riniker

Topics:

Root Canals
Their Risks and Alternatives to Them

BACKGROUND: very common but more risky than perhaps we had thought. Research of Dr. Weston Price, brought to light by George Meining, D.D.S., F.A.C.D., presents problems about which many of us are possibly unaware.

Subjects Covered:
		Gutta percha cross reactive with latex
		Self test
		Facts about root canals
		References

Process:
	Not only can root canals pose significant risks, the filler, frequently gutta percha, can be cross reactive with latex and can leach into one's system every time the teeth touch (chewing, talking, etc.). Why and if one should have a root canal, or before having another one, is worthy of analysis. Drs. Meining and Riniker are two professionals in the field who have reached disquieting conclusions. IF ONE DEAD TOOTH KILLED 50 RABBITS, WHAT IS ONE DOING IN YOUR MOUTH?
Self-Test for Infected Root Canals:
	Tenderness: Do you have a root canal with chronic tenderness? Swelling: Do you have reoccurring swelling in the gum or around a tooth with a root canal?
	Pain: Does it hurt when you bite on a tooth with a root canal? Do you have unexplained facial pain?
	Skin lesions: Is the skin on your face outside a tooth with a root canal dry, keratotic, or have lesions?
	Blackness: Has the root area of an old root canal turned black?
	Infections: Do you have chronic sinus infections or repeated upper respiratory infections?
	Gum disease: Do you have bone loss around an older root canal?
	Poor health: Do you have a chronic illness, chronic pain, or general fatigue?
	Organ dysfunction: Do you have malfunction or infection of an organ (kidney, liver, stomach, etc.) on the same acupuncture meridian as a tooth with a root canal?
Note that these symptoms share numerous causes and may be unrelated.

Facts about Root Canals:

Our teeth are made up of a highly specialized network of microscopic tubes (tubules) designed to supply nutrients to the dentin as long as the tooth is alive. Each tooth contains approximately 1.5 million tubules.

The worst part of a root canal is what happens within these tubules when a tooth dies. As the living cells rot within the central pulp chamber, their extensions also rot within their tubules. Although root canal therapy should completely obliterate and fill the main pulp chamber, it is impossible to fill the millions of microscopic tubules.

Bacteria from infected teeth or from the dental procedure itself can remain within the tubules, growing and multiplying. As they do so, they begin to produce various toxic chemicals, which can be especially toxic to specific organs or organ systems. As was proven by rabbit studies, even if the tooth could be completely sterilized, the potential for bacteria to recolonize the empty tubules is very high. Unfortunately, the location of the bacteria makes it nearly impossible for them to be eliminated by antibiotics, sterilization, etc.

Obviously, many people appear to be able to handle root canals with no ill effects. The problem is that we have no way of knowing if or when our toxic threshold will be reached or if the function of the immune system will even temporarily be impaired.

Without question, root canals in our teeth are a burden to our bodies, and especially to our immune system. When our immune systems are at a low point, the microorganisms or toxins produced by the bacteria more readily move toward a target organ in the body based on acupuncture meridians.

For more information on this and related topics, see the references below.

The information contained herein has been obtained from a variety of sources. This document is presented to increase awareness of the topic and educate the general public. It is not intended to be an extensive discussion of this subject, or to provide specific treatment guidelines.

References
—Endodontics: traditional view
—Gutta Percha and Latex
—Gutta Percha: two other uses (golf balls and cable insulation)
—Meining, George, D.D.S., F.A.C.D., Root Canal Cover-up , Bion Publishing, 1993. For a thorough discussion of this issue by a former founder and past president of the American Academy of Endodontists
—Root Canals: a pictorial view of what the process is
—Root Canal: traditional view
—Root Canals Causing Serious Illness
—"The Price of Root Canals", compiled by Dr. Hal Huggins. A more detailed and scientific review can be found in reprints of Dr. Price's original published research.