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In their addiction to the slogan "save the tooth," dentists increasingly lose the patient. — M. H. Fischer, M.D
To be fair, most dentists and endodontists in America are probably unaware of the documented relationship between root-canalled teeth and degenerative disease. Until recently, I was also unaware of the 25 years of research done in the early 1900s under the auspices of the American Dental Association — research that was subsequently covered up. This research, which was carried out by the late Dr. Weston Price and sixty of the leading scientists of his time, is outlined in detail by Dr. George Meinig in the book Root Canal Cover-Up (Bion Publishing, 1994). Ironically, Dr. Meinig was one of the original founders of the American Association of Endodontists. During his 47 years of practice, he performed countless root canals only to discover — after he retired — the work of Dr. Price. Believing the dental profession would require more studies upon learning of this long-buried research, Dr. Meinig wrote Root Canal Cover-Up and began lecturing about the dangers of root canals. Through exhaustive repetitions of animal experiments, along with extensive studies of human patients, Dr. Price demonstrated the detrimental effects of root-canalled teeth on overall health. Although I detest animal research, I gratefully acknowledge the incredible contribution of all the creatures who suffered and died in the process of exposing the effects of root canals. One major finding of Dr. Price's research was that root-canalled teeth are not sterile — and indeed could not be sterilized — even after they were extracted and submitted to sterilizing procedures. When such a tooth was implanted under the skin of a rabbit, the rabbit contracted the same disease suffered by the former owner of the root-canalled tooth. Also, the people who had root-canalled teeth removed subsequently experienced an alleviation of their particular disease. Lest you think root canals are rare and therefore can't be much of a contributor to our country's marked increase in degenerative disease during the last fifty years, consider this: in 1994, the American Association of Endodontists estimated that twenty million root canal treatments are done each year in the United States. Although no statistics exist that tally the total number of people living with root canals, it's safe to say that the numbers easily run into the triple-digit millions. In case you are one of these millions who have a root canal, please understand that root canals do not necessarily cause degenerative disease. Even Dr. Price stated that people with strong immune systems can probably live comfortably with root canals — except in cases where a subsequent accident, influenza, or other stressor contributes additional detriment to immune function. Thus, my purpose here is not to cause undue concern for people with root canals, nor to crucify dentists and endodontists for their work. We all do what we can with what we know. My purpose here is simply to tell my own story. In the process, I hope to make some information available that has been covered up for more than seventy years. In my case, one of my molars came to a point where it just couldn't take any more stress. After a couple decades of dental and accident trauma, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems, and multiple crown jobs, this molar refused to stop hurting, and my ex-dentist said it needed a root canal. My whole body rebelled against the idea of killing a tooth and leaving its dead body in my mouth, but no alternatives were offered. I put it off for as long as possible, then had the procedure done in early January of 1996. Prior to the root canal, I'd made some significant progress with a number of longstanding health conditions, thanks to the new input of an exceptionally helpful doctor. But something seemed to be canceling out my progress. Old symptoms resurfaced, along with some scary new ones. I began getting chronic infections again, blemishes on my skin started taking weeks to heal, my digestion broke down, extreme fatigue set in again, connective tissue and joint problems worsened, and the capillaries in my mouth and nose bled at the slightest provocation. In addition, something new developed: I began having so much pain inside certain vertebrae that I could barely lift my head when I woke up in the morning. By May, I was quite debilitated and I didn't understand why. Concurrent to these months of downward spiraling, my ongoing nutrition studies led me to the Gerson Institute, whose book list led me to Root Canal Cover-Up. There, in meticulous detail accompanied by graphic photographs, my worst fears about root canals were confirmed. My intuition had been right! With detective curiosity, I traced back the exacerbation — or initiation — of my physical symptoms, and I discovered that they all began after the root canal. If all this research about root canals is so important, you may wonder why it was covered up. Apparently, the work of Dr. Price (who was known as "the world's greatest dentist") was covered up because of a controversy among dentists and physicians about the validity of the "focal infection theory," a theory originally introduced in 1904 by Dr. Frank Billings of the Chicago University Medical School. Dr. Billings' theory was substantiated by the monumental 1174-page, two-volume body of research produced later by Dr. Price. Basically, the focal infection theory states that infected teeth, tonsils, sinuses, or other areas of infection hold bacteria that can travel through the bloodstream to other glands, organs, or tissues, and subsequently set up infection in the new site. In other words, infection can spread from one part of the body to another, in the same way cancer cells can spread (metastasize) via the circulating blood. Most people believe that the whole point of root canals is to remove (or prevent) infection and thus, to leave a non-offending tooth. Unfortunately, this doesn't necessarily work. Why not? Because the white part of the tooth (the dentin) is actually comprised of about three miles of microscopic tubules. When the pulp of a tooth is removed and filled (root-canalled), the tooth no longer has the capacity to flush out the bacteria that accumulate in these tiny tubules of the dentin. To make matters worse, common X-rays are not magnified enough to reveal these tubules, much less the bacteria in them, so infection may go unnoticed in its early stages. People may scoff that such tiny amounts of bacteria can impact the immune system, but I've heard of doctors who refuse to treat people with cancer or other chronic illnesses until they've had all root-canalled teeth removed. The point is, the white part of the tooth is alive — just as bone is alive — and it needs a live nerve and artery to keep it healthy. It's that simple. Upon reading Root Canal Cover-Up, I realized that I would need to have my molar extracted. I didn't relish the thought, but the alternative was worse. Therefore, I set out to find a dentist who was aware of the protocols outlined in Dr. Meinig's book, because it is essential to extract the root-canalled tooth in a specific way to ensure removal of all possible sources of trace infection in the surrounding bone and tissue. Synchronistically, my physician, Dr. Steve Hall (who fully supported my decision), called and said he'd just met a holistic dentist who might be able to help. His hunch turned out to be correct, and I soon found myself in the office of Dr. Mitch Marder. We made a great connection, and I was delighted to discover that he not only knew about the Root Canal Cover-Up protocols; he also incorporated into his practice the basic principles of homeopathy, nutrition, craniosacral philosophy, and the Chinese Medicine correspondences between teeth and the body. To make a long story short, I had the surgery done. Despite my fear of the procedure and my extreme distaste for dental work, I felt so safe with Dr. Marder and his helper, Petey, that I actually went deep into meditation during the surgery. A week later, when I went back to get the stitches out, Petey remarked that I obviously knew when the tooth came out, because my body heaved a big sigh of relief and went limp with relaxation. This was news to me, because I had spaced out so completely during the surgery that I had to ask if the tooth was out yet. Once again, my body's wisdom had beaten me to the punch! I took the tooth home with me, thinking I would keep it as some kind of testament to my ordeal. But when I asked my body what it needed in order to heal, the first thing it said was, "Get rid of that toxic tooth!" So I put the molar inside a plastic bag and smashed it with a hammer on the concrete walk outside my house. I wasn't prepared for what happened next: when the tooth shattered, it released a horrendous stench! The awful reek of infection gave me a visceral understanding of the toxicity of root canals. That noxious odor was far more powerful than anything I could ever read. It was primal. Holding my nose in disgust, I gathered up the pieces of my tooth and took them down to the lake near my house. I wanted to throw them into Green Lake in a ritual of completion and release. Walking along the path by the lake, I spotted a tiny dirt trail leading down to a small group of boulders near the water. Carefully, I stepped onto the boggy edge and flung the pieces of my tooth into the lake. I listened — plink, plink, plink — as the shattered tooth hit the surface and sank. Then I turned back to sit on one of the rocks. As soon as I sat down, I looked up and saw a huge monarch butterfly a few inches away from my feet. The appearance of this universal symbol of metamorphosis touched me so deeply that my eyes filled with tears. Somehow, I felt as if the spirits of nature were acknowledging my process of letting go and were promising a transformation from the loss. The butterfly's appearance in itself was enough, but there was more. Mesmerized by the gentle movements of its wings in the wind, I watched it for several minutes and decided I would leave when the butterfly flew away. Finally, it began to lift and fly, so I started to leave. But I sat back down quickly as the butterfly moved suddenly toward me, then to my left, then to my right, then away a few inches, then toward me, then again to my left, right, away a few inches, and back again. The butterfly repeated this dance of the four directions in front of me several times. Eventually, it flew straight over my head, so I got up to leave. However, it then flew back in front of my face and repeated its dance all over again. Needless to say, I sat back down one more time, and I gave the butterfly my full attention. At some point, the golden creature flew to some flowers a few feet away. I thanked it and said goodbye, then returned home. The butterfly dance did not mark the end of my process with the extraction. My process of healing from the surgery turned out to be difficult and lengthy, due to some unavoidable complications and my already compromised health. Even so, the monarch's appearance that day definitely felt like a blessing for my decision to remove the tooth. Sure enough, my overall health transformed quickly. The pain in my spine vanished overnight. The infections cleared up over the next few days. My digestion returned to normal, my connective tissue and joints became noticeably stronger, and the fatigue decreased dramatically. On the same day as the surgery, I felt better than I had in months! Of course, everyone's body is unique. My own body's rapid decline (after the root canal) and equally rapid recovery (following the tooth's extraction) may not be the norm. People with stronger immune systems might not experience symptoms for many years, at which time they may have long forgotten the possible link to a root canal. The point is, our bodies work within a delicate balance of systems, and root canals can upset this balance. Although my experience provides only a glimpse of the root canal cover-up story, I hope it inspires you and others to think twice before allowing a tooth to be killed and filled, which is my personal definition of the euphemistic term "root canal." Special thanks to Dr. George Meinig, Dr. Steve Hall, Dr. Mitch Marder, and Petey Reap for their help with this article. You can order Root Canal Cover-Up through the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation at (800) 366-3748. Dr. Steve Hall's number is (425) 455-1222, and Dr. Mitch Marder's number is (206) 367-6453. Cat Saunders, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist in private practice and the author of Dr. Cat's Helping Handbook, available at bookstores or <http://www.drcat.org>. |
This article may not win
me many friends among mainstream dentists and endodontists who
do root canals. But if it helps even one person solve mysterious
health problems, then the wrath of a few specialists will seem
negligible in comparison.