| Note how small the diameter of the root canal is at the | | | | havoc for humans and animals. |
| end of the root of the tooth and then visualize an | | | | A new truth is a new sense, for with it comes the |
| artery, vein and nerve all entering the tooth at that | | | | ability to see things we could not see before - and |
| point. You can readily see how a blow to the mouth or | | | | things which cannot be seen by those who do not |
| teeth could cause blood vessels to be severed. When | | | | have that new truth. An apicoectomy is an oral |
| that happens, the severed artery cannot heal together | | | | surgery root canal treatment procedure that is carried |
| fast enough to maintain blood circulation within the | | | | out to save a tooth which might otherwise need to be |
| tooth. | | | | extracted. |
| When tooth loses its blood supply, the pulp tissue within | | | | Even when a large amount of bone has been lost, |
| the root canal dies off for lack of nourishment and | | | | most of these cases heal uneventfully and new bone |
| gradually rots and putrefies. Eventually it can become | | | | is seen to fill in about the end of the root completely in |
| infected with bacteria present in the blood, and this | | | | six to 12 months. A couple of case histories of |
| eventually will cause the eating away of the bone at | | | | apicoectomy surgery from my personal practice are |
| the end of the tooth's root. In this particular case, the | | | | discussed, and before and after x-ray pictures are |
| through the bone at the floor of the nasal cavity. | | | | shown. |
| This young man was a navy pilot flying off a carrier | | | | The first, of a woman patient, is of interest because of |
| during the Korean war. he wrote to me about having | | | | large, almost identical granuloma infections showing |
| an infected tooth and asked my advice. I suggested | | | | lateral canals which came from the upper teeth on |
| he have the ship's navy dentist give him relief and not | | | | either side of her two front teeth. Though her severe |
| to permit any extractions. On his return to the san | | | | gastronintestinal involvement improved dramatically |
| Diego naval base, he traveled to see me and I | | | | with root canal treatment of these teeth and nutritional |
| performed the apicoectomy surgery and root canal | | | | counselling, results were not completely satisfactory. |
| fillings. The two follow-up x-ray pictures were taken at | | | | With our current knowledge of Dr. Price's research |
| six months and 12 months. You can see the healing | | | | discoveries - and in spite of the long history of service |
| was almost complete after one year. After that time | | | | of these two teeth - with hindsight it appears she |
| the patient moved from the area, so I do not have any | | | | would have been better served by removal of these |
| further follow-ups. | | | | teeth. |
| The public should be aware of how difficult it is for a | | | | The second case involved the largest cyst surgically |
| dentist to understand Dr. Price's findings that seemingly | | | | operated upon, which was caused not by tooth decay |
| healthy teeth are still carrying infection when infected | | | | but by a football injury. the filling in of new bone at the |
| holes in jaw bones heal up and stay that way for | | | | infection site around the two teeth after six and 12 |
| many years. The thought of bacteria remaining alive in | | | | months proved gratifying to me and the patient. |
| the dentin tubules, mutating and becoming more virulent | | | | Because he moved away, I am unaware of his |
| and toxic is difficult to comprehend in the face of | | | | subsequent health history. |
| apparent healing. | | | | The successful healing in these two cases |
| Our doubts can be erased only by carefully | | | | emphasizes how difficult it is for dentists and patients |
| considering Dr. Price's data regarding the severe | | | | alike to believe these teeth could still be carrying |
| illnesses which occurred to thousands of rabbits when | | | | infections. For those suffering severe degenerative |
| diseases were transferred to them from root filled and | | | | disease problems, it will be only by having seemingly |
| apicoectomy treated teeth extracted from sick | | | | healthy root filled teeth removed that judgement of |
| patients. The reality will become evident when each | | | | Price's work will be possible. While the percentage of |
| dentist and each patient tests these findings and | | | | apparent recoveries in such cases is high, it must be |
| experiences their truths. We will then gain an | | | | kept in mind other factors can be involved which |
| understanding of the mutation versatility of these | | | | preclude success. |
| families of bacteria and their ability to create such | | | | Copyright (c) 2007 Sung Lee, and George Meinig D.D. |