Can Root Canals Cause Breast Cancer?

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?

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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.

Cavitations — The Silent Killer

You probably already know that having a root canal can be a traumatic experience, but did you realize that by having a root canal, you are automatically put into the category of people who could suffer long term, and none too pleasant effects from the procedure? The same holds true for people who have had tooth extractions, had their wisdom teeth taken out, or have suffered a variety of other abcesses, injuries to the teeth and jaw. This is not to say that everyone undergoing the above will ultimately develop health issues as a result, but evidence is mounting that a huge percentage of us are at risk.

The Culprit

A cavitation is an infected hole in your jaw bone

Ultimately the perpetrator is bacteria … bacteria that were not neutralized or adequately flushed out after an oral surgery or extraction. Once trapped inside the post-surgery cavity these bacteria can incubate for years, leaking toxic residue into the blood stream and causing a host of health issues, both local to the jaw and other areas of the body. In addition to bacteria, sometimes this area will host other harmful elements including viruses, fungi and parasites. In other words, when a root canal is performed on a tooth, bacteria from within that tooth may produce very strong chemicals that are highly neurotoxic. Research has shown these toxins can then combine with chemicals or heavy metals, such as mercury, and form even more potent toxins. These neurotoxins can over time be released into the bloodstream where they destroy many otherwise critically important enzymes within the body.

This scenario can happen under what dentists consider the “normal” extraction situation: the tooth is removed but the ligament that holds the tooth in place is left behind and the area isn’t properly cleaned, and consequently toxins remain within the ligament that slowly seep into the body, potentially creating chronic health issues and other symptoms most doctors can’t diagnose (such as fibromyalgia, heart issues, endocrine issues, neurological issues, among others).

Worst Case Scenario

You might think it’s bad enough to think about having neurotoxic bacteria, fungus and other unsavory creatures swimming in the open spaces between your teeth and gums, but there actually is one thing worse; cavitations (also called osteomyelitis, osteonecrosis, or a “hole in the bone”). Now, cavitations are exactly what they sound like they are; a hollowed out area or hole – and in this case, a cavern occurs when all too active bacteria has successfully departed the original post-surgical site and has somehow begun to impress itself into the actual jawbone. Every additional hole created by this process is filled with decaying bone and tissue that leaves behind an ever greater potential for bacteria (and their unsavory cohorts and associated neurotoxins) to flourish and grow. Eventually this caustic soup of poison leaks into the blood stream where it can cause or exaggerate other existing health issues in the body.

How do you know if you have a cavitation?

Although cavitations can go undetected for years in an otherwise healthy person, jaw pain sometimes occurs in patients suffering from bone lesions and sometimes jaw pain will manifest after a sinus infection, which can then also lead to the discovery of a cavitation. But it seems that the vast majority of people seeking to discover whether or not they have cavitations are those also suffering from other chronic health issues. It is the overriding health condition that has brought them back to the dentist seeking ways to cut down on potential toxins flowing into the bloodstream.

The first step in successfully diagnosing cavitations can be made using a variety of diagnostic tools which can include a unique ultrasound device developed specifically for this purpose called a Cavitat, CAT scans and MRI’s. The best method of detection is through a ConeBeam CT Scan (CBCT) and applied kineseology (AK) or muscle testing.

Treatment

Once properly diagnosed, treatment for a cavitation commonly starts by surgically removing any dead bone, tissue and other debris. Additional treatment options include the use of lasers and ozone treatments as well as probiotics and other natural products/techniques. Once applied, these methods help to create a clean and sterile environment that promotes healing at the site, and ultimately throughout the body.

Additional information: INCIDENCE LEVELS AND CHRONIC HEALTH EFFECTS RELATED TO CAVITATIONS www.thenaturalrecoveryplan.com/docs/research_docs/2010.07.28.03.27_Cavitations.pdf

Why Are Root Canals Bad?

At The Center for Natural Dentistry, we do not recommend root canals or root canal therapy. Why? Because more often than not, root canals result in an infection. While that infection may never cause a noticeable health problem, a substantial number of people will suffer adverse affects. The risks of root canal therapy do not outweigh the “reward” of keeping a dead tooth in your mouth.

So why do so many root canals result in infection? Simply put, the roots aren’t fully sterilized and not 100% filled. This results in pockets of potentially harmful bacteria that are “sealed” into the tooth, away from blood-flow that fights infections. In short, it becomes a haven for bad germs.

Rather than write another article laden with facts on root canals (we’ve already written plenty of them, just check out under The Root Canal Controversy section of our 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. Below I’ve posted just a few of the pictures we’ve taken of extracted teeth. Most of these were taken in just the past few days… and we have plenty more to choose from. In some cases, the patient had some sort of pain or discomfort. In others, no symptoms were noticed by the patient. In our practice, about 9 our of 10 extractions performed on root canal treated teeth have obvious infections like the ones you see below.

Enjoy.
Dr. Marvin.

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.

The Alternatives to Root Canals

We talk a lot about the alternatives to root canals typically the only alternative mentioned is extraction of the tooth. But is that really the only alternative? Surely there must be other options, right? This was the question posed by Sean after listening to recent podcasts (Root Canals, Infections, Formaldehyde, Oh My!).

The truth is, there are other alternatives depending on the situation. We’ll try to explain it all in detail, here.

First off, if you really need a root canal, then that means the damage has gone too far and you are having serious symptoms (toothache or swelling). At that point, the healthiest option is to extract the tooth and replace it.

Root canals, however, are often recommended for the wrong reasons (such as when a dentist has exhausted or ruled out other sources or causes for tooth pain). A common incident is when the bite is off and the problem tooth is sore and causing pain. Another common example is when the gums have receded and the tooth is painful because of exposed dentin. Of course, taking out the nerve will cut sensation or feeling to the tooth, but it by no means is the source of the problem is cured.

The reason root canals are so often recommended is because many dentists don’t spend enough time diagnosing the root cause of the problem. Diagnosis is time-consuming and inefficient. For every minute a dentist spends diagnosing the source of your dental pain, he or she loses money (because that time could have been spent seeing more patients). While many dentists will dedicate the time to properly diagnose problems, far too many take the easy route and make assumptions in order to quickly provide a solution. Root canals will most often remove the cause of the pain (again, because you’ve removed the nerve), therefore, root canal therapy is often recommended.

Now, if the dentist has properly diagnosed the cause of your problems and if you really have a true need for a root canal (infection or deep cavity), then the damage is too great to reverse. The healthiest alternative to a root canal is simply to take out the infection by removing the tooth.

Does this sound barbaric when you can “save” the tooth with root canal therapy? Probably at first. But what dentists are unaware of are the links between leaving an infected tooth in the body and other systemic illnesses (such as breast cancer). It’s called the focal infection theory. A better question would be, “Would you jeopardize your health to ‘save’ a tooth?”

If you have an infection or severe decay that has caused a deep cavity and a root canal is recommended, your only two options are extraction or root canal therapy. That’s why knowledge and prevention is of utmost importance: learn how to prevent decay and the spread of tooth decay and you’ll never have to deal with a root canal.

If a root canal is recommended to you, you should definitely get a second or third opinion to confirm the true need for the procedure. Unfortunately, too many dentists do root canals for the wrong reasons and you may have other, less “barbaric” solutions if you were misdiagnosed and don’t need to undergo the procedure.

If you already have a root canal and are wondering if there’s a link with that tooth and the rest of the body, view a tooth meridian chart (we have an interactive meridian chart here: Tooth Meridian Chart) or visit a natural or holistic dentist. A lot of times, extracting the problem tooth can help alleviate or eliminate problems (not always, so again, get a second or third opinion before taking action).

The short answer to the alternatives to a root canal question is… If you really, truly need a root canal, you have only two options: root canal therapy or extraction. However, there is always the chance that you have been misdiagnosed and have many, safer, more appealing options available to you.