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Are There Any Other Dental Dangers We Should Know About?
Yes, there are other potential hazards. Maybe not so much in themselves, but when combined with other challenges to
your immune system, they can become highly significant. You need to be informed.
Cavitations
Found under a series of names, such as NICO (Neuralgia-Inducing Cavitational Osteonecrosis)and Alveolar Cavitational
Osteopathy, a cavitation is a hole within the upper or lower jaw bone. This hole is roughly the size and shape of the
root that once occupied that space in bone, because that was its origin. It is an area of incomplete healing.
When a woman delivers a baby, she must also deliver the afterbirth. When a tooth is delivered, there is an equivalent
of the afterbirth. It is called the periodontal ligament. This is a group of fibers, half of which originate within
the tooth, and the other half from the bone surrounding the tooth. They blend together and form a hammock-like
structure that unites tooth and bone. There is normally no bony attachment between the two.
When a tooth has a root canal, or is in a dying state, bacteria within the tooth produce very strong chemicals that
are highly neurotoxic and kill many critical enzymes within the body. When the tooth is removed, and the ligament
left in place (normal procedure) these chemicals remain within the ligament and can slowly seep into the body,
potentially creating disease states.
If a tooth is removed and the ligament is left in place, a cap of two to three millimeters of bone heals over the top
of the socket, leaving a cesspool of these chemicals lining the hole, and sealed within the bone. X-ray has a hard
time identifying these areas, for one is taking a picture of a piece of air within bone.
After the tooth is removed, or years later when the cavitation is being cleaned, the walls of the socket must be cut
out with a dental burr. Just scraping it out (curetting is the term) pushes the toxins into the lymphatic drainage
system, and patients frequently become ill for several days without knowing why.
The procedure of cleaning out a cavitation is simple, just like landing a 747. It is simple when someone knows how to
do it. Care must be taken to prevent the toxic materials from getting out of the opened cavitation into the mouth.
High suction and saline flushes help to accomplish this. Since this is a problem of chemical toxins and not a
bacterial infection generating pus, antibiotics are of little value in the treatment. Sometimes Intravenous Vitamin C
is utilized.
According to certain toxicologists, toxic responses can take place just as fast as electrical responses within the
body. This may explain why it is not unusual to see a body part that has been responding to the presence of these
toxins demonstrate a positive improvement within seconds of the cleaning of a cavitation. Responses within a day or
two are common.
Composites
Composite is another word for a specific type of plastic that can be used to fill teeth. It is frequently the "white
filling" that dentists place, or sometimes it is called "porcelain". It is not porcelain, for true porcelain is fired
at very high temperatures, and cannot be fired in your mouth. The term porcelain is used only because the filling is
tooth colored.
Some composites can last as long as amalgam, but most of the time amalgam will outlive composites. The question
becomes, which is more important, the life of the filling or the life of the patient? Composites are not always the
white knight, for they contain some chemicals that leach out also. Do these chemicals sound like something you want
in your mouth? Acrylate, aluminum, formaldehyde, hexane, hydroquinone, phenol, polyurethane, silane, strontium,
toluene and xylene. These and more constitute composite fillings. In general it is true that they are not as toxic
as mercury and copper, but there are blood tests that can tell you which composites are more compatible with your
immune system.
Aluminum makes the composite filling last longer. The patient may not last longer, but filling longevity is the key
to success in many dental offices. HIgher aluminum content gives greater restistence to the rigors of life in the
oral cavity. However, the aluminum appears to leach out in quantities large enough to affect nerve impulse
transmission - and even gall bladder problems. Finding out the composition of a composite, or "white filling" is
formidable at best. One of the most reiable ways is to look at a filling on the X-ray. If it nearly resembles a
silver-mercury filling in appearance compared with some composites that are actually hard to see on X-rays - it is
probably a high aluminum filling. Having seen patient relief of symptoms on the same day of removal many times, it is
difficult for us to recommend just yanking out mercury fillings and replacing them randomly with whatever the
dentist has on the shelf. Are you getting the idea that dental materials provide a serious problem?
Unlike amalgam, composites can bind to the tooth structure itself thereby making the filling stronger by holding the
fragments together. Amalgam sits passively in the hole that the dentist drilled into the tooth. Neither filling can
stand much chewing force without breaking, so they are both limited in size. If a filling is to replace over 40% of
the chewing surface of a tooth, materials other than amalgam or composite should be considered.
Composites require more time and skill to place than amalgam, so one can expect them to cost 40 or 50% more than
amalgam.
Crowns - Ceramic/Porcelain
I became curious about the composition of porcelain crowns and called one of the manufacturers. I was told their
porcelain was pure ceramic. Thanks. I called another and asked what their ceramic was made out of. Porcelain I was
told. I called another and asked what their porcelain ceramic was made out of. Natural products. Knowing that mercury
was "natural" I went to scientists other than manufacturers. Natural porcelain ceramic is made from clay B kaolin
specifically B which is 45% aluminum oxide. Oh! So porcelain crowns are really aluminum. The aluminum does come out
of the crown and I have personally seen some tragic cases of poisoning from dental porcelain ceramic aluminum crowns.
Obviously not everyone has violent reactions, but when they occur, it is not a happy site.
Porcelain is most often fired onto a metal base that fits onto the tooth. Occasionally these are gold bases, but most
often it is the strong and cheap substitute, nickel. Check out nickel in these definitions. It is highly carcinogenic,
or cancer producing.
Porcelain is prettier and more durable than its competition the laboratory processed composite plastic. Considering
what aluminum does to one's immune system and nervous system, is the esthetic value worth it? Your choice, now that
you are informed.
Crowns - Chrome Crowns for Children
When children's teeth have cavities that are large, it is common to take a preformed nickel, chromium, cobalt alloy
crown, trim it down to fit the teeth that has also been trimmed down to a cone shaped object, and cement it on. With
a little practice, a good dentist can make one of these in a short period of time. The cutesy name of chrome crowns
has been used for decades, and these crowns allow baby teeth to last for another two to five years. That is usually
all that is necessary, for permanent teeth replacing the baby molars are usually in by age 10 or 11. Used on front
teeth, they are quite ugly, and usually have some influence on the child's self esteem, but in the back teeth they
are not usually seen.
Nickel, of course, has its problems with human biochemistry, but there are things noted in children that are not as
obvious in adults with nickel crown. In children, the main thing I noticed is that these kids have to start wearing
glasses within a few months of receiving the crowns. Look closely, sometimes these are bifocals and I even saw a 5
year old with trifocals once. Check it out. Behavior is another notable change. If your child becomes cranky and
misbehaves when before the crowns were placed he had a pleasing personality, check it out.
What can you do? These can be replaced with composite crowns the same shape as the chrome crowns. You may have to
twist your dentist's arm severely, but compare your child's health and behavior to pre-crown days and you should be
able to make a determination as to whether or not you feel it is worth it to change the crowns. After all, the
choice should be yours.
As with any dental work, before having crowns placed it is important to have "Compatibility Testing" done to
determine what dental materials will be the safest to put in the patient's mouth.
Crowns - Nickel (Non-Precious)
Non-precious metal used in dentistry is a term that generally refers to crowns made of nickel, chrome, cobalt and
molybdenum. It further means that there is no gold or platinum in them. They cost much less than gold crowns, for you
can easily see that a melted down nickel coin could easily cover one tooth.
Nickel is the number one cancer stimulating metal, even worse than mercury - because mercury usually kills cells,
whereas nickel just turns the cell malignant. Although cobalt and chromium individually do not cause cancer, if they
are combined into one mixture, they will cause cancer.
Nickel causes DNA damage in preventing cells from repairing and from duplicating. It has pronounced adverse effects on
the immune system, destroying T-cells and especially the NK cells that are our major defense against cancer.
Alteration of chromosomes is another pastime of nickel.
Sounds pretty unsafe doesn't it? But it’s cheap. That's why we find it in removable partial dentures, orthodontic
braces, adult crowns and bridges (especially as the base under porcelain crowns) and children's "chrome crowns", a
cutesy name for nickel.
My personal advice is totally against the use of nickel in dentistry, but, I will allow you to choose whatever you want
- as long as you are informed.
Implants
The term implant usually refers to something inserted into the bone of the jaw, although occasionally one will see
fillings referred to as implants because they are in a body tissue, and are not readily removable. Dental implants are
metal (nickel, titanium, and other metals), or ceramic (aluminum oxide) devices that are placed into holes that are
drilled out of the bone. After bone has filled in around the implant, dentures, crowns, or bridges can be fitted to
them and they offer great stability.
As far as the biological aspect is concerned, the body will launch an autoimmune response against anything that is
inserted into bone. The only difference is the speed of the reaction. Some may react within days, others may go for
years before the reaction is noted. Even relatively non-reactive metals like titanium can be used as a crown or
removable partial denture in a person who has been shown to generate an autoimmune disease when the same titanium is
implanted into their jaw bone. This is not good news for many dentists and patients, for implants are becoming quite
popular.
Braces - Orthodontic Braces
There are many types of orthodontic appliances in use today. The time honored "bands" of "tin grin" fame are giving
way to less conspicuous methods. The conventional bands are composed of nickel, chromium, cobalt, iron, and possibly
a few other metals. The nickel is not desirable. Sometimes a wire mesh is impregnated with plastic, and this
combination is used to cement a bracket that hold the action wires in place. This is called bonding. Ceramic brackets
(ceramic is another word for aluminum oxide) are now popular.
Usually nickel wires (called arch wires) are used to guide the tooth movement. Other metals are available, but quite
difficult to find. Titanium is a metal that is very low in reactivity if used in the mouth and not inserted into the
bone. Plastic brackets are available which offer minimum challenge, but many orthodontists do not care for them
because due to the wear in the plastic, they do not offer the accuracy of directing forces that metal offers.
How do you know if a reaction is taking place? Notably, allergies either appear for the first time, or worsen.
Behavior may become "teen-age", which in this case is a toxic reaction, not a monster that suddenly appeared that
certainly has its roots in your spouse's family. School grades may drop about a point and a half. That is from a B to
C-minus. Should any of these problems become issues, you may want to think about another method of moving teeth, or
not doing it at all. The solution is yours to call.
Root Canals
Root canal is a term applied to a tooth that has been treated by removing the contents of the nerve chamber. The pulp
chamber, as it is called, contains small arteries, veins, nerves, and a lymphatic drainage system. All this is removed
and replaced most of the time with a wax material called gutta percha. The root of the tooth is still intact, and for
practical purposes, the whole tooth is the same size and shape that it was originally. The tooth is now dead, and the
body must come to some kind of agreement with the tooth as to how much necrotic tissue the body will accept in
exchange for providing a much needed dental prosthesis.
There have been dozens of articles and several books written on the subject of leaving dead teeth in the body. Of late,
a revival of the information provided by the National Dental Association has brought scientists to their laboratories
in search of the secrets of the root canal tooth. Preliminary data suggests that root canals may have a limited life
expectancy in those people who are interested in their health.
From the outside, a root canal tooth looks like and acts like a normal tooth. Sometimes they are painful or produce a
feeling of awareness. This is a sign that the patient's immune system is healthy, and it is rejecting a dead item. Root
canal teeth are strong for the most part, in fact, they frequently act like they have fused to the bone when a dentist
tries to remove them.
Dentures
This is a term that describes an appliance that replaces teeth. It can be a full denture, or a partial denture. Full
dentures (commonly called "plates") replace all the teeth, and are held in by the attraction formed between tissues
and plastic due to the saliva in between. Full dentures are constructed of plastic with either porcelain or plastic
teeth. The plastic is colored pink to assimilate the color of gums. The pigments that are used to form the pink color
are usually mercury sulfate, cadmium sulfate, or a combination of both.
"Immediate dentures" are placed immediately after the teeth are removed, and are a type of splint to hold the tissues
in place while healing takes place. They need to be "relined" in a few months, for shrinkage of bone and tissue takes
place daily, and the fit is worse each day. Relining is adding new plastic on the tissue side of the denture so that
an improved fit can be established.
"Partial dentures" are dentures that replace several, but not all of the teeth in either the upper or lower arch. They
generally contain plastic that hold the teeth, and the plastic is processed onto a metal framework that has little arms
called clasps that hold onto the remaining teeth. There is a bit more stress on the remaining teeth, but it is offset
by the added chewing surface area provided by the additional teeth.
Metals in the partial dentures can be gold (now really rare), nickel, beryllium, cobalt and chromium with a few other
metals at levels of one percent or so.
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