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Lowell Weiner DDS, FAGD
I have often been asked, "How can a tooth that has a root canal cause so many varied and distinct problems in the body"? After all, it’s only one tooth, or one extraction site that according to any dentist may only be a little bit infected.
The answer can be seen by a quote from the Root Canal Cover-Up by Dr. George Meinig. He quotes Dr. Weston A. Price, “when infected teeth produce disturbance in other parts of the body, it is not necessary that the quantity of infection be large, nor is it demonstrated that it is necessary that organisms pass throughout the body or to the special tissues involved, but the evidence at hand strongly suggests that soluble poisons may pass from the infected teeth to the lymph or blood circulation, or both, and produce system disturbance entirely out of proportion to the quantity involved. The evidence indicates that toxic substances may under certain circumstances sensitize the body or special tissues so that very small quantities of the organisms, which produce the toxin, may produce very marked reactions and disturbances."
A clinical example of this – a medical doctor who had come to see me gave a history of vague aches and pains throughout his body, memory problems, fatigue and allergies. He was having difficulty handling his practice and was concerned he would have to retire. On examination he had Root canal on his upper right 2nd molar and 4 cavitations (osteo necrosis lesions) in other areas of his jaw that his previous physician had picked up with electrical evaluation. I recommended to start with the removal of the root canal tooth which had been done 8 years prior, as all root canal teeth are dead tissues or dead teeth which can harbor and attract bacteria, fungus etc. His symptoms did not start until 2 years after the root canal, and then only gradually.
He was told by previous dentists that x-rays showed it to be fine and not to take it out-and after all he had no pain with it. His symptoms became worse and finally after 1 year he was desperate, no medical tests he and his colleagues ran could find the cause of his problems, which continued to progress. So as a last resort he decided to have the tooth out with careful cleaning of the bone around it. Within 24 hours his overall symptoms decreased by 50% and within one week most were completely gone. Within 6 months after the removal of the tooth, on retesting, his physician who had tested him originally and confirmed 3-5 cavitations (osteonecrotic lesions) before surgery contacted me and said she could only find one.
We think that by decreasing the load of toxins from the root canal tooth that was infected the body was able to heal the other sites. He has since developed some different allergies and is able to control them with alternative therapies. He is now comfortable and working happily in his practice.
Lowell Weiner DDS, FAGD, is a biological dentist at National Integrated Health Associates, an integrative medicine and dental center serving the Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia metro area.
