From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris)
Subject: Re: natural treatment for serious dental abscess?
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative,alt.folklore.herbs,
	alt.health.dental-amalgam

In <real-2409971224110001@burn-mx1018808.smartt.com> real@ddress.inside
(Just Me) writes:

>Hi folks -
>
>I need to decide if I'm going to proceed with surgical treatment of a
>failed root canal. The following raises the question if self-care is
>possible or advised in cases of advanced infection.
>
>This tooth has been causing me trouble for about 4 years. It's a large
>tooth, second from the lower back. The root canal was performed 2 years
>ago and four canals were successfully treated. However, the tooth
>continued to abscess with gum swelling and severe and numbing pain.
>Reopening the canals for a 2nd retreatment with calcium was done to
>little effect, and the tooth eventually subsided to a sustained low-grade
>infection, with a small gum boil providing a drainage valve for
>occasional pus. My dentist had never seen a case like this where,
>although the root canal looked impeccably clean, there was a continued
>and unidentifiable source of infection. We agreed to wait and see if it
>cleared up on its own before performing the crown.
>
>Generally I find myself extremely sensitive to dental work and because of
>the number of fillings in my mouth I've been concerned about possible
>sensitivity to mercury toxicity, and that this could be one of the main
>compromising factors in my health and immune system. I'm familiar with the
>book "Root Canal Cover Up" as well and have been to a dentist who advises
>to never have root canal treatment and always pull the tooth. I've
>decided to try to save the tooth but because of this long-term saga I've
>reached the crisis point on it now.
>
>Although I don't have the strongest immune system, I still believe in my
>body's ability to heal itself. But an endodontic specialist has now
>advised me that this is impossible and that I have only two options:
>
>    1) an apicoectomy, to surgically open the gums and snip off the roots
>of the tooth, in the hope (without any guarantee) that this will
>remove the source of the infection (cost about $1000 plus the crown);
>    or 2) yank the tooth out and replace it will a bridge and three
>crowns (about $1500). Once the tooth is out, he could guarantee that
>the lost bone tissue will grow back and the area will heal.
>
>I asked if I could not continue self-treatment to attempt to clear the
>infection. After all, this was the intention of the original root canal,
>that my body would re-heal after the infection. His reply: absolutely
>not. The condition was obviously worsening and if not treated would
>continue to eat my jaw away and potentially affect other teeth as well. 2
>years after the root canal work the problem is sustaining at the same
>level, with no pain and occassional pus. Viewing the history of x-rays
>over the last two years show the condition has considerably progressed
>with significant amount of bone loss.
>
>Well, I don't buy this argument. If bone can be lost, it can certainly
>grow back. I don't want to blindly buy into the Western *medical mindset*
>of surgery at all costs, before attempting to heal myself naturally. So I
>am seeking advice and instruction on the best and safest way to proceed
>on treating myself with combination of nutritional, herbal (internal and
>external) plus homeopathic remedies. I think it could have become much
>worse except for my vigilant treatment with remedies named below.
>
>what I don't want to do is just heal the symptoms of the problem. If that
>gum boil heals up and closes there will no longer be drainage for the
>infection and pressure and pain will quickly rocket. I want to maintain a
>program of complementary therapies that will include anti-infective,
>bone-healing, etc.
>
>what treatment will most specifically address the source of infection?



   Most infections can generally not be gotten out without getting out
the foreign object-- in this case the nastily abscessed tooth.  By best
advice (warning- I'm not a dentist; just an internist with a couple of
bad teeth in my history) is get the thing pulled.  Or get a second
opinion from a periodontist who does dental implants (those titanium
screws into the the jaw that support crowns when your own roots have
finally given up the ghost).  You can have the bad tooth pulled, and at
the same time on the same day have a bone graft of powder into the
socket, which will begin the healing process.  In a few months you can
have the screw put in under the gum, and within a year you can have a
crown there.  If you just let an infection poop along you may lose so
much bone you'll lose the whole set.  Your endodontist probably doesn't
do the screw implants, and probably is balking at referring you.  One
last thing-- in generally don't let them put in more than one tooth per
screw.  Bridges suck if you can avoid them.

   That said, if you must try antibiotics, use the big guns.  That's
Augmentin 250 twice a day with a boost of penicillin VK 500 four times
a day, and 600 mg rifampin on a completely empty stomach (your urine
must turn orange for you to be taking this correctly).  Do this for one
or even 2 months.