The Toxic Tooth: APPENDIX F Protocol for Optimal Health

 

APPENDIX F

Protocol for Optimal Health

Overview

While the aim of this book is to make clear the negative health consequences of root canal-treated teeth, periodontal disease, and cavitations, this chapter will attempt to give the reader an optimal program for minimizing increased oxidative stress throughout the body. Increased oxidative stress is involved in the genesis, maintenance, and progression of all diseases, and the more effectively that this oxidative stress is chronically minimized, the better health will be.

Even though it is never recommended to have the root canal procedure or to leave existing root canal-treated teeth in the mouth, it is realized that many people will opt to keep their root canal-treated teeth for any of a number of reasons. With this in mind, then, the following recommendations apply even more to those who leave root canal-treated teeth in their mouths, as all infections and toxins are strongly pro-oxidant, resulting in the worsening of all chronic degenerative diseases. Greater detail on the recommended protocol below is covered in an earlier book, Death by Calcium .

All increased oxidative stress results from increased toxin exposure and decreased antioxidant/nutrient stores. Addressing only toxin exposure or only good nutrition and supplementation will always fall short of the goal. Nevertheless, addressing only one of the two issues is vastly better than addressing neither.

So, regardless of whether you remove your dental sources of infections and toxins, the following general recommendations are offered to help you in your quest for optimal health.

Primary Dental Issues

If you have reached this place in the book you are probably thinking that you never want to see another dentist ever again. The truth is that there are

many fine dentists treating diseases of the oral cavity every day and providing a great service to their patients. Preventive dentistry such as sealants to help prevent occlusal decay, regular cleanings to prevent gum disease, and early intervention to restore areas of tooth decay all help to maintain a disease-free state in the mouth. Most importantly, diligent daily home care can prevent the occurrence or progression of dental disease so that periodontal issues and infected teeth are unlikely to develop. Consider following each of these suggestions.

1. Remove root canal-treated teeth (see Appendix D for protocol).

2. Have your dentist check for any other non-viable or infected teeth

   and decide if enough evidence supports monitoring a suspect

   tooth or extracting it.

3. Surgically debride cavitations (see Appendix D for protocol).

4. Address existing gum disease and practice the following oral

   hygiene procedures.

Oral Hygiene Measures

Tooth Brushing: Tooth brushing should be done at least twice daily, once in the morning and then again right before bed. An electric soft toothbrush is recommended. There are many good brands on the market. Some of the battery-powered rotary type brushes found in the supermarket or pharmacy work extremely well. With a rotary brush just hold the toothbrush in place and let the rotary action of the bristles do the work. It is important to brush all tooth surfaces as well as the gums. Place the toothbrush at a 45o angle towards the gums so that the toothbrush bristles gently slide under the gum and clean the periodontal sulcus. It should take about two minutes to thoroughly brush the entire mouth. Any less time and you are probably not doing a sufficient job.

Flossing: Flossing is recommended to manually debride the sides of the tooth and the interproximal gingival sulcus where tooth brushing does not reach. Flossing once daily at bedtime with thin

unwaxed dental floss is a good routine. Floss between all the teeth, taking care to run the floss against the surface of both adjacent teeth. Do not pull the floss back up and out. Instead pull the floss out the side. This prevents the re-deposit of plaque and foodstuff at the contact point of the adjacent teeth. Use a clean section of floss for each area cleaned. If your flossing causes gum bleeding, you are doing it wrong, or you need to first improve the general health of your gums with the oral water irrigation routine described below.

Oral Water Irrigation: Oral water irrigation, known to many as the Waterpik® , is essential for restoring and maintaining gum health. Nothing else really does the job that good water irrigation achieves. If you have ever brushed and flossed and then immediately used a Waterpik® , you likely saw bits of food debris still coming out in spite of your being thorough in your cleaning efforts. That is because a focal and high-pressure water jet gets to places that brushing and flossing simply cannot. Set the Waterpik® on medium intensity. Direct the flow of water in between the teeth and towards the gums so that the water is squirted into the gingival sulcus (space between the tooth and gum). The water stream will flush out any food. If used daily, it will prevent the maturation of plaque on the root surface. If your gums bleed, go to a lower pressure level and work your way up. Many people will go from bleeding significantly at low pressure levels to not bleeding at all at the highest pressure levels after a few weeks. This is a clear indicator of significantly improved gum health.

The water stream will also disrupt the bacterial colonies present under the gum and prevent them from establishing mature colonies, thereby significantly lessening the chances of developing gum disease. We also recommend adding natural non-alcohol containing mouthwash to the Waterpik® water reservoir. Fill the reservoir 3⁄4 full with warm water and fill the remaining 1⁄4 with mouthwash. After about one week of daily use, you should see significant improvement in gingival (gum) health and

appearance. When trying to reverse existing gum disease, adding a tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide to the reservoir is a good idea.

Note: Waterpik® use is especially important around dental implants. The gingival tissue around dental implants does not insert into the implant post in the same way that the gingival fibers insert into the tooth root surface. As a result, any inflammation of the gingival tissue around dental implant posts allows easy access for bacteria to migrate into the jawbone. Keeping the gingival tissue around dental implants healthy and free of inflammation is essential in the long-term success of the implant.

Cosmetic Dentistry

This is a sensitive issue. Everyone wants a beautiful smile and there are amazing things that can be done with cosmetic dentistry. Tooth veneers can dramatically improve your smile with a fraction of the tooth preparation that is needed for crowns. Therefore the risk of inducing pulp damage from a veneer is relatively low. However it is our opinion that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

What we mean by this is that any time you touch a tooth with a dental drill, you are causing damage to the tooth. The more extensive the procedure, such as for a crown (cap) where all of the enamel and some of the dentin is removed from the tooth, the more chance the pulp tissue will die. Further, even the best crown margins (the interface between the crown and the natural tooth) can leak over time allowing bacteria to get under the crown causing decay and eventually infection of the pulp.

In short, the least amount of dentistry required in repairing decay the better. Nothing is as good as a vital natural tooth. The minute you cut into the tooth it becomes compromised. See your dentist regularly to diagnose and treat decay early, thereby keeping filling size to a minimum and preserving the maximum amount of natural tooth structure. Cleanings every six months will help to keep the periodontal tissues in tiptop shape.

Good Health Protocol

Goals of a good health protocol include:

1. Minimize new toxin exposure (dental toxicity is usually the dominant source in most people)

2. Eradicate acute and chronic infections (this would include chronically-infected tonsils, even after root canal-treated teeth have been extracted)

3. Eliminate accumulated toxins (involves any of a variety of chelators and other toxin mobilizers, such as sweating in a sauna)

4. Improve or normalize critical regulatory hormones (testosterone, estrogen, and thyroid)

5. Optimize antioxidant and nutrient levels, especially vitamin C

6. Appropriate use of prescription medicine (modern medicine can

   help at times when meeting the first five goals does not completely do the job)

Suggested Supplementation

Supplement

Daily Oral Dose

Special Instructions

Vitamin C as sodium ascorbate or ascorbic acid	6,000 to 15,000 mg	Depending upon bowel tolerance, in two to four divided doses throughout the day
Vitamin C in liposome- encapsulated form	1,000 to 2,000 mg
Vitamin C in a fat-soluble form as ascorbyl palmitate	1,000 to 2,000 mg	Divided into two doses

Lysine

Proline

5,000 mg

1,000 mg

Divided into two doses

Divided into two doses

Vitamin D3

5,000 units (Starting Dose!)

Adjust by blood testing to stay as close to a 50 ng/cc blood level as possible over time

Vitamin K2 (menaquinone-4, or menatetrenone)

3 to 6 mg

Magnesium glycinate 400 mg Divided into two doses

Omega-3 fish oil (EPA and DHA content)	1 to 2 grams	Divided into two doses
Mixed tocopherols (vitamin E source)	800 IU	Divided into two doses
Beta carotene (vitamin A source)	25,000 to 50,000 IU
Complete B vitamin complex (as from Life Extension Foundation)	1 to 2 Capsules	Divided into two doses if taking 2 capsules
Specifically AVOID any supplementation with copper, calcium, or iron; iron should only be taken for laboratory-documented iron deficiency anemia

Beyond the scope of this book, but covered in Death by Calcium , are included the ways to best track diseases and their response to therapy, along with the most important laboratory testing that needs to be followed.

Remember that you need to be completely in charge of your health, and a good physician will work with you to achieve this goal.

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