The benefit of root canal therapy, is to preserve teeth whose vital tissues are diseased. 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. However there are concerns being raised today about the potential negative influences associated with non-vital teeth that are being retained. The concerns center around the potential for teeth to become toxic, and a source of disturbance within the body.
The potential for a non-vital tooth to be an agent in the
development of disease was first discovered by Dr. Weston Price in the 1930's 's.
His research involved the placement of extracted teeth that were infected under the skin
of rabbits. He found that:
Dead 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.
Bio-energy testing ( kinesiology / electro-acupuncture ) reveals that some root canal teeth are reactive in some patients. The issue appears to be complex. Is the problem caused by root canal treatment, as some have suggested , or is it due to contaminants introduced into a tooth by the disease process that are not eliminated by root canal treatment ? I think it is the latter, however there are cases where the patient can have a reaction to materials used to disinfect and or fill the root canal.
Dead teeth and teeth with degenerated pulp tissues that have not yet been treated with root canal therapy always demonstrate evidence of causing a 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.
There are times when the root canal treatment itself may be the cause of the toxicity of the tooth. It had been common practice to use toxic chemicals (cresatin, formocresol) for disinfection of diseased teeth. Though this practice has gradually declined it is still used by some. 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.
What Influences are seen with dead teeth- whether treated by root canal treatment or not?
When performing bioenergy 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.
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. See the web site of ALT Corp for more information
MY VIEW: In the author's experience most root canal treated teeth appear to be without negative influence. Root canal therapy properly performed with materials that are biocompatible for the individual is 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....).
Each Root Canal
Tooth should be tested individually
for the presence of a focal disturbance !