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PPNF Articles: The 3 1/2 Year Sussces of Root Canal

Cover-Uphttp://www.price-pottenger.org/Articles/Rootcanal.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 3 1/2 Year Success of Root Canal Cover-Up

George E. Meinig, DDS, FACD

 

Editor's Note: Dr. Meinig's Root Canal Cover-Up describes the extensive

and meticulous root canal research of Dr. Weston A. Price, carried out over a

period of 25 years. Originally published in two massive volumes, totaling 1174

pages, Price's work remained unknown to the world until Dr. Meinig's Root Canal

Cover-Up translated Price's scientific findings into layman's terms. The

following report describes Price's findings on root canals, and details Dr.

Meinig's efforts to make them known to the public.

 

The Price Pottenger Nutrition Foundation was organized on September 11,

1965 in order to make Dr. Weston A Price's monumental work Nutrition and

Physical Degeneration available to the public. This book clearly demonstrated to

the world that human physical degeneration was basically a nutritional problem.

The book made Dr. Price famous.

 

During the last 31 years, the Foundation has reprinted Nutrition and

Physical Degeneration eight times, in order to meet the growing interest in his

work.

 

The Foundation has also had custodial care of Dr. Price's vast dental

research data. Documenting his incredible accomplishments are 220 articles,

which can be found in the dental and medical literature, along with two

additional books. Unfortunately, until recently, Price's dental research

remained unknown.

 

Much of Price's research is contained in two monumental volumes entitled

Dental Infections Oral & Systemic and Dental Infections and the Degenerative

Diseases. While these works have long been in the PPNF library, it was only just

four years ago that the Foundation became aware of their importance. These

volumes have moldered in obscurity because Dr. Price's research was suppressed

and buried over 70 years ago by the autocratic action of a minority group of

dentists and physicians who refused to accept the focal infection theory.

 

In spite of the thousands of experiments conducted on 5,000 animals, and

in spite of the thoroughness and excellence of his root canal research, all of

Price's 25 years of scientific efforts were so well covered up that there is

hardly a dentist alive today who has ever heard about his discoveries.

 

When Pat Connolly, our beloved Executive Director, was alerted to the

importance of these volumes, she brought them to my attention. Pat knew of my

graduate studies with Professor Edgar Coolidge, the foremost root canal teacher

and researcher in the world. She knew that I was one of 19 dentists that founded

the Root Canal Association, and that I had a long association with the American

Association of Endodontists. (Endodontists are specialists in root canal

therapy.) In fact, my background in nutrition and root canal therapy led to my

appointment as manager for the new dental office at the 20th Century Fox Movie

Studio.

 

Pat forwarded PPNF's precious copies of the two volumes to me and

suggested that I review Dr. Price's root canal studies and report back to the

PPNF Board of Directors my findings and interpretation of his work.

 

I immediately realized, upon reading the volumes, that Dr. Price's

research was thorough and sound. It was easy to see why he was so revered as a

dental research specialist.

 

The gist of the research and of the thousands of animal studies is this:

That root-canal-filled teeth always remain infected no matter how good they

might look or how good they might feel.

 

Dr. Price suspected that bacterial infection accompanied many degenerative

illnesses. In the beginning, he didn't know what bacteria were involved or just

how they contributed to so many disease conditions. But he did recall that in

medical practice doctors made cultures from the infection site, grew the

organism present in a culture medium and then injected the bacteria into an

animal to see if they could reproduce the disease and thereby prove it was the

cause of the illness.

 

Dr. Price suspected that these infections arose from the teeth. He decided

to implant an extracted root-filled tooth under the skin of an animal. He felt

that if bacteria were present and carrying illness, their presence in a tooth

might offer the same kind of proof physicians found when they injected the

bacterial culture to produce disease in an animal. That is exactly what took

place. He found that by implanting the root-filled tooth, the disease of the

patient was transferred to animals. Whatever disease the patient had, the animal

with the extracted tooth under its skin developed the same disease as the

patient.

 

In other words, if the patient had heart disease, the animal developed

heart disease. If he had kidney trouble, disease of the kidney was transferred

to the animal. If he had a problem in his joints, the animals' joints became

similarly involved. The principle held true for the whole spectrum of human

ailments. Whatever the disease, the animal would develop that of the patient.

 

Most of the time Dr. Price found the bacteria involved were of the

streptococcus family, but he also found staphylococcus, spirochetes and fungi.

He found that if a patient had more than one root-canal treated tooth, he could

actually have a different organism infecting each one of the treated teeth. That

is the reason some people have various ailments from their teeth, all at the

same time. In addition, infected root canals have a detrimental effect on the

immune system, causing a number of different illnesses.

 

For a long time, Dr. Price had trouble finding out just how the bacteria

existed in the tooth. His own experience in treating infection present in root

canals led him to believe that disinfectants controlled the organisms. Thousands

of experiments proved this assumption to be incorrect.

 

Price discovered that the dentin, which makes up 95 percent of the

structure of the teeth, was not a solid stone-like mass but consisted of very

tiny tubules. Undamaged dentin tubules contain a nutrient-dense fluid that keeps

the teeth alive and healthy. These nutrients are supplied daily to each tubule

by the artery that accompanies the nerve and vein in the root canal. The artery

does this in the same way that other arteries supply nutrients to every cell of

the body.

 

When tooth decay spreads and attacks a tooth, it can usually be removed by

a dentist and the tooth saved with a filling. However, if the decay is neglected

or not discovered until after it spreads into the root canal of the tooth

itself, then the nerve and blood vessels become infected from the bacteria which

are part of the tooth decay process.

 

The bacteria easily and rapidly travel the entire root canal and of course

they easily discover those tubules and their nutrient supply. The organisms

have, in fact, found a new home, one in which they grow and rapidly reproduce.

 

Dr. Price's microscope photographs, published along with his research,

show the dentin tubules with bacteria in them. Although most dentists know about

dentin tubules, it is only in the last few years that any have ever heard of

bacteria residing in them. I personally never heard or knew about their presence

until just four years ago when I saw Dr. Price's photographs. Remember that his

work containing the photos was published way back in 1923!

 

You will find these pictures in my book Root Canal Cover-Up, along with

several recent electron microscope pictures. The electron microscope photographs

magnify these tubules and bacteria up to 5,000 times, making the bacteria, which

are much smaller than the period at the end of this sentence, appear as big as

peas in a pod.

 

Most dentists are unfamiliar with the presence of bacteria in the dentin

tubules and are ignorant of the fact that these bacteria escape and spread

throughout the body, causing a vast number of degenerative diseases.

 

Your dentist may think that the disinfecting treatment he uses during root

canal therapy would cause the death of these bacteria. Treatment does kill most

bacteria in the root canal, but Price found that not one of the over 100

disinfectants he studied was capable of penetrating the tubules. The same holds

true for antibiotics today.

 

Some dentists argue that the bacteria die off because the root canal

filling blocks off their source of nutrients. Unfortunately, this is not the

case. In fact, the bacteria are capable of mutating and changing their form.

Price found that the challenge of a changed environment actually caused the

organisms to become more virile and their toxins much more toxic. It will

interest you to know that this discovery of Dr. Price's was confirmed in recent

times by a German oncologist named Dr. Josef Issel. He was able to identify

these toxins and found them to be closely related to the same chemicals used by

the Germans in World War I to make mustard gas.

 

The bacteria which contribute to most of today's diseases no longer can be

killed by antibiotics because the same polymorphic ability of bacteria to

mutate, change and adjust that happens in root canals is happening to these

organisms in response to antibiotics. These bacteria are involved in most

illnesses.

 

How do bacteria -- apparently trapped in the dentin tubules -- escape to

other parts of the body? There are billions of germs in tubules of root

canal-treated teeth and those in the vicinity of any of the lateral accessory

root canals present in all teeth, can escape into them. From there they travel

into the tooth's surrounding periodontal membrane. This is the hard, fibrous

membrane that holds the tooth in its bony socket and keeps it from falling out.

 

The bacteria then spread throughout the periodontal membrane and from

there it is easy for them to escape into the surrounding bony network. Everybody

knows that cancer cells can metastasize and break away from the main cancer and

travel to another gland, organ or tissue. Similarly, when bacteria get into the

tooth's bony socket, they also get into the blood supply of the jaw, allowing

them to metastasize and travel in the blood vessels to another gland, organ or

tissue and establish a whole new infection.

 

This is called focal infection -- caused when an infection in one part of

the body travels to another part and sets up a new site of infection. The

American Association of Endodontists -- which I helped organize and which lists

me as a life member -- states that they have proven over the years that the

focal infection theory is invalid. The arguments they cite are incorrect. They

are based on false assumptions.

 

There are several reasons why they have been misled about this. One is the

fact that 25 to 30 percent of people seem to get along with root-canal-filled

teeth for many years without any detrimental effects. Dr. Price studied that

very problem. He found that those people who had no history of degenerative

diseases usually had strong immune systems which were capable of engulfing any

bacteria present and prevented them from becoming sick. However, Price found

that if these same people suffered a severe accident, a bad case of the flu or

some serious stress problem, their immune systems that had been protecting them

would become so compromised that they would then become ill with a degenerative

disease.

 

What about the 70 percent of our people who have poorer immune systems to

start with? Price found -- and we are finding today -- that they develop

degenerative diseases much sooner, many of them right after completion of the

root canal treatment.

 

The endodontists' efforts to save teeth are desirable and admirable, but

in their enthusiasm for saving teeth they too often lose the patient. They cite

numbers of studies that they believe establish the efficacy of root canal

treatment but they never mention the bacteria in the dental tubules. It they

want to deny the finding of Dr. Price in this regard, it behooves them to come

up with peer review research to prove his findings are inaccurate. Their

assertion that this is " old research that has been disproved " is only a

statement -- a statement without scientific backing.

 

In the April 1944 Journal of Endodontics, the message from outgoing

President Eric J. Hoveland, DDS, MEd, MBA stated that formerly, endodontists

took great pride in being scientists, but " now it is much different. " The talk

is on new products and " manufacturer led " innovations in equipment. Where is the

science, the biology? It must continue to be the basis for this specialty.

 

As I began to present Dr. Price's research about root canals, I had hoped

that the American Association of Endodontists would take a serious look at his

discoveries and that they would then initiate research to discover how to kill

the bacteria in the dentin tubules and successfully treat tooth infections. At

present, they have failed to face these issues. However, numbers of

independent-minded dentists have been using new and different approaches.

Ultrasound, lasers, colloidal silver, garlic, Enderlein sanum remedies,

nutrition, the French calcium oxide treatment and prayer are among the

approaches being investigated. It is gratifying that people have at last become

concerned about the extraction of infected teeth and are impatient for a better

solution. Keep in mind, to be scientific and actually prove the safety of any

treatment procedure takes time. Such research challenges our patience and

ability to face the conditions that currently confront us.

 

For those facing the dilemma of existing root canals, the status of one's

health and its maintenance is the paramount consideration. The effect of dental

infection upon one's immune system must be considered. People with degenerative

disease often live long lives, but unfortunately such longevity is marred by

suffering and disabilities. At the same time, the resulting degenerative

diseases do cause many to die before their time. This is the main question that

one must face in considering whether or not to remove root-canal-filled teeth.

The problem is: How good is our immune system and how long will it be able to

protect us?

 

The spirit of " alternative " or " functional " medicine demands that each

individual assume responsibility for his own health. In order to do so, one must

learn everything he can about his problem. If you have a root canal or

periodontal disease, the best way to gain this information is to read and study

my report of Dr. Price's research, Root Canal Cover-Up, so that you will have

sufficient background to assess the opinions of doctors and dentists with whom

you consult, as they often know nothing of research discoveries.

 

If you are a professional or are capable of digesting technical data, you

can contact the PPNF office for copies of Dr. Price's original two volumes.

 

Having performed root canal therapy for many years, I read Dr. Price's two

volumes of documentation with utter shock. I became very concerned about the

millions of people who are suffering illness from the infection still present in

their root canal-filled teeth.

 

I worried about how PPNF would ever find someone with sufficient

background to adequately bring the subject to the public and to health

professionals. It would have been easy enough to make copies of Dr. Price's two

volumes available to health professionals alone, but such an approach would have

ensured that Dr. Price's research remained obscure. The public had to be told.

 

Because of my 30-year service with PPNF, as well as my extensive

professional background, it seemed that I was the logical person to take on the

task of informing the public and medical profession about Dr. Price's root canal

research discoveries. It wasn't an easy decision as it was obvious that anyone

doing so would risk alienating many colleagues and friends, and would certainly

invite resentment and anger. On the other hand, I knew that many were ill

because of these dental and oral infections. In dwelling on their plight, I

began to realize that I was being given an opportunity, a calling, and a

privilege to inform people everywhere of the relevance of Dr. Price's work to

the state of their personal health.

 

On June 25, 1993, the first edition came off the press. It sold out in

seven months. During that time, I learned much more about the problem of jawbone

cavitation infections that often occur where infected teeth have been previously

extracted. Therefore, I rewrote Chapter 24 for the second edition, and made some

other minor changes. The title was shortened and the cover changed. This

somewhat larger printing sold out in one year. In April of 1996, our fourth

printing came off the press.

 

Book publishers and authors tell us that this is a very good record for a

self-published book. In 1996, 1 gave lectures to 21 organizations (mostly

medical, dental and other health professionals) and was interviewed on 28 radio

and two television stations. These appearances have been a great boost to book

sales.

 

The word about the serious side effects of root canal therapy is getting

out. Those who have been suffering from these infections are talking. Three

years ago, the Root Canal Association stated that there are 20 million root

canals being treated each year. The logical conclusion is that a high percentage

of our current degenerative disease epidemic can be laid at the door of the

cover-up of Dr. Price's research over 70 years ago.

 

You are all aware that many of the great medical discoveries sometimes

take years and years of research to locate the organism causing the disease. In

almost all cases it is one organism causing one disease.

 

Dr. Price found that at least 20 organisms were responsible for infections

in the teeth. These 20 organisms caused not one disease but numbers of oral and

dental illnesses. But more importantly these germs are responsible for an

enormous number of medical diseases manifesting in other parts of the body.

These discoveries of Dr. Price greatly overshadow any single medical disease

discovered by other physicians. Dr. Price should have received the Nobel Price

for all his discoveries, but that eluded him when his work was covered up.

 

In the hours and hours of time I have spent with the studies of the work

of that genius, I have concluded that:

 

DR. WESTON PRICE'S 25-YEAR ROOT CANAL

RESEARCH RANKS AS ONE OF THE GREATEST

DISCOVERIES IN THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE.

 

Dr. Meinig's book, Root Canal Cover-Up, is available $19.95. Dr. Price's

book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration is available for $19.95, and his

two-volume work Dental Infections and Degenerative Diseases is available for

$120.

 

 

 

All information 1997,1998, 1999 PPNF. All rights reserved.

Contact The Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation at

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