Ellie,
Thank you for speaking to me on Thursday. I have attached my x-rays from
last year and from last week, what I was wondering is, you had mentioned
that some cavities can actually go away with following the 3 step process
you told me to do. My dentist seems to think that the only option is root
canals & crowns…… What is your opinion based on the x-rays???
Thank you,
Donna
Hi D,
Thanks for your confidence in my opinion.
Scanned X rays on my computer are not clear enough to give detailed advice
from them.
Also, I am not in a position to diagnose, without first talking to your
dentist, but I can tell you the following general things:
When you see a “black” hole on an X ray it is usually not a real “hole” in
the tooth.
The X ray picture makes it look like a hole, but really it is where tooth
minerals have dissolved away ( we talked about why this happens on the
phone).
This leaves the tooth softer and unable to “bounce” X rays off its surface.
With soft teeth, X rays hit the tooth and travel on through making the X
ray picture “look black”.
When we put minerals back into this tooth ( which happens with the use of
frequent exposures to xylitol + the ACT rinsing etc) hard mineral particles
can now return/bounce X rays off their surface and back to the film. This
makes the X ray picture of your tooth look lighter/whiter in this area. This
is interpreted by your dentist as a tooth that is healthy( full of minerals)
and hard. Putting back minerals is a “process” called remineralization.
Remineralization can be very effective at repairing teeth and helping them
become strong and healthy again.
Until you have symptoms ( hot and cold sensitivity) or a completely broken
tooth ( a real physical “hole”) this repair is possible.
You should use the system that I recommend exactly as I recommend no
substitutions even correct toothpaste is important!
Some dentists recommend strong fluoride gels to brush on teeth in an effort
to repair them.
This gel cannot fix the deeper part of the problem in fact studies show
that the gels are not as good at dilute rinses like ACT.
The fluoride can only fix the outside/ “skin” of the tooth so you need to
combine the rinses with xylitol to repair completely.
You need Zellies/xylitol + dilute fluoride rinses ( preferably the system I
recommend) for this healing to occur.
Xylitol works on the deeper “flesh” of the tooth while the rinses work on
the outside.
Do I think that these teeth need a root canal?
No one can diagnose this from “bitewing” X rays even if you are sitting in
my dental chair.
If you have no symptoms, and no physical “hole” we would need pictures of
the “end” of the root to determine the health of the nerve inside.
We would look closely around the end of the root on something called a
“periapical” X ray We would be looking for a change from normal ( how we expect this area to
look in a healthy tooth).
None of this shows on bitewing X rays ( the ones you attached).
If we had a periapical X ray, and If the end of the root shows changes this picture would suggests that the nerve has died.
If the nerve of a tooth dies, then you need a root canal to remove the
swollen tissue inside the tooth.
At this stage, however I would expect you to experience symptoms. .
I am happy to talk with your dentist, the one who sent you to talk with me.
Let me know.
Ellie
26 Corporate Woods
Rochester, NY 14623
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