Dr. Weeks’ Comment: Root canals have been implicated in the etiology (creation) of certain chronic degenerative illnesses – admittedly, this is denied by conventional dentists but lots of problems with root canals have made it to the lay media and so the issues must the addressed. Here is a simple summary for your consideration:
Cavitation Surgery instead of root canals
CAVITATION Even though the phenomenon has been in the dental literature for decades, the term “Cavitation,” is a fairly new word in the dental vocabulary. It refers to a “hole”, in the bone, typically where a tooth has been previously extracted or near the roots of existing root canal teeth. It may be a recent extraction or one performed decades earlier, but often is the result of the extraction site not healing properly.
Inside the Cavitation holes, the bacteria can flourish and produce debilitating toxins. The latest research has proven these toxins to be highly neurotoxic, inhibiting protein and enzyme absorption and therefore disturbing cellular function, and contributing to, or inducing disease. Cavitations can also block the body’s energy meridians exerting a far-reaching impact. The recommended treatment for most Cavitations is Cavitation Surgery.
CAVITATION SURGERY The only available treatment for Cavitations at this time is surgical removal. Because of the lack of blood flow inside a Cavitation, standard medications or drugs cannot reach these lesions. Even homeopathic remedies will only work best during the healing process once the lesion is removed and the blood flow is reestablished.
The surgery basically consists of an incision in the gum to expose the defect in the bone, and then scraping the area clean (debridement) to remove the unhealthy and/or diseased tooth and bone. Very often a biopsy is taken so that the disease process can be documented. Both hand and rotary instruments are used with sterile saline irrigation to remove the diseased tissue from the site. Packing and or grafting material may be placed in the surgical wound, and then it is sutured closed.
Appropriate medications are prescribed, and written post-operative home care instructions are given. Because of the virulence of the disease process in the Cavitational areas, it is sometimes necessary to repeat the surgical intervention in order to completely heal the lesion.
EXTARACTIONS Extraction is the complete removal of a primary or a permanent tooth. An Extraction can be surgical or non-surgical. This depends on the difficulty of the extraction and whether or not the tooth is impacted or erupted, and whether it has straight or curved roots. An Extraction may be done carefully by a biologic dentist or an Oral Surgeon (someone who specializes in difficult or surgical extractions). No one looks forward to an extraction, but modern anesthesia will help keep you comfortable throughout the procedure.
Reasons for an extraction are:
- Advanced Gum Disease. This is the #1 reason adults loose their teeth!
- An abscessed tooth that cannot be saved.
- A tooth with decay too deep to save the tooth.
- A tooth that has broken at the gum line and cannot be saved.
- Impacted tooth (typically a “Wisdom Tooth”)
- Some Orthodontic cases require that one or more teeth be extracted.
If you have made the decision to remove a tooth, whether to avoid a root canal, or to eliminate an infected or root-canalled tooth, it is important that every effort be made to also clean the extraction socket of the tooth and bone well to help insure proper healing and prevention of a Cavitation.
At biologic dental clinics effort is made to extract teeth as atramatically as possible and to clean the bone as thoroughly as possible in order to PREVENT SYSTEMIC INFECTION. The following represents the protocol followed:
- Questions are answered and an informed consent form is explained to the patient and signed by the patient.
- Enzymes and homeopathics are dispensed to those patients interested in an effort to minimize the trauma and subsequent post-operative swelling.
- A biocompatible anesthetic is administered.
- The tooth is extracted using the “Ogram” technique to minimize trauma to the remaining teeth and bone.
- A sample of the tooth or bone may be sent in the form of a biopsy to a qualified pathologist to further verify and explain the disease process. In all cases, a biopsy is not taken, and if it desired, it should be requested by the patient prior to signing of the informed consent.
- The extraction socket is then cleaned using hand and rotary curettage with sterile saline irrigation.
- Hemostatic agents are used when necessary.
- Sutures are placed to protect and maintain the blood clot that will form. This helps to prevent a “dry socket” from occurring.
- Antibiotics and pain medications are prescribed when necessary.
- Homecare and post-operative surgical instructions are reviewed and given to the patient.
- Any follow-up visits are scheduled.
When an extraction is performed, it is important to put something in the place of the missing tooth or teeth. If the space is just left open, your teeth will shift and cause many unnecessary complications. An extracted tooth may be replaced by a temporary or permanent bridge, an implant, or by a partial or complete denture.
For more information, see www.weeksmd.com and search “dental”.
Call 360-341-2303 with any questions.