Tens of millions of root canals are performed each year, yet how safe are they? Consider the morbid fact that it is the only procedure routinely performed where a dead part of your body — the diseased tooth — is kept attached to your body.
Almost 60 million root canals are performed a year (1), on individuals who are mistakenly informed that it is a safe and harmless procedure. While your teeth may look and feel fine after the procedure, the reality is that it is impossible for all of the bacteria to be removed from the tooth. After a root canal, the healthy bacteria changes to highly toxic anaerobic bacteria that will continue to thrive inside and around the tooth, jawbone and periodontal ligament causing numerous potentially long term health problems. (1)
Dr. Weston Price
Dr. Weston Price was a brilliant dentist and researcher who studied the relationship between nutrition, dental and physical health. He was the head of research for the dental association for 14 years. In their studies, Dr. Price and the Mayo Clinic discovered that bacterial growth in root canals could be transferred to animals to recreate the same diseases of the human donor. Their tests proved successful in 80 to 100% of the animals. In particular, heart disease could be transferred 100% of the time (1, 2). It’s shocking to know that as far back as 1908 Dr. Price and the Mayo Clinic found that bacteria and the toxins from root canals could enter the bloodstream and thus travel to any point in the body and create disease to that particular tissue or organ. (1, 2). Price went on to discover that numerous degenerative diseases have their origin in root canal procedures, the most frequent are circulatory and heart disease.
Others would follow in Dr. Price’s footsteps to bring this knowledge to the public. Dr. George Meinig would discover his work 70 years later and bring it to the forefront through his book, Root Canal Cover Up. The Toxic Element Research Foundation (TERF) would later use state of the art DNA technology to identify multiple bacteria found within root canal teeth, the jawbone next to root canals as well as in areas of extracted teeth where proper protocols were not performed to remove the periodontal ligament and necrotic bone.
Basic tooth anatomy
A tooth has multiple layers, the first is the enamel, the second layer is the dentin and the inner core is the pulp. Tiny fibers come out of the tooth and intertwine with fibers coming out of the bone, and they unite to form the periodontal ligament. This ligament is also an incubator for billions of bacteria to multiply. (1) The dentin layer is not solid, but is actually comprised of tiny dentinal tubules, that if stretched would be approximately three miles long, per tooth. This is another excellent place for bacteria to hide and develop. In fact when Weston Price did his research, this is exactly where he found anaerobic bacteria in the thousands of teeth he tested. (2) Since it is impossible to sterilize these accessory canals, it becomes a haven for bacteria to grow and develop. As bacteria multiply and create infection, it will oftentimes extend down into the jawbone where it creates cavitations—areas of necrotic tissue in the jawbone itself.
