to other locations in the body via the bloodstream. The new location can be any organ or gland or tissue, and the new colony will be the next focus of infection in a body plagued by recurrent or chronic infections.

All of the "building up" done to try to enhance the patient's ability to fight infections - to strengthen their immune system - is only a holding action. Many patients won't be well until the source of infection - the root canal tooth - is removed.


G Meinig: The only scientific way to prevent tooth decay is through diet and nutrition. Dr. Ralph Steinman did some outstanding, landmark research at Loma Linda University. He injected a glucose solution into mice - into their bodies, so the glucose didn't even touch their teeth. Then he observed the teeth for any changes. What he found was truly astonishing. The glucose reversed the normal flow of fluid in the dentin tubules, resulting in all of the test animals developing severe tooth decay! Dr. Steinman demonstrated dramatically what I said a minute ago: Dental caries reflect systemic illness.

Let's take a closer look to see how this might happen. Once a tooth gets infected and the cavity gets into the nerve and blood vessels, bacteria find their way into those tiny tubules of the dentin. Then no matter what we do by way of treatment, we're never going to completely eradicate the bacteria hiding in the miles of tubules. In time the bacteria can migrate through lateral canals into the surrounding bony socket that supports the tooth. Now the host not only has a cavity in a tooth, plus an underlying infection of supporting tissue to deal with, but the bacteria also exude potent systemic toxins. These toxins circulate throughout the body triggering activity by the immune system - and probably causing the host to feel less well. This host response can vary from just dragging around and feeling less energetic, to overt illness - of almost any kind. Certainly, such a person will be more vulnerable to whatever "bugs" are going around, because his/her body is already under constant challenge and the immune system continues to be "turned on" by either the infective agent or its toxins - or both.

Dr. Price traveled all over the world doing his research on primitive peoples who still lived in their native ways. He found fourteen cultural pockets scattered all over the globe where the natives had no access to "civilization" - and ate no refined foods.

Dr. Price studied their diets carefully. He found they varied greatly, but the one thing they had in common was that they ate whole, unrefined foods. With absolutely no access to tooth brushes, floss, fluoridated water or tooth paste, the primitive peoples studied were almost 100% free of tooth decay. Further - and not unrelated - they were also almost 100% free of all the degenerative diseases we suffer - problems with the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, joints, skin (allergies), and the whole gamut of illnesses that plague Mankind. No one food proved to be magic as a preventive food. I believe we can thrive best by eating a wide variety of whole foods.

MJ Amazing. So by "diet and nutrition" for oral (and total) health you meant eating a pretty basic diet of whole foods?

G Meinig: Exactly. And no sugar or white flour. These are (and always have been) the first culprits. Tragically, when the primitives were introduced to sugar and white flour their superior level of health deteriorated rapidly. This has been demonstrated time and again. During the last sixty or more years we have added in increasing amounts, highly refined and fabricated cereals and boxed mixes of all kinds, soft drinks, refined vegetable oils and a whole host of other foodless "foods". It is also during those same years that we as a nation have installed more and more root canal fillings - and degenerative diseases have become rampant. I believe - and Dr. Price certainly proved to my satisfaction - that these simultaneous factors are NOT coincidences.

http://www.curezone.com/dental/root_canal.asp

http://www.curezone.com/dis/1.asp?C0=130