Hi, Dr. Ellie!
I have been reading your blog since I read about it on Tammy’s Recipes. Thanks so much for getting this information out and sharing your system with us! I have been following your CWT system for almost two weeks now, and I love it!
Earlier this year, I had a filling done on a back tooth which had aggressive decay. I have not previously had dental problems, other than a couple other fillings when I was younger. However, I had avoided xrays for several years while I was pregnant and nursing, and when they took the xrays a few months ago, this cavity showed up that had apparently been worsening for quite some time.
After he completed the filling, my dentist told me that he had thought he might have to do a root canal on the spot, since more and more decay kept sloughing off. He put in a shield, then filled it, but warned that I could very well require a root canal in the future.
My question is, will the CWT system help this situation at all, even though it’s already been filled? Will it make this tooth less likely to become infected? I plan to stick with the system regardless, for the health of my other teeth, but I would like to know I’m doing anything possible to also avoid this root canal.
-T
Hi T,
Thanks for your message. I am thrilled to hear that you are using the CWT system. I know that the Closys is expensive but you can use less it will still work. The same goes for all the rinses it is not the volume that is important it is just using it! think you are doing everything that you can for your teeth and for your children.
Prevention is the name of my game and so the sooner people start the better. Of course you cannot completely reverse problems that are already treated but using my CWT system can protect the enamel around a filling which will help extend the life of the filling.
A root canal treatment becomes necessary if a nerve inside the tooth dies. The death of a nerve inside a tooth is dependent on many factors. It sounds as if your decay was deep enough to be close or even touch the live part of the tooth during treatment. It can be a very good idea for a dentist to place a “shield” over an exposed part and most “shield” materials encourage the tooth to heal itself.
I believe that your immune system may be the main factor as to whether your tooth can now heal itself or not. If you have a strong healthy immune system the chances are that your body will deal with any infection in this region. It will also help to stimulate the cells under the “shield” to organize themselves and “fence” off this area. The inside of a tooth behaves a bit like the trunk of a tree it has a mechanism that causes it to thicken with age. Obviously teeth do not increase their outside size but the inside of teeth gets a little smaller year after year, as material is deposited inside the tooth.
I have treated elderly patients who did not have any live tissue in the center of their teeth. These teeth remain healthy even without any nerves or blood supply in the center of them. The thickening mechanism had gradually blocked away the inside of the tooth by laying down more and more tooth material. Hopefully this will happen under the part of your tooth that was decayed in this way it will gradually “heal” itself and go on living. The best thing you can do is boost your immune system a subject beyond my qualifications.
Personally I believe in good diet, adequate rest and vitamins.
It sounds as if you are doing all the correct things for your kids. At least 6 grams of xylitol each day for them preferably eaten at the end of every meal and snack.
Beware the acidity of juice and protect teeth after a juice drink with some kind of xylitol. I cannot comment to you on which kind of dentist is the best. I would ask a lot of questions. Does your dentist believe that teeth can heal themselves? Does the dentist believe in xylitol? These two questions should help you decide. If you find a dentist that answers yes to these questions let me know and we can start to post a list on my website!
Thanks again for your question and interest. If you have more concerns I would be happy to arrange a time to chat on the phone.
Take care,
Ellie
Dental Health for Everyone!
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