Dentistry and Cancer

Happy Election Day! May the next four years bring peace and unity.

Hi, it's Ann and this is my journey with thyroid cancer. I have been doing so much research and one of the things that keeps popping up are concerns about root canals and the possible link they have to cancer. Because of that, I looked for a biological dentist in my area. I think I found a wonderful practice. It consists of a husband and wife partnership - two for the price of one!

Today I went to see the dentist couple. What a pleasure. I have never had such a complete dental checkup. I was there for three hours! They were so knowledgeable and this is what I learned about root canals. When a person has a root canal, the canal is cleaned and a filler is put into the spot where the root had been. This saves the tooth and has been a practiced procedure for many years. The problem is there are canals that travel horizontally as well as vertically. These spots are hard to get to and typically aren't cleaned well, so bacteria can build there. When bacteria builds up in a tooth, it doesn't just stay there, but instead travels to other areas of our bodies. This can cause problems, maybe cancer, in those areas. That is why root canals are questionable. Most of the articles I've read said to get rid of root canals if you have cancer.

Root canals are still done by the dentists I saw today. The couple said the patient is told about the risks so they can make an informed consent. In their practice they also use ozone. This is how ozone was explained to me. The air we breathe has two molecules of oxygen. Ozone has three. Dr. V said bacteria and other bad things in our bodies do not like oxygen and so can't live. Also, ozone is a gas, so it can get into the horizontal openings in a root canal. Even after all this, bacteria can still remain in the area. The Dentists understood my reason for the visit and agreed that I should have the root canals pulled out. I will be making another appointment with them soon. While I am not excited about the extraction of my teeth, I'm very happy to be taking another step toward healing my body.

I added a video so you can hear a bit about root canals if you're interested.

For now wishing you health and happiness!