San Diego Holistic Dentist Performs Biocompatible Root Canals

 

San Diego, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/19/2014 -- Dr. Daniel Vinograd, a holistic dentist located in San Diego, uses biocompatible materials and gentle practices to relieve pain and save teeth. There has been a great deal of controversy in the world of dentistry, particularly holistic dentistry, surrounding root canals. Root canals are the alternative to extraction when dealing with abscessed teeth.

Root canals much like we know them today were developed in the mid-1700s. The procedure improved over the next two centuries until the field of endodontics was developed in 1963. Endodontics is the dental specialty that focuses on root canals and the internal structure of the tooth.

Dr. Vinograd explains what happens with a root canal. “Basically you have a package of a nerve, vein, and artery inside every tooth. Some teeth have three, four, five. Some teeth have just one. And when there’s inflammation and infection in this area, a dentist has to make an access through the top, remove this material, this organic material right here, and then fill it with something to make the difference up.”

When a tooth becomes abscessed, or infected, it must be treated in order to prevent the infection from spreading. Dr. Weston Price, considered by some to be the father of modern holistic dentistry, is known for his research into the link between dental health and overall health. In one study, he took infected teeth, including those with root canals, and placed them under the skin of lab animals. These animals quickly became ill, most often with any illness that had plagued the patient. Some of the animals died from the infection. This study led to a number of concerns regarding root canals in particular and leaving infected teeth in the mouth in general.

The reaction of some to the results of this research was automatic and reflexive vilification. Dr. Vinograd, however, was determined to get to the bottom of it. “What was about the root canal, though, that created the problems?” He asked and believes he found at least part of the answer.

“Root canals that were done traditionally had been performed with hydrophobic materials, which is materials that actually contract in the presence of moisture.” Dr. Vinograd explains, “There’s moisture in the body, there’s moisture in the mouth, always, so when you have a material that’s hydrophobic, you’re going to actually have the materials contract. What happens when the materials contract inside of this space is that you start getting micro pockets, and in those micro pockets you have bacteria, anaerobic bacteria that creates a lot of damage.”

Dr. Vinograd looked for alternatives to traditional root canal fillers and found a product called Bee Sealer, which had been used in knee surgeries and was found to actually stimulate bone growth.

“The nice thing about this material was that it actually was hydrophilic – it liked moisture and it would expand. So you can see that if we have a material here that actually expands, there’s a much better chance that this is going to be sealed without any pockets in it.” Dr. Vinograd explains that Bee Sealer “has a pH of 12.8, another significant advantage. Also, it doesn’t become completely solid for a couple of days. Because of this, the material continues its work sterilizing long after the root canal therapy is complete. Any pH above 12 destroys bacteria, according to recently published research.” This allows the Bee Sealer to destroy any bacteria that may have been left behind as the root is removed.

For more about holistic dentistry, visit Dr. Vinograd’s website at: http://biocompatibledentist.org

Contact:
Ari Vinograd
619-382-3171
staff@biocompatibledentist.org