Root Canal Surgery: Toxic Bacteria

There are risks involved with any surgery and dental surgery is no exception. Unforeseen issues can occur when you have root canal work done and these complications can cause future health problems including a phenomenon known as toxic tooth (also referred to as toxic root canal).


One main problem area that is distinct to root canal surgery is that after the operation bacteria within the now sealed tooth can continue to breed and potentially find a pathway into the bloodstream where it has the perfect opportunity to play havoc on the patient's immune system. Although the main bulk of pulp from a tooth is removed during surgery, within the root of the tooth there remain hundreds of thousands of tiny tubules designed to carry nutrients to the tooth and these become the pathway that the now enclosed bacteria use to travel into the body. Dentists fill the main cavity of the tooth but have no means of removing or filling the approximately 1.5 million microscopic tubules within each tooth. 

With the death of the tooth these tiny tubules also begin to die and to rot. Add to this the fact that some of the initial bacteria from the inflamed tooth may still be present within the now enclosed tooth. In either case of how these toxins may have remained, the bacteria from the now rotting material enters into the blood stream of the infected person and can begin causing residual health problems.

The second reasoning as to why Toxic Tooth may occur is due the materials that are used to seal and fill the cavity of the tooth. These materials may themselves be poisonous to the body and begin to seep into the patients blood stream. They may be just foreign enough to cause a continuous immune system response to begin within the body and especially if the patient already has a sensitive immune system. 
Symptoms of this syndrome will generally begin displaying shortly after the surgery is performed. Toxic root canal is an after effect of dental surgery that no one wants.

Serious complications can arise if a diseased tooth is not properly cared for so visiting your dentist on a regular basis to care for your dental needs is indeed just as important to your over all health as is keeping regular appointments with your general practitioner. But what happens when even doing the right thing doesn't work? There are times when even good dental work goes bad. Which is why it is important to know all the risks involved with your dental procedure. Before you undergo any surgical procedure it is well worth taking that extra minute or two to investigate all the benefits versus risks of the procedure.

Confused as to What a Root Canal Involves?


A root canal is a dental therapy whereby an infected or dead tooth can be treated without removing the tooth itself.The centre nerve tissue of the tooth is removed by hollowing out the tooth chamber, the cavity is sterilized, a new filling material is installed, and then the tooth is sealed with either an amalgam, porcelain, or gold cap. 

Root canal work is a very common dental procedure with approximately 25 million Americans undergoing this procedure each year. Most people have no residual side effects and go on to live out their normal lives while other individuals do suffer ill effects and enter into a series of health complications brought on by this standard treatment they presumed to be safe. It is important to note that Amalgam is also being studied for its possible contributing health risks. 

Vintage dental clinic

Thus came Dr. Weston Price's research into toxic teeth. Dr. Weston Price brought up the issue of toxic root canal way back in the 1940's. His research into this phenomenon was so extensive and accurate that it is still considered valid and current even today. Unfortunately Dr. Price's life work lies in the most part hidden away. It is rarely discussed with patients or taught to upcoming dentistry students and this despite the fact that this syndrome is still acknowledged as a very serious dental issue.

Dr. Price's research revolved around a concept of toxic bacteria. It involved the implanting of teeth which had been extracted from root canal work, normal or newly extracted wisdom teeth, and general foreign objects such as coins or pieces of glass into tens of thousands of rabbits. Although the teeth from root canal procedures were sterilized before implanting them, the rabbits generally died shortly after receiving them. Those that lived generally went on to develop degenerative illnesses leading to the theory that these could be caused by a reaction of the body to the tooth bacteria.

The test subjects showed no response when other objects or "normal teeth" were implanted into the animal. Instead the rabbits merely formed new skin over the object. Despite his many continued trials Dr. Price's research remained consistent in its findings. All evidence pointed towards a toxicity within the teeth removed during root canal work.
Further research done by Dr. Boyd Haley of the University of Kentucky indicates that up to 75 percent of teeth from root canal work may have bacterial infections remaining within the tubules.

If you have had root canal surgery performed in the past and have suffered to some degree from health problems since that time then toxic root canal will be something you might want to research just a little further.

Your health problems may actually stem from the dental work you had performed in the past. The body is a complex system and sometimes it does not like being disrupted. Autoimmune illness occurs when the immune system launches an attack on healthy human tissue in an ill fated attempt to remove what it believes is a foreign invader within the body. For those of you who are healthy you may want to discuss the issue of toxic root canal with your dentist before you undergo your next root canal surgery.

Related Articles by Lorelei Cohen
A Natural Anti-Inflammatory: Shea Butter Lotion
Power of a Smile Day Activities
Sneaking the Kid's Halloween Candy Away From Them
Antioxidant Foods: How and Why They Work
​~ Dust Mite Covers for Indoor Allergy Relief
Old Wives Tales and Inspirational Old Country Proverbs
~ Foods That are Good for Your Brain