Ozone Therapy as Treatment in Dentistry
In the past few months we have received several questions about ozone therapy for dental problems. A few patients have even installed ozonators in their homes to help with various medical conditions.
While I can’t speak of ozone in other medical fields, ozone therapy in dentistry is coming of age. It is used to disinfect teeth with cavities and is used to disinfect the root canal prior to filling it. While there is promising research to suggest it works, the difficult question is how long will the tooth or root canal stay disinfected.
Ozone treatment for cavities: There are currently three ozone machines that can disinfect tooth decay beneath the enamel. Certain protocols call for two or three one minute applications to kill the bacteria. Heavy remineralization therapy is also recommended.
Ozone treatment for root canal therapy and disinfection: The same ozone machines are being used to disinfect roots after cleaning out the nerves and blood vessels. There’s a problem with this scenario however. Root canal therapy is like putting a cork on an infection. Many bacteria are persistent and can flourish in the harshest conditions, including a root canal.
Dentin in teeth are made of tubes called dentinal tubules. If you line up the tubules end to end for the average tooth, it would extend 3 miles. What that means is that we expect a disinfection procedure during root canal therapy to clean 3 miles of tubes that may contain bacteria. Studies have shown that ozone (and laser therapy in dentistry) can disinfect canals and keep them clean for about a year. But after that first year, bacteria finds a way back into the tubes. These bacteria can change from aerobic to anaerobic bacteria. Since there’s no blood flow after filling the root canal space, there’s no way for the body to fight these bacteria. They produce toxins and can release these toxins out of the root (although not through the root canal).
Also, after you fill the root canal with gutta percha or even biocalex or endocal, there’s no way of going back in to re-disinfect the tooth without “opening the tooth” once again. Who would want to have this procedure — root canal therapy — done every year?
You also have to consider what’s happening to the bacteria surrounding the tooth root and in the bone. People, including dentists, forget about the tissues surrounding the tooth, instead focusing on what they can see, the teeth. These infections are sometimes more harmful than the bugs in the dentinal tubes. The abscess or infection in the bone can get into the bloodstream and travel elsewhere. It can also cause disturbances in the meridians (causing problems in distant organs).
Ozone and laser therapy do little to help with these infections (cavitations).
The only incidence where I’d routinely use ozone or lasers for root canal therapy is when the immune system is working 100% efficiently, the tooth can’t easily be replaced, there’s no infections around the root or if it is a front tooth (central incisor). Even then, I’d still recommend an extraction for long term health reasons. (and none this speaks to the potential side-effects of ozone therapy, which are still being researched and discovered).
In summary, ozone and lasers would be good for beneath the surface cavity disinfections, but not for long term root canal disinfections. The technology is promising but if overall health is your primary goal, the avoidance of root canal therapy through prevention is the key. Or if your choice lies between root canal therapy or extraction, choose extraction.
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After extraction, a bridge or implant? Neither sound very pleasant!
Instead of titanium implants they now have zirconia. Any opinions? Thanks
Steve, I saw you posted the same question on The Alternatives to Root Canals, so I replied to your comment over there. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks.
Dr. Marvin
[...] website (we talk about Alternatives to Root Canals, Infections from Root Canals, Sargenti Paste, Ozone Therapy for Root Canals, and much more.), I want to give you some real-life examples of what we’re talking about. [...]
Hi, I am an endodontic assistant. I do not understand how you can advocate such extreme measures (ie:extraction follwed by implant/bridge) for a tooth that can be perfectly saveable with endo tx. We follow up on our pts. regulary and over many years, the vast majority of his pts. have absolutely no sign of re-abscessing( I have literally only seen 1 that needed to be extracted). I’ve always been taught that your original dentition is the BEST. I’ve often seen dental implants with major bone loss, however, they are considered successful as long as they are still in the mouth. Also most people with bridges do not care for them properly and end up with perio issues as well as bone loss. What are you thinking when you advocate such measures? I absolutely agree that prevention is BEST.
I applaud your passion Andrie. Not many assistants would stand up and challenge something they feel is wrong — especially when it comes from a doctor or other “authority figure” (and I use that term very, very lightly). It’s passion like yours that makes a difference in the world. I have that same passion, which is why I advocate the care I provide. I originally was a “traditional” dentist. I did a lot of endo. I felt the same way you did (and yes, I agree that most endodontists are better suited to do most root canal therapy than most GPs — I too have seen it first hand). That’s until I did more research into what exactly I was doing to my patients. You see, I only knew what I was taught in school and by my mentors… no one told me there was another way, so how would I have known? I, too, believed that most of the root canals never re-abscessed. My PA’s showed no signs, so why would I think otherwise? But now I use 3D Cone Beam scans, which are infinitely more detailed, and about 80% of patients who walk into our practice have an infection or abscess in a RC treated tooth. Now, granted, most patients come to me because of pain or other problems, so I’m sure the numbers are skewed slightly to the high side, but that’s what we see with advanced diagnostics. I also stopped believing that embalming a tooth is a good idea. The tooth is dead… if your finger died, would you embalm it and leave it in place? I studied the research FOR and AGAINST root canal therapy, and made my decision based on what I learned from both sides of the argument — I didn’t just accept what the industry standard told me was “right.”
I also agree with your assessment on implants and bridges. Prevention and keeping your natural teeth is far and away the best option. If everyone did their job at home, we wouldn’t be needed… and I would be completely fine with that.
I’m sure your doctor is a great endodontist. I’ve seen some beautiful endo work and it truly is amazing the skill so many endo’s have. But there is far too much research showing the negative affects of leaving a dead tooth in the mouth for me to advocate it anymore (if you want to learn more, start by watching the movie Rooted and then read “The Root Canal Cover-Up”… even if you don’t agree with what they say, you will have a stronger sense of why so many dentists are against endo and you can formulate your own opinions based on what you have learned so far and the scientific research done in the past 50+ years by doctors such as George Meinig and others. I think we still have Rooted on our website under “Why Become a Patient > Welcome New Patients”.)
Like I said before, I applaud your passion and the fact that you are challenging my beliefs and those of doctors all over the world who agree that our knowledge of how the body reacts to embalming a tooth isn’t what we believed for so long… We ALL have more to learn in everything we do… it’s when we stop seeking knowledge and accept what others tell us as fact that we will fail as a society and as a people. Keep asking questions. Keep learning. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and decades of research support those that I have formed. I think you are on the right path by questioning… it’s the first step to opening your mind and learning more, no matter what you decide for yourself.
Dr. Marvin
I have had two root canals due to cracks in molars (I was on an inhaled asthma steroid for 17 years which caused weakened bones and teeth.) If I opt to have the root canal teeth removed, are you saying they must be removed by a wholistic dentist? You emphasized that root canal extractions must be done properly. Thank you.
Susan,
Not all dentists remove root canal treated teeth properly so you need to interview the dentists and see what protocol they use to extract teeth. If they look at you weird for asking a question like that, then just politely walk away. It is just like asking a dentist if they have a protocol to remove amalgams. If they don’t have one, then you should look elsewhere.
Dr. Marvin
Mind if I share my story? At the beginning of this year, I started to lose weight for no apparent reason. I was eating the same, the lack of exercise was the same
and yet the weight started to fall of. In addition, I started to feel very ill. As time went on, my digestive system went crazy on me. I spent a lot of time in bed with nausea and cramps. I didn’t eat for days because I didn’t know how my stomach would react. I went to my primary health care doctor and he ran blood tests and had an ultrasound taken. Nothing abnormal showed up on either test. Because the doctor had no answers for me, I continued the weight loss, nausea, cramps etc.
It was then, that Dr. Kellas at the Center for Advanced Medicine suggested that I see Dr. Marvin and have my teeth checked out. Come to find out all five of my root canals were filled with infection and needed to be removed. It was a hard decision to loose five teeth, but I was so sick that I was willing to try. The day after the first three teeth were pulled, I felt 85% better! No nausea, no cramping and I was back to work. By the time the final two teeth were pulled, I was completely back to my old self.
I’m such a fan of Dr. Kellas and Dr. Marvin and his team for getting to the root cause of my illness. I now tell everyone I know to avoid root canals and to make sure they are taking good care of their teeth. I wouldn’t wish my illness upon my worst enemy!
Thanks Dr. Marvin and Team!
Tammie,
Thank you so much for your wonderful success story. Root canals are killer. I’m glad you were able to trust Dr. Kellas and I and get those teeth out.
Now you’re a believer. Tell others.
We love you!
Dr. Marvin
[...] use of holistic treatments such as ozone.Further Reading:Ozone Therapy as Treatment in Dentistry http://naturaldentistry.us/1672/ozone-therapy-as-treatment-in-dentistry/Dr. Frank Shallenberger, M.D., has noted 13 major effects of ozone on the human body, which help [...]
Hi Dr. Marvin,
I agree with you that RC’ed teeth can cause trouble in the mouth as well as through the body in time. I’ve got a couple of RC’ed teeth already in my mouth. Because I’ve been reading so much about the potential problems, I asked my acupuncturist to do some Kinesiology on my mouth and within a few seconds he pointed out a troubled tooth (of course, an RC’ed tooth) that was causing problems in my intestines. He did not know I had any RC’s or where.
My question is, what do I do if I have this one or any removed? There are adverse effects to leaving holes in the mouth as well, not to mention the cosmetic effects (come on!). I will be seeing a holistic dentist next week who has recommended Ozone therapy to treat any underlying infection while leaving the RC’ed tooth in tact. Yes, the RC’ed tooth is already filled … actually I recently had it redone, so insurance certainly will not pay to dig it up again.
All the articles talk so much about how bad the RC’s are and their potential damage, but no one really talks about alternative solutions, when an RC is inevitable or already done!
What would you recommend?
Thanks so much for your time and input,
Monika
Monika, great questions! For root canals, we typically extract the tooth. We use ozone during the process to help kill off infections, but using it a sole means to remove infection isn’t a long term answer. You still have the cause of that infection — the root canal — in your mouth. Over time you will keep needing ozone treatment to remove the infection as it will keep coming back. Meanwhile, your body is allocating resources to fight off those infections, potentially weakening other areas.
As for replacement methods, we have a few different options. The first one is a dental implant. We don’t use titanium implants — we use ceramic implants from Z-Systems — but even with ceramics, it doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for everyone. Another options is a bridge. This is typically less invasive if the doctor who places it builds a conservative bridge to save the surrounding teeth. When we place bridges we use all-ceramic materials. Another option is a removable partial, or “flipper.” It’s the least invasive, but isn’t really a long term answer for most people.
That’s about it. Some people actually don’t need to replace the tooth (say it the last molar and wasn’t being used as a biting surface anyway), but for most people, one of the options above is the direction they go. We still place more bridges than flippers or implants, but the number of ceramic implants continues to rise.
A root canal is never “inevitable”… you have a choice. Most of our patients make the choice to have the tooth extracted (if it can’t be repaired with a crown, filling, or other suitable means) and replace it with the option that best suits their lifestyle and is the most biocompatible with them.
Hope that helps!
Dr. Marvin
PS: It’s also very important to have your teeth extracted PROPERLY. Far too many dentists just rip them out, leaving a huge potential for future infection, which is no better than the root canal was to begin with.