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  The Public and Dental Profession Universally Believe Dental X-Ray Pictures Almost Always Reveal TheThe public and the medical/dental profession alike universally believe dental x-ray pictures almost always reveal the presence of infections,the extent of it,and that from such pictures a proper treatment plan can be determined. Yet every dentist knows there are frequently patients who suffer mild or even severe toothaches that defy detection of infection or pathology through oral examination or x-ray pictures.Because of the limited amount of room inside the mouth due to the location of cheekbones, the hard palate,and other facial features, it is - for the most part - impossible to obtain a straight-on x-ray pictures of teeth. This results in distortion of the image and a frequent hiding of abnormal changes that may be present. The dental profession has become quite expert at minimizing such problems,but difficulties do exist and they must be taken into consideration such problems,but difficulties do exit and they must be taken into consideration when assessing whether pathology is present. Lateral accessory root canals can open into the back part of a root and become infected,but not be visible on x-ray pictures. It is also not unusual for a dentist to remove a tooth having an obvious infection at the end of the root and have the patient still complain of a toothche. Further investigation finally discloses the presence of infection of a tooth nearby the one just removed. The picture on the following page shows some of the hidden conditions which can exist. For this reason people often think their dentist removed the wrong tooth. What has occurred is that the first tooth extracted may or may not have been involved in the cause of the toothache,but it showed more obvious pathology problems and it did need removal. The concinued pain reveals the fact a second tooth is involved. This happens more often than one might imagine. Cracks in teeth from injuries or biting on something hard can also be difficult to locate and are almost never visible on x-ray pictures. It is such frequent circumstances and frustrations which keep the life of a dentist far from being dull. Dentists are taught to tell patients to have root canal fillings checked every year or two,as we know that no matter how excellent the treatment,hidden lateral canals which cannot be seen on x-ray pictures can contain infection. Patients invariably forget this advice and,because of the desire to limit the use of radiation, they and their dentist often put off these follow-ups. As we discussed,even when teeth appear perfectly normal on examination and on x-ray pictures,Price found thousands of cases which still contained bacteria and their toxins. It is common and logical to assume that when a large area of destruction appears in the bone at the end of the root of a tooth,a severe dental infection is present. However,as was previously stated,Dr.Price discovered the bacteria count and severity of infection was often much worse in those having only small amounts of bone loss around the root ends of teeth than those exhibiting a greater degree of bone destruction. Of course,both of these are bad situations to have present in one's mouth,but the difference in the bacterial activity of each discloses how much misunderstanding exists concerning the infections of teeth. Most dentists today, I dare say, will find the information presented in the previous paragraph unbelievable. To sceptics, may I refer you to an article which appeared in oral surgery, 1966; 21; 659 by Dr. S.N. Baskar, and another by MlH. Stern that appeared in the Journal of Dental Research, 1979; 50;130. Both pointed out that the visual areas of abnormalities on x-ray pictures are not necessarily areas of infection harboring bacteria. Dr. Stern stated that,for the most part,such visible areas are lesions that have been idenfied as radicular cysts and granulomas. The granulomas are reactive lesions caused by bacterial destruction originating from an infected root canal that opens into that area. experiments indicate the granuloma is a response of cells to the bacteria in the root canal,but, at the same time,bacterial cultures taken from the areas of lost bone at the root end of the tooth have proven negative 85 to 100 percent of the time. Copyright (c) 2007 Sung Lee, and George Meinig D.D.S Free Article Source: http://www.za77.org About The Author: Dr. George Meinig, D.D.S., F.A.C.D. is a Founder of the Association of Root Canal Specialists Discovers Evidence That Root Canals Damage Your Health Learn What to Do. Learn how Dr. George Meinig discovered that a meticulous 25 year research program. To subscribe to the newsletter: Visit:http://www.1stultimategumsolution.com Edited and prepared by Sung Lee, alternate author |