The benefit of having root canal therapy (RCT) preformed is to preserve the tooth if an infection or inflammation has compromised it. This aids in the maintenance of the structural integrity of the mouth. The technology of treatment has advanced dramatically over the past ten years and continues to advance. The tooth is first isolated, then the dentist would open the tooth by drilling a hole on the top of the tooth and remove the infected pulp inside the canal (1-4 canals can be present in a given tooth). The canals are filled, and then a filling material or crown is placed to seal the tooth. However there are concerns being raised about the potential negative influences associated with teeth that have been treated. The concerns center around the potential for teeth to become toxic and a source of bio-chemical and energetic disturbances within the body. The dead tooth, even after root canal treatment, if infected and/or toxic will act as a focal interference. This means it interferes with the body’s automatic regulation of associated areas of the body.
Is the problem caused by root canal treatment, where the patient can have a reaction to materials used to disinfect and or fill the canals of the tooth, as some have suggested, or is it due to contaminants introduced into a tooth by the disease process that are not eliminated by RCT?
I feel that both can play a role in the success or failure in the outcome of a root canal treated tooth. It has been common practice in many dental offices to use toxic chemicals (cresatin, formocresol) for disinfection of diseased teeth, though this practice has gradually declined. Another problem with treatment lies with poor technique; if the root canal system is not adequately cleaned or not adequately sealed this will also lead to failure.
Dr. Lerner’s View
In my experience many root canal treated teeth appear to be without negative influence. Root canal therapy properly performed with materials that are bio-compatible for the individual is possibly a good thing. By avoiding the extraction of teeth with degenerated nerves, we are able to prevent other problems (ie. structural imbalances, alterations to other teeth for holding bridges, need to place implants….).
When a root canal treated tooth is found to be creating a disturbance to the rest of the body, it can sometimes be corrected by re-treatment of the root canal. Though the success of this involves many variables. Most important in this is the patient’s overall constitution and the level of toxins and biochemical imbalances already present in their system.
I do believe that long standing infection leads to chemical change of the root surface, and the tooth becomes a foreign body, triggering reactions of the immune system. Such teeth must be extracted because they are now toxic to the body. Each root canal tooth should be tested individually for its effect on the rest of the body.
The Research
The potential for a tooth to be an agent in the development of disease was first discovered by Dr. Weston Price in the 1930’s. His research involved with extracted teeth that were infected and toxic being placed under the skin of rabbits. He found that: These teeth implanted led to disease that mimicked the disease of the human tooth donor. Vital healthy teeth implanted led to no disease.
Today physician’s around the world engaged in “biological medicine” find that extraction of root canal teeth leads to improvement in some medically compromised patients. Reasons why this can occur are suggested below.
Dr Thomas Rau of the Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland has found a higher incidence of root canal treated molars in women with breast cancer.
Bio-energy testing ( kinesiology / electro-acupuncture ) reveals that some root canal teeth are reactive in some patients. The issue appears to be complex. “Dead”teeth and teeth with degenerated pulp tissues that have not yet been treated with root canal therapy always demonstrate evidence of causing a electro-magnetic field disturbance in the body. This is evident when evaluating teeth via muscle response testing. There will be evidence of disturbance at the tooth, at dental auricular acupuncture points, and at acupuncture points on associated meridians.
How does a tooth become toxic?
The most common cause of the dental pulp becoming degenerative is caused by the process of tooth decay progressing to the point of invading the pulp tissue ( live tissue in the tooth). This then permits bacteria to have a direct pathway into the tooth. The process of inflammation and infection of the pulpal and then the peri-apical tissues (around the root tip) will lead to the generation of many toxic chemicals. These include volatile sulfur compounds; hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and methyl mercaptan (CH3SH) , as well as other compounds. If a tooth is not treated in a timely fashion the tooth will likely becomes so toxic that it should not be treated but extracted.
What Influences are seen with dead teeth- whether treated by root canal treatment or not?
When performing bio-energy evaluations using kinesiology ( muscle response testing) a disturbance being caused is evidenced by a strong muscle going weak when the tooth in question is being touched. Such a response is often evident even if we just bring our probe (or finger) close to the tooth ( ie. in its energy field).
Once the tooth (or teeth) are identified, the patient’s general energetic status is examined as discussed in the section on Applied Kinesiology. Once we have a determination of the patient’s energetic state, we can temporarily switch off the weakening reflex associated with the tooth by rubbing the skin overlying it softly in the direction of the patient’s feet. Then test the tooth again-it will seem to test strong. Now evaluate the patient again. Areas of disturbance that are a direct effect of the tooth will also disappear temporarily.
When the tooth is retreated these areas must also clear. If they don’t the likelihood is that the tooth is still a disturbance and extraction should be considered.
What are the energetic influences associated with extracted teeth that had shown disturbance in the body?
In our clinical studies what we are seeing is that after we extract a toxic tooth, the patient’s energy field will improve, with a strengthening evident where there had previously been a weakness. Interestingly if we then have the patient hold their extracted tooth, the energetic disturbance that was evident in their body will seem to return as long as they hold the tooth. This continues to occur with toxic teeth even if they have been passed through a steam autoclave to render them sterile.
This phenomenon occurs even when these sterilized toxic donor teeth are energetically evaluated with other individuals. Consistently the individual being tested will demonstrate the same patterns of energetic disturbance that had been associated with this toxic tooth when it was still present in the mouth of the donor.
In conclusion.
Each patient and each tooth needs to be evaluated based on the health condition of the patient and the level of degeneration and degree off toxicity that may have occurred within the tooth. This is based on history and our clinical findings upon examination.