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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Henderson, NV -With 25 million root canal procedures performed in the United States every year, it’s likely that you’ll have to consider this treatment at some point in your life, if you haven’t already. And since root canals are usually preceded by constant discomfort (or unrelenting pain) due to an infected tooth, you probably won’t think twice before agreeing to undergo the procedure. But according to Robert Kulacz, DDS, and Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD, you should.
Root canals, they say, are the medical equivalent of the Trojan horse: The “successfully” treated tooth is actually a vehicle by which disease-producing bacteria and toxins can, and often do, enter the body.
“Root canals are actually a scientifically flawed and potentially dangerous procedure,” says Dr. Levy, coauthor along with Robert Kulacz, DDS, of The Toxic Tooth: How a root canal could be making you sick (MedFox Publishing, 2014, ISBN: 978-0-983-77282-8, $29.95, www.toxictooth.com). “Since it is impossible to remove every trace of infection from and perfectly seal a root canal-treated tooth, pathogenic bacteria and the toxins that they produce begin to proliferate in the oxygen-free environment within the tooth.”
From the tooth, these toxins and pathogens spread throughout the body via the bloodstream where they cause tissue damage, disrupt cellular function, strain the immune system, and drain the body’s antioxidant stores. The chronic infection present in root canal-treated teeth can also initiate or worsen systemic diseases like heart disease, cancer, stroke, and much more.
“While not everyone with a root canal-treated tooth will suffer negative health effects, the fact remains that scientific evidence has clearly shown a link between root canal-treated teeth and degenerative medical conditions,” comments Dr. Levy. “When presented with this information, many patients choose not to gamble their overall health on a root canal procedure and opt for a safer alternative.”
What are those safer alternatives, exactly? Here, Dr. Kulacz and Dr. Levy review your choices:
First, understand that extraction is the first step if you have an infected tooth… Yes, Dr. Levy and Dr. Kulacz acknowledge that this isn’t what most patients want to hear. Once we’re past tooth-fairy-visit age, none of us relish the thought of losing a tooth. But because infection and bacteria can never be fully removed from root canal-treated teeth, extraction is the only safe treatment option for an infected tooth.
“If you’re reluctant to undergo an extraction, think of the alternatives,” Dr. Levy urges. “When overall quality of life and economics are considered, a bridge, implant, partial denture, or perhaps even a missing tooth is preferable to a stroke, heart attack, cancer, and other systemic diseases.
“Be sure to have the dentist or oral surgeon thoroughly remove ALL infected bone from the socket when the tooth is extracted,” he adds. “The immune system does not always take care of this residual infection.”
…and if you’ve already had a root canal procedure. What if you aren’t currently facing a root canal procedure, but already have a root canal-treated tooth in your mouth? Extraction is still recommended, but the issue becomes a bit more complicated. While the patient always has the right to make his or her own medical decisions, it is considered gross misconduct by the American Dental Association to extract a root canal-treated tooth for the reason of removing a dead and infected body part. Believe it or not, dental boards have prosecuted dentists and even revoked their license to practice dentistry for doing so.
Why? Mainstream dentistry maintains that this common and lucrative procedure is 100 percent safe and has yet to acknowledge the connection between root canals and degenerative medical conditions, despite the fact that scientific studies support this link (and have even been published by the Journal of the American Dental Association).
“If you do wish to extract a root canal-treated tooth, we encourage you to find a dentist who respects your right to be the guardian of your own health,” says Dr. Kulacz. “The presence of pain in the tooth or jaw and the desire not to have a repeat root canal procedure are accepted reasons for tooth extraction. The dentist’s license will be protected by the fact that the extraction was warranted by chronic symptoms.”
The good news is, there are several ways to restore the missing tooth. “While you aren’t obligated to replace the extracted tooth, most patients prefer to do so both for aesthetic reasons and to preserve the ability to chew optimally,” comments Dr. Levy. “You should work with your dentist to determine which restoration option is best for you following the extraction of a tooth.” Here are some options:
- Removable partial denture: This restoration is the least invasive way to restore missing teeth. As its name suggests, a removable partial denture is completely removable. It rests on the gums and hooks onto the remaining teeth with various types of clasps, and can be used to replace multiple teeth.
- Bonded bridge: With this restoration, a missing tooth is replaced by a manmade tooth that is bonded to the teeth on each side of the missing tooth. This restoration is not removable and can be used to replace only a single tooth. While considered permanent, this restoration can become unbonded over time and may need to be replaced.
- Fixed bridge: With this restoration, the teeth on either side of the missing tooth are prepared for full-coverage crowns. A false tooth called a pontic is attached to the crowns, and the entire unit is cemented in place (just like any single crown). The major downside of this restoration is that a large amount of tooth structure has to be removed to prepare the teeth for crowns. Whenever tooth structure is removed, there is a risk that the nerve of the tooth will die.
- Dental implant: Dental implants are a reliable long-term solution to replace a missing tooth. In this procedure, a sterile titanium or zirconium post is implanted into the bone at the extraction site. Once the bone has healed, a tooth restoration is fabricated on the implant. It is important that the dentist remove all infected bone around the tooth socket at the time of tooth extraction so that the implant is placed into healthy bone.
“While no dental or medical procedure is risk-free, some are much riskier than others,” concludes Dr. Kulacz. “Make sure that you understand the implications of a root canal before undergoing the procedure, if at all possible. And if you do choose not to have a root canal procedure because of its potential impact on whole-body health, remember that extraction-as well as working with a dentist who respects your decision-is your absolute right as a patient.”
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About the Authors:
Robert Kulacz, DDS, is the coauthor of The Toxic Tooth: How a root canal could be making you sick. Dr. Kulacz received his dental degree from New York University College of Dentistry, and he received post-graduate training in implant surgery and implant restoration sponsored by Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. He abandoned much of his traditional dental practice after learning of the risks of some of the dental procedures he was performing. Subsequently, he only performed oral surgery. He has not actively practiced dentistry since 2006.
His first book, The Roots of Disease, with coauthor Dr. Tom Levy was published in 2002. It introduced many of the concepts that The Toxic Tooth now greatly expands upon. It was Dr. Levy who suggested that The Roots of Disease be revised and updated. Reluctant at first, Dr. Kulacz finally agreed. However, soon after starting the revision, Drs. Kulacz and Levy quickly realized that the abundant new and compelling research published since 2002 warranted a complete new book: The Toxic Tooth.
Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD, is the coauthor of The Toxic Tooth: How a root canal could be making you sick. Dr. Levy is a board-certified cardiologist and a bar-certified attorney. The Toxic Tooth marks his tenth health-related book. Since discontinuing the practice of traditional cardiology 20 years ago, he has focused on the importance of minimizing toxins in the body, especially those originating in the mouth, while optimizing the antioxidant capacity in the body, most prominently that of vitamin C. He lectures around the world now on a regular basis on these topics. Currently, he is involved in ongoing research efforts to validate the importance of increased oxidative stress in the genesis and worsening of all chronic degenerative diseases, along with continuing efforts to develop disease treatment protocols based on these concepts.
For more information, please visit www.toxictooth.com.
About the Book:
The Toxic Tooth: How a root canal could be making you sick (MedFox Publishing, 2014, ISBN: 978-0-983-77282-8, $29.95, www.toxictooth.com) is available atwww.toxictooth.com and Amazon.
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