Root canal extraction...
 

Hi Bryanna,

I had my second and only root canal extracted yesterday by an oral surgeon here. It had started to pain as I had written in my earlier thread. There was an abscess also. I told the surgeon that I wanted the periodontal ligament to be removed and also diseased tissue and bone if any. He did scrape out something with a curette and irrigated with saline simultaneously and then put stitches which will be removed after 7 days. The rest is in God's hands.

He prescribed me Cephalexin 500 mg for 5 days. My question - is Cephalexin sufficient or correct for a root canal infection ? If not what other antibiotic could have been given along with Cephalexin 500mg ? Can I take metronidazole 400 mg thrice a day for 5 days ?

Regards,
Amit.

Hi Amit,

Cephalexin is an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections of various areas of the body including the oral cavity. So yes, it is used for oral infections such as yours. I would take what he prescribed and not change that unless you have specific reasons to do so.

Take good care of yourself and I hope your healing is uneventful.

Bryanna

Bryanna,

Ideally after how many days should the stitches be removed ? The stitches are not self dissolving sutures.He has put normal stitches.

Regards,
Amit.

Amit,

Generally non absorbable sutures are removed 7-10 day post op the extraction. Some circumstances require them to be in a bit longer. What did the oral surgeon recommend in your case?

How are you feeling??

Bryanna

Bryanna,

I have some pain at the extraction site as it is healing. What I am worried about is the infection as it heals. The food particles get clogged in there and also in the sutures. So I just had the doubt if sutures themselves might cause an infection.

I use a chlorhexidine mouthwash dilluted after meals. But they cause brown staining I have read. What else can I do to prevent an infection.

Regards,
Amit.

Bryanna,

Also can I use Betadine gargle instead of chlorhexidine . If yes for how many days maximum ? I asked my dentist he said you may use either use chlorhexidine or betadine. Which one is good ? And for how many days can it be used ? He also asked to do warm salt water rinses. Can you tell me when should I do each of these. ? I mean betadine after meals and salt water rinse after breakfast or how ? Can you explain more.

Also the stitches were put by an oral surgeon. It will be removed by a dentist. Is this OK ? Because the surgeon will be out of town.

Amit.

Hi Amit,

My personal preference as far as rinsing goes is to use warm salt water only. The reason being is that salt is the most natural and powerful antiseptic on the planet, it is therapeutic to the oral tissue, won't stain your teeth and I personally avoid using chemicals as much as possible. At this stage of the post op you can start to rinse more aggressively meaning you can swish the rinse a bit harder than just sloshing it around in your mouth. That will help reduce the bacteria in the debris that gets stuck to the sutures.

It is fine for the general dentist to remove your sutures. If you feel that the site is not healing well or are concerned about an infection inside of the socket, you can have the dentist take one xray of that area. It is way too early for new bone to have formed and be evident on the xray but a blatant infection would be apparent on the xay.

A little pain or soreness is normal for the first week or so after an infected tooth is removed. Signs of a problem are onset of intense pain several days after the extraction, late swelling, fever, swollen glands.. things like that.

Bryanna

Bryanna,

My dentist removed sutures yesterday. He said it has healed fine. Today morning,I tried to eat an apple and it pressed upon the extracted tooth site and started bleeding. I took a cotton swab put some Betadine gargle on it and placed there. The bleeding stopped and the clot formed again. I was quite frightened. I shouldn't have eaten an apple. I removed the cotton swab after 45 min , then drank water and ate ice cream to help it clot nicely just after an extraction..
I showed the dentist today evening and he said it is fine and asked me to eat only soft food.
The question that is worrying me is 'Is betadine safe as I used it ? It contains iodine. It must have gone in my stomach as I drank water. Iodine is toxic. My dentist has also asked me to do Betadine gargle 4 times a day for next 7 days.

Is it poisonous ? I dont know what to do. Please help. I am so worried.

-Amit.

Amit,

Iodine is toxic when too much is ingested. With that said, it is not something to just drink or use foolishly. Iodine can also be problematic for some people with thyroid disease.

Why is your dentist recommending betadine rinses?

Unless there is a specific reason to use betadine, the most therapeutic rinse is warm salt water. It is a natural disinfectant, antiseptic, non irritating, non staining and no chemicals to worry about ingesting.

The bleeding that occurred when you ate the apple was not really clot related as the clot had already formed and did it's job. So the bleeding was due to the chewing of the apple as it caused irritation on the raw surgical site. So it is best to refrain from chewing on that site until the gum tissue closes over. Eating a nutritious soft food diet is ideal again until the gum closes over.

Try to relax, you are doing okay :)
Bryanna

Bryanna,

I am feeling OK now. I have now two premolars removed on my lower left jawbone and one premolar on the upper left.

What is the best option to replace them in future ? I am doing some research on implants etc.

I really fear implants as I have read even they carry health risks. I have read that Titanium when embedded into the bone causes something called as galvanisation. It may also cause autoimmune disease or exacerbate an already existing one.
Also I have read that during the process of fixing titanium implants there is a small risk of alveolar nerve damage which may be permanent and extremely traumatic and painful. I know there are Ceraroot fully metal free Zirconia
implants but my dentist here said they carry fracture risk. Also they are way expensive. The dentist here says Titanium is good because it osseointegrates nicely into the bone. I really dont know who to believe.

So what other option do I have other than an implant. I really fear something embedded into the bone as per my internet search,all biological dentists say implants carry serious health risks.

Is there an option where nothing is embedded into the bone?

Regards,
Amit.

Amit,

The other replacement options other than dental implants are removable partial dentures or permanent bridges. Removable partials are an appliance that replaces missing teeth and you take it out to clean and sleep. Permanent bridges require the an adjacent tooth on each side of the missing tooth/teeth to be shaved down so the connecting crowns can b put ont them. Those crowns are adhered to a fake tooth/teeth (pontics) that fill the empty space where the real tooth use to be. This bridge gets permanently cemented onto the adjacent crowned teeth.

Bryanna

Hi Bryanna,

I am feeling million times better after having my root canal removed. I hope there isn't any infection left. I always have the cavitation fear lurking in my sub conscious mind. Only time will tell. I spoke with two dentists here in Mumbai. Both are educated in the USA and very renowned. They said we aren't aware of anything called as a cavitation. That is your figment of imagination. Something like a cavitation doesn't exist. They denied its existence. There is nothing like this in the dental text books, they said. I was surprised. Moreover,they said root canals are ABSOLUTELY 100% SAFE ,EFFECTIVE and last for life. That is what they have been taught in dental schools.

I read in most of the threads you have replied that a ROOT CANAL IS ALWAYS INFECTED not just when one sees an abscess below it on an OPG.That is the final stage. If this is the case,the whole purpose of doing a root canal is defeated as a root canal is done to actually remove an infected pulp and save tooth.I still wonder how can ADA allow root canals ? ADA should start thinking about overall health of people and think beyond just money. Those people who have systemic diseases will pass them on
to their children and one fine day,everyone will have a systemic disease in his genes at birth. Almost 75% of problems on this forum are related to root canals. ADA should stop thinking about money and think what is good for people. They should ban RCs affront at the earliest if possible today. Endodontists are PRODUCING newer diseases via root canals for which medical science has no answer. When will the ADA understand this.

If you take my case, I had severe neuralgia,depression,headache because of my root canals and a host of other problems. I visited all possible doctors - a neurologist,a haematologist, a psychiatrist ,ENT specialist and many others one can think of. I did MRIs,PET/CT scan,no of blood tests on their recommendation. I got my eyes checked for any optic nerve problem and what not. Nobody could tell why I was feeling sick. It WAS ALL BECAUSE OF THE ROOT CANALS. I diagnosed it myself :D:D. My endodontists here even now refuse to accept root canal can cause all this. They say root canals are as safe as natural healthy teeth.

Removing root canals may save your life - I can say definitely.

The goal of ADA should be to educate people to prevent cavities in the first place. I am not an expert.I am just putting my views. I have the feeling dentists actually want people to have their teeth decayed forever as that is how they would be able to make a living.

Also I have a doubt in my mind. You mentioned bridges require teeth on either side to be shaped so that crowns fit on them. In that process,the enamel of those teeth may have to be scraped and the dentin might get exposed. Is this safe ? It might infect those teeth and make the situation even worse in the long run. To fill one tooth,one might eventually loose 2 teeth.


Regards,
Amit.

I'm sure many people looking for help online probably do have some sort of infection or issue due to RC's.
But there are very many people in the world that have RC's and have no problems..
It is just the roll of the dice like so many things in life.

Hi Jo*mar,

The vast majority of the people who have no issues with RCs would never ever think in their wildest dreams that whatever issues they have
are because of root canals. Because those innocent people have been told by their dentists that root canals are 100% safe,effective and
last for a lifetime. And unfortunately they would believe their dentist because he is considered to be an authority on the subject.

Just like in my case,they must be groping in the dark with other medical specialists to see if they can diagnose anything to relieve them of thier sickness. The problem lies just below their nose. This is the bitter truth.

The dentists that I spoke to here told me that I have gone insane and that I need psychiatric help. The problem lies in your head,they said.

Even asymptomatic root canals are as dangerous as those that seem to be infected. I read this only yesterday. In fact,as per Weston Price's research over a century ago, contrary to conventional wisdom, an abscess is a sign that the body is launching a huge fight against the toxins. He surprisingly found the abscess in root canals to be almost sterile. As per him, it is the body's attempt to isolate the source of toxins which is the root canal. As per his research (I am not saying this) ,he examined the periapical
region of those who did not have any abscess or symptoms below the root canal. In 100% of the cases, he found it to be infected with all types of bacteria.

I also visited Dr Mercola's and Hal Huggins's views and and they say asymptomatic root canals may be more dangerous because one may feel there are no issues with the root canals.


Regards,
Amit.

Hi Amit,

It is very unfortunate when dealing with a health crisis to repetitively find yourself in a quandary of dishonesty and incompetence. Whether it be dental and/or medical related, it is still an awful predicament to be in. You have repetitively found the courage to push through the adversaries and just kept focused on gathering knowledge from honest and reputable sources. Paying attention to your intuition, being mindful of your physical symptoms and connecting it all with your new knowledge is what it took to get the cooperation that you needed to move forward. I truly commend you for your tenacity and courage.

I am so glad that you are feeling better and hopefully you will continue to improve and become symptom free!

Regarding cavitations.... all dental schools educate their students on jaw bone infections including cavitations. However, some dental schools put more emphasis on restorative dentistry and less on jaw bone infections. When a student completes the basic 4 year program and continues their study of oral surgery, this is when the education changes and delves deeper into pathology.

Cavitations can form in any bone in the body and they not only occur from infection but from trauma or certain medications that disturb the natural balance of bone breakdown called osteoclastic resorption while enhancing the building of bone called osteoblastic formation.

For instance if a tooth is extracted too aggressively and the integrity of the jaw bone is unnecessarily compromised to the point that new bone is unable to grow properly, a cavitation can occur. Another example would be an accidental injury to the mouth, teeth or jaw bone resulting in the same situation as I mentioned above. Pharmaceutical drugs in the Bisphosphonate family that are given to people to prevent or reduce generalized bone loss can ultimately cause injured, traumatized or infected bone to not heal properly which can lead to osteonecrosis of the bone or cavitation.

There is a ton of information online about bone cavitations. But here is just a glimpse for those who are doubtful that they exist.........
http://maxillofacialcenter.com/NICOcause.html

Also, dental students are taught how to perform a root canal procedure and included in those teachings are the biology and pathology associated with the risks of keeping non vital teeth. The notion that root canaled teeth are healthy and will remain healthy for a lifetime without harmful systemic consequences is not a part of their curriculum. That misinformation stems from the commonly shared marketing strategies amongst the profession and its governing bodies to keep this procedure as one of the most lucrative procedures in the profession.

In a perfect world, our dentists and doctors would be like saints and very devoted to their patients well being. However, we do not have a ‘health care’ system at all. Instead we have a disease management system that is deeply dysfunctional and getting more so by the day.

I will reply to your replacement option questions in a separate note.

Bryanna

Hi Jo*mar,

Rolling the dice indicates that one is taking a chance and ironically that couldn't be any more true when it comes to root canaled teeth. However, the fact that endodontics is not being marketed as "taking a chance" unfortunately leaves the impression that all is well.

Yes, there are many people all over the world who have root canaled teeth and think they are well. Just as there are many people all over the world who smoke and think they are fine too. Many people live with diseases unbeknown to them until something goes terribly wrong or until their autopsy diagnoses their cause of death.

Taking chances in life is a personal choice and we all do it. Perhaps when it comes to health related procedures like root canal therapy, it would be beneficial to be informed that we were rolling the dice before we consented to doing it.

Bryanna

Right here is the worst cases of root canal disasters.
http://www.dentalwatch.org/questiona.../overview.html
ADA and FDA do not promote use of this but obviously it didn't matter to some dentists!

Hi,

I beg to differ in your comments. The outcome of Root canals are not a roll of the dice.

Accidents are a roll of the dice. Accidental fire in a building could be a roll of dice.NOT root canals.

I am sure ADA is very well aware of the harmful effects of root canals.

Till date ,there has been NOT a single comprehensive and thorough systematic study on the effects of root canals or dental procedures on the other parts/organs of the body. Such a study would take time duration of something between 10-15 years at least. If such a study is done, I am more than 100% sure, it will expose how dangerous dental procedures are,not just root canals. ADA is very well aware of this. They fear the dental profession itself might be in danger. The truth is they DONT INTEND to do any
such study. ADA just says root canals are safe, implants are safe, bridges are safe. There is no study or research. If such a study is done,there would be startling observations - I can assure you this for sure.

Another reason - if the root canal dangers are exposed by any study and they have to be banned, there may be lawsuits running into billions of dollars. So they say lets continue with what exists.

Dr Mercola says ROOT CANALS ARE EXTREMELY TOXIC. Hal Huggins says IF ROOT CANALS ARE DEADLY,IMPLANTS ARE A THOUSAND TIMES DEADLY.

Here is a link about Dr Huggins - http://www.rense.com/general96/legend.html

If somebody tries to expose the dangers of the dental procedures, his license is revoked and he is ostracized,vilified. This is like a deterrent to others who might want to do something similar or speak about it.

Take the case of mercury fillings. They have been in use for over 150 years. I can just imagine how many millions or even billions of lives must have been ruined by this neurotoxin . It is million times more toxic than Botulism and it is the most harmful known non radioactive neurotoxin. I dont know
if they have been banned in the USA. In India, millions of mercury fillings are done daily even now. It is not banned here because they are following the ADA blindly. People here are not even aware it is toxic. They think it is safe because the dentist (whom they consider an authority) is doing it.

Root canals are not a solution. They are actually a much bigger problem than what they have been used for - to save the tooth. If only the ADA could understand this.

With two root canals,I have experienced a very bad phase in my life. I have read people having had as many as eleven to fifteen root canals. It is not rolling the dice or taking chances, it is nothing less than an UNINTENTIONAL suicide. A person with eleven root canals will have all his organs damaged within no time. He is almost certain to have debilitating serious life long diseases.

I know this is a never ending discussion and nothing will come out of this.

Regards,
Amit.

I'm not saying the conservative ADA view is 100% correct. Certainly not.

I'm quite sceptical overall of the old school medical standard of care and the slow movement of many MDs to accept new alternative & complimentary care.:(

Mostly here I have an issue with a blanket statement that "every RC is infected".
Or perhaps they are , but not everyone has problems from it.



We can all have our own opinions as long as we post them respectfully.:)

Amit, Do you know what was used in your root canals? there is known scientific research about certain endodontic preparations.....

*©
2013, American Association of Endodontists, *

Cleo,

Every root canal procedure utilizes toxic chemicals to disinfect and fill the interior of the tooth. Sargenti is just one of those chemicals and those that still utilize it, do not readily inform their patients of that. Even if the dentist did mention it to the patient, chances are the patient would not have a clue of what he was talking. The toxicities associated with root canaled teeth does not just occur from the chemicals used. It also comes from the various species of bacteria that set up house inside of the tiny canals which easily proliferates beyond the tooth taking the toxic disinfectant with it.

Bryanna

Hi,

My dentist has not used any Sargenti paste. He has used normal high quality materials only.

What dentists dont want people to know is that the tooth is 2/3 rds of dentin.

It is IMPOSSIBLE to disinfect and block the dentinal tubules and the miles of nerves therein from the bacteria no matter how hard you try. Even if the root canal is done under microscope ,it is still impossible. No matter how many sealants are used or how nicely the RC is irrigated with sodium hypochlorite or any material, one can never disinfect the dentinal tubules. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to block the bacteria from entering there. They are so microscopic they can penetrate thru practically anything - smallest pore imaginable. The nerves there are decayed by the bacteria causing necrosis. They continue to flourish there and slowly make their way downwards. They then infect the ligament. When a person bites ,with every bite the bacteria are thrown into the blood stream from the ligament.

They travel through the blood to various organs. They attach to cells and travel in the body. The person's immune system thinks these bacteria attached to normal body cells as something alien and starts attacking own body cells. This is how one gets auto immune disease. Some bacteria prefer the lungs to thrive,some prefer the heart ,some the liver ,some the nerves and others the kidney. This is called chemotaxis or something. I am not sure about the word. As the disease progresses, the functioning of the organs is affected eventually causing other diseases.

Which is why a root canal is actually a failure. Dentists dont want their patients to know all this.They would be happy if people are kept in the dark and remain ignorant. If a root canal appears to be a success, it is only because of the GOOD CLEVER distinguishing immunity of the person and not
because the root canal has been done meticulously. Root canal is always infected and so is always a failure. It is the person's immunity that makes it a success and not the root canal procedure by itself.

-Amit.

Amit,

You have been doing some great research!! You are so on the money with your information about the bacteria from root canaled teeth causing or contributing to a systemic, even auto immune reaction! A persons good immune health can make a difference as to progressive the bacteria may travel, at least at the onset. However, the health of their immune system can change from the plethora of bacterias and toxins they are exposed to not just from their root canaled teeth but from everything else they are exposed to on a daily basis. This change in health status is referred to as the cumulative effect in which the assorted toxins accumulate in the body rather than dissipate. This is why someone can easily think their health problems are not related to their teeth because their physical symptoms may be elsewhere in their body and the correlation in not being diagnosed.

For whoever is following along with this thread......
I believe Chemotaxis was the correct word Amit was looking for and it is basically the movement of white blood cells such as Neutrophils or Macrophages by way of a chemical reaction. So for instance if we placed these white blood cells, which are immune cells that fight infection, in a pool of good bacteria nothing would happen. But put those same cells in a pool of bad bacteria and through a natural chemical reaction the cells start to eat the bacteria. That reaction works great when the infection is minor or acute, can be remedied by medication or can be surgically removed. However, the reaction becomes boundless and exhausting to the immune system when the infection stays chronic and progressive.

Thank you Amit for sharing your personal journey and for sharing all of your wise postings. I know some people are reading them and thinking.... what the heck is she talking about! But there are others who are reading them and saying.... yup, that's me!

Bryanna

Hi Bryanna,

Another problem is the Gutta percha shrinks over time making it even more easier for the bacteria to migrate to the bottom. When I had abscess on my root canaled tooth over a year ago, the dentist here prescribed me Augmentin 625 twice a day and Metronidazole 200 mg thrice a day for 5 days.He said this will clear out the abscess. These antibiotics are extremely harsh on the gut.The side effects were more unbearable than the original abscess. I had severe headache while taking these antibiotics.
I had mild colitis for 10 days after stopping these antibiotics.

Antibiotics are not the solution.They are a bigger problem in this case. Antibiotics may kill the bacteria in your body temporarily where there is a blood supply but what about those inside the dentinal tubules,ligament and the bone. The immune system cannot reach there because the blood supply (pulp) has already been removed. They will continue to multiply in their safe haven and come again in your blood stream. Actually bacteria will develop resistance to antibiotics this way.

As you said the bacteria themselves are a problem but the extremely potent toxins that they generate and lodge inside your body are even more deadly. Over time,those toxins will make you sick.

I am not a dentist or from any medical profession. I am an electronics engineer and have been a software programmer by profession for
the last 17 years. I do development programming and testing on IBM Z/OS mainframe technologies like COBOL,DB2, CICS,IMS-DB /DC,ASSEMBLER.
Also on Java,J2EE and other technologies. I am IBM certified DB2 (RDBMS) associate.

My problems with root canals compelled me to do this internet search. I have been doing this for last year or so.

Regards,
Amit.

I'm glad to hear you know what was used during your root canal and it was not the cause of your neuralgia.

*admin edit* I'm reposting in hopes that this fixes the problem since this is information that is crucial and needs to be known.



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http://www.dentalwatch.org/questiona.../overview.html


[4] AAE Position statement concerning paraformaldehyde-containing endodontic filling materials and sealers. Chicago: AAE, 1991, 1998, 2015.

Hi,

In India, there is an age old medicinal system called the ayurveda. It is 5000 years old written in Sanskrit. It uses only natural herbs and natural eatables nothing else to cure all diseases including cancer. No chemicals,no artificial materials. But it calls for due diligence to cure a disease. There are strict diet restrictions. It can cure even diabetes completely . It takes 18 months to cure it. One should not eat any sugars or any sugary foods during that period. Complete abstinence is required.

Ayurveda says in order to prevent tooth decay ,proper diet is important. One should eat almost zero sugars. The only eatables allowed in Ayurveda are natural vegetables,fruits and cow milk. If you eat only this,you will never get a cavity even at the age of 80. This is just what Weston Price said. He examined the diets of people who had almost no cavities. They ate only raw vegetables, some fruits and ocassionally maple and honey. This is exactly what Ayurveda says. All white breads, soft drinks,burgers,pizzas,cookies,sugary and processed food are the root cause of cavities. Cavities are prevented by the correct diet and not by some fluoride toothpaste. This is exactly what Weston Price concluded after his 40 year research. He advocated raw milk (as in ayurveda) and not pasteurised milk.

In India ,those who follow Ayurvedic diet have not had a single cavity in their entire lifetime. It is difficult to believe this. There are many such people in India even now. My grandmother never saw a dentist or an allopathic doctor in her lifetime. She lived for 92 years.

Cavities were rare in India till 100 years ago. With the advent of westernisation and western diet which consists of mainly processed food in India ,even Indians have started developing dental cavities in large numbers.

ADA should ask people to correct their diet. It never asks people to do this.

The Sushruta Samhita in Ayurveda says once the tooth decays the only natural and safe way out is extraction - nothing else.

One more thing Ayurveda prescribes is Oil pulling. It is called Kavala and Gandusha (two types ) to keep your mouth clean. It is being practised in India since time immemorial. The correct oil to use is Irimedadi oil but it is expensive .So people use sesame or coconut oil.

-Amit.