I opened my eyes to catch a glimpse of the activity above my head, but quickly shut them as the shrill of the dental drill filled my ears.

I was reclined in my dentist’s chair while he proceeded with the root canal. I had vehemently refused to have a root canal when he first suggested it four years ago.

” No doctor I won’t have a root canal. Root canals are deadly’‘ I said. ”Are you aware of the research carried out by Dr Weston Price”?
” Yes, I am” He said. ”But things are done very differently today.”

And he then went on to explain how the technique for performing root canals had changed since the 1920s when Dr Price published his controversial findings. He pointed out that today’s procedures can destroy over 98% of bacteria in the canals and the sealants used occludes the deepest tributaries of the root canal making it very difficult for microbes to fester in root canals and spread infections. The very reason Dr Price considered root canals deadly.

In the 1920s, Dr Price, a dentist, made a connection between the root canals he was performing and the contraction of chronic diseases especially heart diseases. He investigated root canals and carried out a series of experiments that suggested root canals encouraged the growth of harmful microbes that can spread in the body and cause infectious diseases. He showed that extracted root canals could cause infections in mice 100% of times.

He theorised that the severance of the nerves in root canals left the canals vulnerable to infections as destroying the nerves invariably suppresses the immune system. The inevitable consequence was that microbes that found a way into the root canal would turn into breathing grounds for harmful bacteria because of the lack of a viable immune system in the root canals.

I had been aware of the works of Dr price many years before I started having problems with the tooth and had recoiled in horror when my dentist suggested a root canal.

” What are the alternatives” I asked
” Well you can have the tooth extracted, or you can have a tooth implant. But I wouldn’t recommend a tooth extraction because the tooth is still viable”.

My dentist then continued to describe the lengthy and complicated process of having a tooth extracted and reimplanted. It didn’t appeal to me one bit. And I wasn’t ready to have a tooth extracted. I had removed three already and wasn’t willing to lose a smiley tooth!

I told him I only wanted the cavity that exposed the root canal filled, and that I was going to manage the infected root canal conservatively as Dr Price suggested. According to Dr Price, root canal infections are best treated with painkillers and antibiotics until the pain subsides.

And this is what I did. I used Colloidal Silver solution, a natural antibiotic to treat the aerobic bacterial infection and gargled with MMS (Chlorine Dioxide) solution to address the anaerobic microbes. And it worked within a week, and for one year I was pain-free.

And then the pain started again. I had observed good dental hygiene, cut out sweets (wasn’t easy for me, I have a sweet tooth!) and minimised the risk of infections with Colloidal Silver as well as supporting my immune system. But it didn’t stop the infection from returning, and It became so painful I had to see my dentist again.

” Well” he said ” You have developed another cavity, an even bigger one. You really should consider a root canal. Your tooth is only going to get worse, and it might even be too late for the root canal, and the infection could spread to your other teeth.”

I was disturbed by what he said, but I still wasn’t having a root canal. I asked him if he could repair the cavity, and he said he could but would strongly advise against it as it had gone beyond repairs. I told him I would accept any risk and he filled the cavity, and for a long time, I had no problems with the tooth.

About two years after my last visit to the dentist, I noticed I had developed a lump on my gum above the problem tooth. I could see it was an abscess and suspected it was related to the tooth. I could also see a very tiny point below the lump which looked like a fistula that drained the abscess. But I had no pain. I saw my dentist who confirmed my suspicions and again advised me to have a root canal. I politely declined once again and told him I would treat the abscess with antibiotics.

I managed the abscess, and after many months it started to shrink and over time completely disappeared.

After many uneventful months, the toothache returned with a vengeance.

I woke up with a dull ache in that tooth, and within a few hours, the pain had become unbearable. This pain felt very different from the previous, and even though I doubled up on the therapy, it got worse. By the third day of worsening pain, I knew I had to do something.

My dentist examined the tooth and told me it’s acutely infected. He then proceeded to tell me how root canals are safer than they’ve ever been.

Pain has a way of wearing away resistance. I had come to the end of the road, and root canals seemed to be the only option. And all I could do was to hope my dentist was right.

The procedure took about 45 minutes and was quite painless.

It’s been a few days since the root canal which has healed very well, and I no longer feel pain.

I don’t believe root canals are safe. They are probably better done today than 100 years ago when Dr Price made his observations. I also don’t see the alternatives as viable options.

My dentist said I could always extract the tooth if I saw that it was affecting my health, and that’s what I’ll do.

In the meantime, I can only hope for the best.