Can Root Canals Cause Breast Cancer?
May 13, 2009 by Dr. Marvin
Filed under Articles, Dr. Marvin's Blog, News, Root Canal Controversy
For over 100 years, dentists have been performing root canal therapy: the practice of drilling out the canals of a dead tooth to remove bacteria and “save” the tooth.
But by attempting to save a dead tooth, have dentists been causing breast cancer?
Click to Download the complete report!
Some scientific research says yes.
“Dr. Thomas Rau, who runs the Paracelsus Clinic (cancer clinic since 1958) in Switzerland recently checked the records of the last 150 breast cancer patients treated in his clinic. He found that 147 of them (98%) had one or more root canal teeth on the same meridian as the original breast cancer tumor. His clinic has a biological dentist section where all cancer patients, on reporting in, have their mouth cleaned up first — especially all root canal teeth removed.?There are about 24 million root canals done in the U.S. alone every year. They were proven deadly disease agents in 1925 in a study by Dr. Weston Price and 60 prominent researchers. That study has been suppressed ever since by the ADA and the American Association of Endodontists (AAE).”
(The Independent Cancer Research Foundation,
http://www.new-cancer-treatments.org/Articles/RootCanals.html)
100% of the breast cancer patients involved in the study had root canals, or other infections, on the same acupuncture meridian. (Click Here to Discover the Meridian Tooth Chart.)
When a root canal is performed, the dentist attempts to remove all bacteria and fill the canal with foreign substance to stop bacteria from re-entering the tooth. However, due to the shape of your tooth canal, it is 100% impossible to remove all bacteria and completely fill the canal. What you end up with is a partially filled tooth canal that is actively growing and hiding bacteria.
Root canals are a safe haven for microbes and bacteria. When the canal is filled, it eliminates blood flow to the tooth, prohibiting your immune system from killing off the microbes and bacteria that remain in the tooth canal.
These microbes originate in the same biological locations that cancer cells form.
Microbes, bacteria, and other toxins from inside the tooth can leak from inside the tooth and into your body, causing infections and other health problems, including cancer.
Despite the fact that root canals have been directly linked to cancer through multiple research studies, the results have never been published by the ADA.
For more information about the dangers of Root Canals and the link between root canal therapy and breast cancer, please download our breast cancer and root canal information flier: Breast Cancer and Root Canals.
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Hi, Have just listened to your video on root canals. Very interesting. I am 55 and for the past 30 years i have been feeling very unwell, but nobody including physciatrists new what was wrong. To cut a long story short i am working with a chinese and holistic practioner. I have had all mercury removed, but still have a metal crown in mid lower left jaw. Next to this crown is a tooth which is always inflammed and so is the gum. Dont know if this is the metal crown that i am allergic too. I know i have a few more root canals, one in particular is upper right jaw 5th back. Had the mercury and metal crown removed only a few months ago. Seemed fine until a few weeks ago and has started hurting me. I know i have a root canal under this. I am currently being treated for lymphatic blockage and practioner has said that he queries all the toxins from my teeth blocking my system. I no sooner go for treatment and then it blocks up again. My holistic practioner has said that it will be my root canals that are causing the problem. i contracted an underactive thyroid by her after many years of being undiagonosed. I am not metabolising the thyroid tablets. Could this also be due to the root canals.
I would appreciate your views on this. Keep up the good work. I know there are many people suffering unnecesarily we are not told about any hazards inthe mouth. It is frightening.
Many thanks
Laurianne Peake
Laurianne,
I understand how you feel. Many people have had the same or similar reactions to dentistry. Unfortunately, holistic dentistry is not a sure thing. What we do is educate our patients on removing all toxins in the mouth, including all metals and root canals. If those issues are resolved, then you MAY be on your way toward solving the other issues as they MAY be related. Our bodies are too complex to show definite “A causes B” relationships.
My recommendation is to remove ALL toxins from your mouth. If things get better, then great. If not, then at least you removed more toxins from your body. Be careful with dentistry… it is important but dentistry is very traditional. It IS frightening.
Thanks for the question.
Dr. Marvin
I found out last night about the root canal/breast cancer connection and I am very concerned! I am 21 and was told I NEEDED to have three root canals done when I was around 15. I had two done but got so sick of the time and pain it took that I never got the third root canal. After reading about all the evidence it sickens me that dentists still practice this method. Money above life? How dare they! If you could please refer me to a dentist that will remove my root canals and other metals in my mouth, I am too scared to call a regular dentist just so that he can tell me I am being paranoid. Thank you for posting this page!
Samantha
Also I live in the Phoenix AZ area or else I would come to the Encinitas office right away.
Hi Samantha, try checking out the IAOMT (http://iaomt.org/patients/results.aspx?stateProv=Arizona). They are a great resource to find natural dentists.
Good luck!
Dr. Marvin
My dentist told me I need 3 root canals but after I read about root canal can cause breast cancer it really worry me, I just want to ask if I don’t do root canal what can I do ?? Thanks a lot
Sharon
Sharon, breast cancer is just one of many health problems that have been linked to root canals. While having a root canal is certainly not a guarantee you’ll get breast cancer, scientists have discovered that the bacteria that can form in the root of a tooth that has been treated by root canal therapy could lead to breast cancer. As for your question, the safest alternative to a root canal is to have the dead teeth extracted and replaced with a bridge or other alternative. I would recommend you speak with a natural or holistic dentist in your area (you can search the IAOMT website (http://iaomt.org/international/index.aspx) for a local dentist to suit your needs) who can provide specific alternatives based on your particular case.
Good luck!
Dr. Marvin
I would like to know where can i get metal-free dental implants around GA?? I know now the danger of root canal treatment, however, I have a lots of troubled teeth and it is hurt breaking to even think about getting all my bad teeth pulled out and wear denture at age of 30…
If anybody know a dentist who can perform metal free implants, please help me!!
[quote]When the canal is filled, it eliminates blood flow to the tooth, prohibiting your immune system from killing off the microbes and bacteria that remain in the tooth canal.[/quote]
If there is no blood supply, then there is no ‘food’ source for the bacteria, and they would die. How can you justify this? You are basing the entire argument on ONE study done in 1958, and ignoring the HUNDREDS of studies done since then that PROVE its not true. Stop spreading lies and do your homework.
Root canals do NOT cause cancer. Its the other way around. The things that cause CANCER CAUSES ROOT CANAL therapy to be needed! The cancer comes first, the root canal problem comes second.
While I agree with you on this point: “When a root canal is performed, the dentist attempts to remove all bacteria and fill the canal with foreign substance to stop bacteria from re-entering the tooth. However, due to the shape of your tooth canal, it is 100% impossible to remove all bacteria and completely fill the canal. What you end up with is a partially filled tooth canal that is actively growing and hiding bacteria.”
You still haven’t convinced me that an endodontically treated tooth (root canal) can cause cancer. Your evidence is anecdotal at best, and outright misleading at worst. Where are your double-blind studies? How many other conditions (if any) did the 150 patients share? Did they all live in the same city? (environmental factors) Did they all drive vehicles? (pollutant factors) Did they all smoke? (a known carcinogen) Did they all eat red meat? (another known carcinogen) Did they all have children? (hormonal correlations)
How was the overall dental hygiene of the 150 patients? There is a known correlation between gingivitis and cancer, and yet 98% of the general public has some form of gingivitis. Coincidence that 98% had root canals and 98% have gingivitis?
Is it possible that the cancer cells had metastasized to a tooth, and therefore led to the need for endodontia? Is it not possible that the root canal was the result of the cancer, and not the other way around?
Again, I agree that “Root canals” are far from perfect, but you have shown no true evidence that they cause cancer, and to state that they do is in direct violation of multiple medical ethical and legal guidelines. I find it hard to trust a doctor who would act in so callous a manner.
I appreciate your comment, especially since you are attempting to confirm the correlation between Root Canals and Cancer (albeit a reverse correlation). Unfortunately, your argument has some holes in it that I would like to shore up. For one, you argue that I am only quoting one study that was done in 1958. In fact, what I said was that Dr. Rau’s world renowned cancer clinic (the Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland) has been open since 1958. Dr. Rau followed up on (and confirmed the findings of) studies first done by Dr. Weston Price and Dr. George Meinig pertaining to the relationship between root canals and cancers. Several studies have been done, as a quick Google search would show. On the other hand, you mention hundreds of studies proving that Root Canals are completely safe, yet mention none of those studies. If you have a study or two that disprove the relationship between cancer and root canals, please let me know so I can check it out.
Second, while it is true that bacteria can live on blood, it is not necessary for all bacteria. A nutrient source is all that is needed for bacteria to survive, and the dentinal tubules (which are not all sealed during a root canal), often provide more than enough nutrients. Anaerobic bacteria can survive without air. Bacteria can change forms. Some environments are better for some bacteria, while others thrive in a completely different environment. The fact remains that Endodontists confirm that it is impossible to completely disinfect 100% of the tooth before filling it for the root canal, which means that bacteria (and nutrients) remain in the tooth after it has been sealed up.
We consider all options for our patients, but the fact remains that a dead tooth should not be left in the mouth. If your finger became badly infected and died, you wouldn’t fill the finger with plastic and leave it on your hand. The finger would be amputated. However, people routinely do exactly that when they treat a tooth with a root canal. These aren’t lies, these are plain facts. Just because a procedure has been done for hundreds of years doesn’t mean it’s a safe procedure. Will every root canaled tooth cause cancer? Certainly not. Just like everyone who uses a tanning bed won’t get Melanoma. But there are risks associated and people have a right to know that there are risks involved with any medical procedure and what those risks are. By not informing people of the risks, dentists and doctors aren’t allowing patients to make educated decisions for themselves. There are alternatives to root canals that are safer options. People may still elect to have root canals, and that is their choice. Unfortunately, most patients are never told of the risks associated with any dental procedures, let alone root canals. Yes, a root canal will allow you to keep a dead tooth in your mouth. If that benefit outweighs the risks, then go for it. But suppressing information about the risks of medical procedures is unethical. Information and education allow us to make decisions that are the best for us in the short and long term.
“Is it possible that the cancer cells had metastasized to a tooth, and therefore led to the need for endodontia? Is it not possible that the root canal was the result of the cancer, and not the other way around?”
Yes, it is possible. Many things are possible. It’s also possible for correlations to work both ways. You are also right about the lack of a double-blind study. And unfortunately, it’s not possible to conduct such a study. That’s on problem with our medical system: we rely on studies that are impossible or nearly impossible to complete. For instance, you accept as fact that gingivitis can cause cancer. Why? What perfect studies convinced you? We understand that many things can cause cancer and we aren’t saying that all patients with root canals will get cancer, merely that root canals have been shown to have a correlation to cancer. We want to create awareness of the link, as the studies that have been done over the years shown a strong enough relationship that patients deserve to have that information.
It’s similar to any other “cancer-causing” substance: anecdotal evidence suggests a strong link between a substance and cancer. Public awareness is raised because when it comes to cancer, most of us would rather know that items have the potential to be harmful (and that tests performed show that potential) BEFORE we use it. Think BPA: it was in every water bottle and baby bottle on the market. A test was run in Canada that showed a potential correlation between BPA and cancer. Rather than wait for perfect tests to be run, BPA was removed from such bottles based on the evidence at hand. Remember the asbestos scare? For years there wasn’t a perfect enough test to justify the removal of asbestos from public places. They waited rather than acting on the tests that had been done. Turns out acting on those initial tests would have been beneficial to a great deal of the population.
What we are doing is far from unethical: we present all the options to our patients. Is it ethical to tell a patient that a treatment is “perfectly safe” when there is research — however imperfect — that shows otherwise? I would call that practice “in direct violation of multiple medical ethical and legal guidelines,” yet that’s what the majority of people are doing. We are providing the information that is available to patients who can’t get the full story elsewhere. Do we insist all patients have root canals removed? Absolutely not. That is the decision of the patient. Do we have patients that see an endodontist after they see us? Yes. However, rather than accept the doctor’s word on blind faith, they are able to make an informed decision based on the body of evidence.
We both agree that root canals are not perfectly safe. Unfortunately, no medical or dental procedures are “completely safe”… errors and problems could always arise. I think we also agree that information and education are paramount to making an informed decision. Will every root canal patient get cancer? Of course not! Just like not everyone who smokes cigarettes will get cancer. Does that possibility exist? The evidence suggests it does. If you wish to ignore that evidence and only believe perfect double-blind studies that fit your criteria, then by all means, that is your choice. At least you till had the choice to ignore the other evidence… most people are never made aware that such evidence even exists.
Two quick follow-up questions:Anonymous: I am serious about the "HUNDREDS of studies done since then that PROVE its not true" that you mention. If you have some, would you please send them to me? You can either post them here for everyone to read of send them using the contact link on our website. I would like to look them over and will gladly write a post about them or add them to this post. I do believe that information is powerful and have no problem posting both sides of the argument.
Skeptic in Cleveland: I just re-read your comment. You say that you still aren't convinced "that an endodontically treated tooth (root canal) can cause cancer." That's fair enough. You can choose to believe whatever you'd like. But are you arguing that it's impossible for a root canal to cause cancer? That's a very strong statement. If that is the case, do you have the studies you asked of me to back up your claim (double-blind studies taking into account environmental factors, other carcinogens, hormonal correlations, etc.)? If you do, can you please send them to us so I can read them and post them on our site for everyone to read? They would be tremendously helpful.
I don't claim that root canals always cause cancer. They MAY cause cancer based on studies done that show the correlation (and I mention the particular studies throughout our website). Just as many other carcinogens MAY cause cancer... but we accept such information as fact on a routine basis, despite the lack of the perfect studies you mention. It's difficult to prove absolutes in medicine. It's a science with theories based on anecdotal evidence that is studied over time to discover correlations and then adjusted as new information becomes available. To say anything always or never, can or can't cause something is a bold, difficult to prove, proposition.