Why to say NO to these Procedures!
Apicectomy and pulpotomy deserve their own page, because these two procedures are the cause so much disease and suffering. They are important aspects of the Root Canal Procedure arsenal. Pulpotomies are performed daily on children. Apicectomies are what is offered to an adult after the Root Canal Procedure has failed. So lets start with the kids. ALWAYS SAY NO TO THESE PROCEDURES!!!!
Pulpotomy
A baby tooth is a bit different to a fully formed adult tooth. The end of the root of an adult tooth forms a conical apex. A baby tooth is a bit different to a fully formed adult tooth. The end of the root of an adult tooth forms a conical apex. This allows for the preparation of the root canal into a shape which tries to mimic the end of the root and thus limits the possibility of pushing the root filling materials through the end of the root. Limits but does not stop this bad end result.
A baby tooth differs in that the ends of the roots are wide open. If you push a gutta percha point down such a canal it just keeps going. So what to DO? Well, instead of going to the other side of the jawbone with files and things, some genius decided that you could ‘mummify’ the pulp of the tooth, without mummifying the rest of the kid. Is it a wonder that the genius in question, was a past president of the American Dental Association? Dr Buckley 1925. The same Dr Buckly who had the famous debate with Dr Price in 1925. This is the person who stated emphatically about the extraction of teeth that could be saved; “God giving me the strength, I will spend the remainder of my life, if need be, correcting this damnable and criminal practice for which you sir, Dr. Price, whether you realise it or not, are in large measure responsible.”
To ‘save’ such a baby tooth which has died (usually because of the decay in it), the specialist kid’s dentist, the pedodontist, will perform the next miracle that dentistry offers, called a pulpotomy.
To achieve this, the pedodontist will drill out a huge hole in the top of the tooth, so as to remove the dental pulp from the crown section of the tooth. This will of course weaken the tooth, which is the argument for the placement of a stainless steel crown over it, to protect it and keep it working for chewing. As the ends of the roots are wide open, there is no attempt to remove any of the dead tissue from the roots. There is no attempt at sterilization.
Instead, the stumps of the nerves of the tooth, at the top of the roots, are bathed in solutions that are intended to “Mummify” the tissue. The material of choice for this, has for many years, been ‘Buckley’s Formocresol’ which as the name implies is a mixture of formaldehyde and cresol. (19% formaldehyde, 35% cresol, 17.5% glycerine.) This material is still used today in many dental practices. There is a whole society of endodontists in America, that still promotes the use of formaldehyde.
,”…the vast majority of paediatric dental practitioners in Canada (92.4 %) and dental schools worldwide (76.8 %) utilize either the full-strength or the 1:5 dilution of formocresol as the preferred pulpotomy medicament for vital primary teeth.”[i]
Most pedodontists spread this poison far and wide without a care – because it is popular and has been used for 100 years. It makes no difference how much real science is thrown against their arguments. Sadly, dentists have NO medical, oncological, toxicological, embryological or neurological knowledge.
You can read what the manufacturer says about Formaldehyde in their MSDS Here. The EPA has classified creosol as a human carcinogen. It causes cancer. It, like formaldehyde, is sealed into this baby tooth for several years. This constitutes a long term chronic exposure. From an MSDS for creosol.
- is toxic via ingestion and skin absorption
- Inhalation: Breathing vapor, dust or mist results in digestive disturbances (vomiting, difficulty in swallowing, diarrhea, loss of appetite). Will irritate, possibly burn respiratory tract.
- Ingestion: Poison. Symptoms may include burning pain in mouth and throat, abdominal pain, headache, dizziness, muscular weakness, irregular breathing, weak pulse, lung damage, liver damage, pancreas damage, kidney damage, coma, and possibly death from circulatory or cardiac failure.
- Label Hazard Warning: POISON! DANGER! MAY BE FATAL IF SWALLOWED, INHALED OR ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN. CORROSIVE. CAUSES SEVERE BURNS TO EVERY AREA OF CONTACT. AFFECTS CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, LIVER, KIDNEYS, PANCREAS AND CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM. VAPOR IS IRRITATING TO EYES AND RESPIRATORY TRACT. COMBUSTIBLE LIQUID AND VAPOR.”
A 1985 study demonstrated the spread of formaldehyde from a tooth that had been ‘treated’ with a pulpotomy. Radioisotope labelled formaldehyde, was applied to the nerve stumps at the top of the root in the crown of the tooth, for only 5 minutes. About 30% of the formaldehyde was transported systemically throughout the body. [i] Creosol in the Buckley’s Poison will also transport throughout the body!
I guess as the parent, it is your choice to risk a future cancer, or to straighten the teeth when the child is a bit older, but still alive. This is not to mention the psychological effect of these treatments, which sadly has led many down the path of schizophrenia, depression and suicide. No, I am not being over dramatic – these are people that I have seen as patients. I am not surprised that most people are afraid of the dentist.
More recently a different substance called Ferric Sulphate, is used instead of Formocresol because it is supposedly not as toxic. The manufacturer of Ferric Sulphate gives the following advice about its product;
WARNING! HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED OR INHALED. CAUSES IRRITATION TO SKIN, EYES AND RESPIRATORY TRACT. AFFECTS THE LIVER.
Inhalation:
Causes irritation to the respiratory tract. Symptoms may include coughing, shortness of breath.
Ingestion:
Low toxicity in small quantities but larger dosages may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and black stool. Pink urine discoloration is a strong indicator of iron poisoning. Liver damage, coma, and death from iron poisoning has been recorded.
Skin Contact:
Causes irritation to skin. Symptoms include redness, itching, and pain. May cause skin discoloration with irritation.
Eye Contact:
Causes irritation, redness, and pain.
Chronic Exposure:
Prolonged exposure of the eyes may cause discoloration. Repeated high exposure could cause too much iron to build up in the body. Symptoms of upset stomach, nausea, constipation and black bowel movements may occur. Chronic exposure may cause liver effects.
Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions:
Persons with pre-existing skin disorders or eye problems, or impaired liver, kidney or respiratory function may be more susceptible to the effects of the substance.
These toxins are easily transported into the brain. Remember that injury to the dental pulp of the tooth may be seen as far away as the Gasserian (Trigeminal) Ganglion in the brain. [i],[ii],[iii] Is it really a wonder that brain cancers and other neurological disease are associated with root canalled teeth?
Both Formocresol and Ferric Sulphate are embryotoxic and teratogenic (causes malformation of an embryo). [iv],[v],[vi],[vii]
The argument for doing this procedure, is that the alternative is to extract the tooth, which will stop the kid eating, and may lead to major problems of tooth crowding when the permanent teeth come through. My clear preference is to do some orthodontic straightening in teen years, far in preference to potentially causing cancer or the horrifying range of diseases associated with this procedure.
A dead tooth in an adult or a child is still a dead tooth. It cannot be sterilised. The materials used to ‘mummify’ the pulp do not do as they are intended and nor do they kill the micro-organisms in the tooth. These materials will spread throughout the child’s body and may cause irreparable harm to the child. The toxins from the remaining bacteria, the bacteria themselves and the gangrenous breakdown products of the pulp will also spread throughout the child’s body.
I have seen many children who have suffered in this way. One was a young 12 year old girl who started bed wetting on the day of the pulpotomy which lasted a year or so till I removed the tooth – the bed wetting stopped the same day and never returned. I have seen children with leukemia who were sent home die. Removal of the ‘mummified’ tooth resolved the leukemia within a few months, each and every time. I have seen children whose psychological problems resolved within a day to a week from the extraction date. I have seen children whose endocrine systems were wiped out by this so called treatment. The examples go on and on. I do not appologise for calling pedodontists, pedo-phile-dontists. The abuse on the children is damning. Don’t these people read the MSDS’s of the products they implant in children. They are supposedly the specialists who are leading the way in looking after kids. They are the ‘expert witnesses’ that appear in the courts.
Stainless Steel Crowns
The next abuse is the use of Stainless Steel crowns to cover these teeth. As I mentioned earlier, they are used to attempt to hold together the remaining tooth structure so the kid can eat. They are very cheap. The baby tooth is going to fall out anyway, so why spend lots of money to save it? They cause electrical interferences in the order of 1,000 times what the child’s developing brains are operating at. Electrical interferences alone can create a plethora of psychological issues. They release Nickel which is a known carcinogen and allergen. “…epigenetic alterations induced by nickel exposure can perturb the genome.” [vl] In other words the effects may be carried for generations. Nickel also causes “… chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function, and cancer of the lung and nasal sinus.” ATSDR There is an increased risk of lung and nasal cancer. Many people are allergic to nickel and exposure may cause a life long sensitization. Coming into contact with nickel after this (such as orthodontic braces, piercings, jewelry and even stainless steel cooking utensils) can have a dramatic effect on that person’s life. The pedo-phile-dontists don’t see a problem with this!
Apicectomy & Retrograde Root Filling
Root canal procedures have an estimated failure rate of 30% according to the Australian Dental Association. Specialist endodontists enjoy this failure rate, as redoing these failed ‘treatments’, supplies about 60% of their income also according to the Australian Dental Association.
When the root canal fails you will be advised to see one of these specialists to have the procedure redone. The problem is that no matter how wonderful the endodontist is, they also can not fulfill any of the claimed requirements of a root canal procedure. They will just do the same thing again and expect a different result. That’s never going to end well. That is called the ‘conservative approach to fix failed root canals.
“Endodontic re‑treatment is a relatively common procedure, particularly amongst specialist endodontists. Some endodontists estimate that up to two‑thirds of their referrals are for endodontic re‑treatment … A large proportion of the re‑treatment cases are for cases originally treated less than two years prior to the need for re-treatment.”
“… previous root canal filling should be removed so that the root canal system can be re-cleaned, shaped and disinfected through the use of irrigating solutions and inter‑appointment anti‑bacterial medicaments prior to the placement of a new root canal filling.” (my emphasis) [Vll]
When this conservative approach has failed, you will be referred to an oral surgeon, (just a bit more god like than an endodontist) for a surgical approach which is called an “Apicectomy’, which is usually accompanied by a ‘Retrograde Root Filling’.
The rational for this is that it is assumed that the source of infection is in the last millimeter or so of the end of the root. If this is cut off than the abscess at the end of the root can be cleaned out surgically and the end of the root filled in an attempt to stop leakage from the root canal.
This is a surgical approach which requires some gum to be moved aside, some bone to be removed to gain access to the end of the root/s and then the work on the root begins. A high speed drill is used to cut about 5-6mm from the end of the root.
This is a surgical approach which requires some gum to be moved aside, some bone to be removed to gain access to the end of the root/s and then the work on the root begins. A high speed drill is used to cut about 5-6mm from the end of the root.
Then the abscess is scraped away from the root and the bone. No consideration is given to the fact that the whole tooth is still infected and it is in fact the rest of the tooth that is the source of the infectio in the first place.
When the oral surgeon has somehow determined that there is no longer any infection, (a very bad guess at best) he/she will put a filling into the end of the root to try to seal it. This filling is called a retrograde root filling, and this then implies that it is in the end of the root. No one talks about the fact that the end of the root is deep in the bone! Any filling in this area is in contact with the bone, the blood, the nerve endings and the tissue fluids. These are all routes of these materials traveling to other parts of the body and the brain directly.
The material of choice for many years was mercury amalgam. The mercury released from this amalgam will easily travel through the bone at the roof of your mouth and directly enter the brain where it is stored. This mercury will also travel to all other parts of your body. It will cross the placenta and enter the foetus and it will also cross the breast milk and enter the infant’s body. The mercury is released 24/7 and is a cumulative neurotoxin.
In recent years, amalgam has fallen into ill repute as a retrograde filling. This has nothing to do with the mercury release. Remember dentistry is a purely mechanical sport. It is because amalgam in this area has the worst sealing ability of any root end filling material. It leaks like a sieve.
The latest and greatest filling material of choice is called Pro Root MTA. Otherwise known as Portland Cement. All versions of Portland Cement/MTA contained measurable levels of Arsenic, the most toxic substance known to science, followed by Lead in second place and then Mercury in third.
The manufacturer has the following to say about their product:
Impurities may include Crystaline Silica (Carcinogen), calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, potassium and sodium sulphate compounds
This product contains chemicals (trace metals) known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.
The major components of Pro Root (calcium silicate compounds, and calcium compounds containing aluminium oxide and gypsum) are considered Hazardous.Warnings
Exposure to wet substance may cause irreversible skin or eye destruction in the form of chemical third degree burns.
May cause blindness.
Prolonged exposure can cause severe skin damage in the form of caustic chemical burns.
Exposure to moisture will produce caustic calcium Hydroxide.Pro Root MTA … chemically reacts with water, and some of the intermediate products of this reaction pose a far more severe hazard than does the material itself.
From the MSDS for this material form the manufacturer
When this procedure fails, you will again be referred back to the oral surgeon to have the tooth extracted and an implant inserted. You have just spent upwards of $15,000 for a series of procedures which all the science demonstrates, does not work! Dentistry calls these ‘treatments’! See the Implants page to understand why they also are not good for you.
The above two procedures are a daily event in dentistry.
The health effects are never thought about, discussed or acknowledged.
References
[i] Gobel S., Bink J., degenerative changes in primary trigeminal axons and in neurons in nucleus caudalis following tooth pulp extirpation in the cat., : Brain Res. 1977;132:347-54
[ii] Westrum LE., Canfield RC., Electron microscopy of degenerating axons and terminals in the spinal trigeminal nucleus after tooth pulp exterpation. Am J Anat. 1977; 149:591-6
[iii] Westrum LE., Canfield RC., Black R., Transganglionic Degeneration in the spinal trigeminal nucleus following the removal of tooth pulps in adult cats. Brain Res 1976; 6:100:137-40
[iv] Lewis BB Chestner SB Formaldehyde in dentistry: a review of mutagenic and carcinogenic potential. J Am Dent Assoc (1981 Sep) 103(3):429-34
[v] Periapical tissue reaction in monkeys to endodontic treatment using formocresol as a disinfectant. Simon M van Mullem PJ Lamers AC J Endod (1979 Aug) 5(8):239-41[vi] Embryotoxicity and teratogenicity of formocresol on developing chick embryos. Friedberg BH Gartner LP J Endod (1990 Sep) 16(9):434-7[vii] Pulpal tissue reaction to formocresol vs. ferric sulfate in pulpotomized rat teeth. Cotes O Boj JR Canalda C Carreras M J Clin Pediatr Dent (1997 Spring) 21(3):247-53
[vl] Nickel: Human Health and Environmental Toxicology Giuseppe Genchi et al Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Feb; 17(3): 679.
[Vll] “The Changing Face Of Dentistry – Endodontics” by Dr Paul V. Abbott BDSc, MDS, FRACDS(Endo). Australian Dental Association News Bulletin April 1996
[i] Assessment of the systemic distribution and toxicity of formaldehyde following pulpotomy treatment: Part one. Ranly DM ASDC J Dent Child (1985 Nov-Dec) 52(6):431-4[i] Avram DC, Pulver F Pulpotomy medicaments for vital primary teeth. Surveys to determine use and attitudes in pediatric dental practice and in dental schools throughout the world. ASDC J Dent Child (1989 Nov-Dec) 56(6):426-34