Letter to the Editor of Townsend Letter for Doctors and Their Patients

Cavitations are Ignored by Dentists and Insurance Companies

Published in August/September issue

I have several comments re: the many dental articles that appeared in the June edition of your magazine. First, I would take issue with Drs. Barker and Meletis’ claim that “…if we cared as well for the rest of our bodies as we do our teeth, the health of humanity would be greatly improved.” The good doctors appear to equate “caring for our teeth” with having bi-annual dental check-ups and recommended follow-up treatment. However, consider that these check-ups routinely expose patients to damaging ionizing radiation (Do a Google search on the work of Dr. John Gofman re: the relationship between conventional medical x-rays and cancer and heart disease). And, consider also that positive findings on x-ray and/or oral exam inevitably lead to treatment using invasive procedures that traumatize the teeth and jawbone, resulting ultimately in development of systemic disease. With regard to these considerations, one has to question the wisdom of calling the traditional 6-month dental check-up a “preventive” measure.

 My special area of interest in dentistry is the jawbone condition that has become popularly known as “cavitations” (osteonecrosis and/or chronic osteomyelitis), a condition characterized by bone loss, poor blood supply and sometimes, chronic infection. This little-known but extremely prevalent, invisible and often silent condition results from trauma of any sort to the jawbone. For most of us, the bulk of that trauma comes from standard dental care, starting with the simple filling of a cavity in a tooth. Regardless of whether the filling material is toxic or “biocompatible,” the use of a high-speed drill to remove the decayed portion of the tooth will lead to its ultimate demise from pulp damage, according to German dentist, Ralf Türk. In a lecture given in May of 1987 to the American Association of Biological Dentistry, Dr. Türk referred to the high-speed drill used routinely in dentistry as a “time bomb whose devastating effects have been completely underestimated by most of our colleagues.” He maintains that use of such a drill results in the formation of cracks deep in the enamel of the tooth, cracks that allow bacteria and their toxins, as well as macromolecules, to penetrate the dentin. Dr. Türk described studies by a Swiss colleague, which demonstrated that “after 5 to 20 seconds of milling or grinding with turbines, an increase in pulp temperature … caused irreversible damage in 60% of the pulps examined.” In addition to such thermally-induced damage, Türk adds damage from negative pressure. He builds a convincing case against the use of high-speed drills, a case that has largely fallen on deaf ears in dental circles.

Often the small filling becomes larger and larger over time as decay spreads. When finally too much of the tooth structure has been destroyed to allow it to survive intact, a crown or cap is generally placed, following the whittling down of the tooth to a mere nub. Prepping teeth for crowns and bridges means more trauma to the tooth (and hence to the jawbone) from high-speed drilling. Once the crown or bridge is placed, all is well (or so it seems) until and unless the patient complains of pain. Sometimes x-rays will show an abscess; other times they will show nothing, but if pain persists, root canal treatment is generally recommended.

Once again, regardless of the toxicity or biocompatibility of the material used to fill root canals, the procedure itself is inherently damaging to the entire body, as the late Weston Price, DDS, so elegantly demonstrated decades ago with his classic animal experiments. (When he implanted root canal-filled teeth extracted from sick individuals under the skin of healthy rabbits, those rabbits developed the same diseases as their tooth donors, and ultimately died from them.) The “safe” root canal is an oxymoron. There is no safe way to keep a dead organ in the body, no way to sterilize the miles and miles of dentin tubules in the root canal and keep them sterile.

When root canals fail (as is so often the case), the next dental intervention is tooth extraction. This creates more trauma to the jawbone, trauma that is sure to result in formation of a cavitation (if one has not already developed) if any portion of the periodontal ligament (which holds tooth to bone) remains in the socket. You can bet this will happen if the surgical site isn’t properly cleaned out with the dental burr to assure total detachment of the ligament. Any portion of it that is left behind will form a barrier to blood flow and to new bone growth as I’ve discussed in my book Beyond Amalgam. The bone cavity (cavitation) that forms (or enlarges) as a result of an improperly done extraction will serve as an incubating chamber for microbes, whose toxins will ultimately gain systemic access, causing all manner of illness.

Once a tooth is extracted, more dental intervention is needed to “fill the hole.” The worst possible choice is an implant, which poses big-time trauma to the jawbone. Opting for a bridge will damage the tooth structure of two perfectly good adjacent teeth and can potentially set the whole process of bone deterioration into motion once again. It is my belief that the safest option in the face of multiple tooth loss is a removable appliance made of biocompatible dental materials.

All along the way – from first dental filling to crown and bridge to root canal filling to extraction to implant – our jawbones are being traumatized physically from high-speed drilling. Add to this the trauma of ischemia-inducing x-rays, plus toxins (and sometimes vasoconstriction) from dental anesthetics (Google Dr. Alfred Nickel, DDS, to read about the neurotoxic and carcinogenic effects of aniline-based anesthetics), and the plot thickens. Factor in the disruption of energy flow in acupuncture meridians running through traumatized tooth sites, the toxic effect of fluoride and heavy metals, in addition to other harmful dental materials used routinely in dentistry – AND the systemic access ultimately gained by these toxins - and we can clearly see why well-informed professionals are beginning to believe that death begins in the mouth, rather than at the other end of the GI tract as has long been taught in holistic circles.

I was dismayed to see not one mention of the word “cavitation” in your recent dental issue. No conscientious practitioner can afford to ignore this condition!  Its importance is right up there with mercury and root canals (neither discussed to any significant degree in your dental issue): Cavitations cause every bit as much suffering and systemic disease, although the patient and his dentist may be totally unaware of it. The June issue of your magazine is replete with discussions of natural medicines to be used in support of oral health, but such discussion is irrelevant in the face of cavitations, an ischemic condition that prevents effective delivery of any type of medicine to affected area(s) of the mouth.

Those few dentists who are aware of cavitations – and the fewer still who are treating them – too often avoid mention of the “C” word, for fear of repercussions from dental boards. The only reference to cavitations I found in your June dental issue was an indirect one by Dr. Andrea Brockman. She is “right on” with her comment about the jawbone:  “…What other bone can have osteomyelitis [cavitations] and deteriorating joints and not be covered by dental or medical insurance?”  Excellent point!

Insurance companies today are following the lead of Aetna and denying claims for diagnosis of cavitations by FDA-approved bone sonography (the Cavitat) and surgical treatment of the condition based upon QuackWatch pronouncements of illegitimacy. Bob Jones, developer of the Cavitat, has responded by filing a federal RICO (racketeering) suit against Aetna and Quackbusters. This could be a pivotal case for patients and practitioners alike. Follow the progress on Tim Bolen’s site, http://www.quackpotwatch.org, and read more about cavitations on mine: www.healthcarealternatives.net.

Suzin Stockton, MA