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Healing Crisis Following Tooth Extract: Remedies Requested

Posted By Lp (Ripon, North Yorkshire, England) on 06/06/2010

Question for Ted: Crisis following tooth extraction -

I wonder if Ted could comment on my situation and I will try to be succint. After 2 failed root canal jobs (for a sensitive upper molar)and 18 months of toothache I made the BIG mistake of telling my dentist to pull the tooth in question 5 months ago. There has followed a very challenging time, post traumatic stress after the event, socket infections, increase in teeth sensitivity and discomfort generally in my teeth and gums. It is as if my whole mouth has altered after this extraction with my gums throbbing at times, my 3 large molars that are left have become particularly sensitive (one is crowned),the tooth that has been exposed due to the extraction is very sensitve and I still have toothache in the area though the gum is now fully healed. Prior to this I had no out of the ordinary teeth or gum problems, a lot of fillings in my back teeth from too many sweets when younger but no gum disease. I have visited dentists who don't really offer an answer as to why this has happened and suggest a gum shield for ÃÂ£200-ÃÂ£500 to help with the clenching that has happened since this event - I think the clenching has reduced somewhat recently. They have tested my gums which score 1 which is very good I am told. At times it feels as if the ph in my mouth has changed and from day to day I am troubled with my teeth, mouth and gums which feel at best uncomfortable and at worst I have generalised tooth and gum ache. I have now been oil pulling for 2 weeks and I was amazed at first how clean this made my tongue and I could even see some plague was removed from the side of the exposed tooth. Now after 2 weeks I notice that my tongue has a slight grey coating on it again, not the fresh pink look it had after my first few oil pulls. I am generally anxious about my oral hygiene and often don't want to chew food because it may start my tooth and gum ache. I am using a marketed baking soda toothpaste and I rinse with salt water.

Ted: have I told you enough for you to possibly suggest a regime for me as I am a lost as to what is happening? I had a severe reaction after the extraction - not sleeping and not eating (lost 10lbs)and needed some counselling which all sounds very dramatic and was very out of character for me. I have managed to put on weight again but it has been a haul. I am taking 2000mgs Vit C daily, magnesium citrate 800mgs daily, selenium 100 daily and I take 2 tbp of flax seed oil. I wonder if there is something systemic going on and my mouth is reflecting this - I have less energy than usual. I am 52 and going through the menopause though not taking HRT - not suffering with hot flushes but may have more anxiety than usual. Any thoughts or ideas will be very gratefully received and thank you in advance.

This is a fabulous website - thank you to all.

Replied by Rainman (Central, Vt, Usa) on 06/11/2010

I am going through similar issues right now and thought I would share. I currently have 2 deep molar infections and one molar has a root infection after I had an amalgam a few months ago. Not wanting to lose my teeth I began to fight for them. I have had great success using a series of supplements, oils, diet, and oral hygeine changes. Although the healing has been slow... I am at the point now where my dentist is not sure if I will need the extractions or the root canal.

I started off oil pulling just like you... worked great for a few weeks. But, then my teeth began to get extra sensative and the results were decreasing. So, stopped/slowed down, and started taking supplements daily: 120mg CoQ10, 200mg Grapeseed extract, calcium/magnesium/zinc minerals, multi-vit, and iodine drops (about 2-3times the recommended daily allowance). Not sure if the iodine has anything to do with it. But, I have felt better since taking them.

However, supplementation is always a slow process and I needed immediate results for pain and discomfort. So, I took a look at my oral hygeine. I started using baking soda in-place of my regular tooth paste. BIG DIFFERENCE. I think I was sensative to one of the 100 ingredients in conventional toothpastes. Then I started rinsing with 3% hydrogen peroxide (1:3 ratio of h2o2:water). Another big difference. I found out that regular mouthwash is rough on my gums. With these 2 things I immediately felt comfort in my gums and my teeth began to feel better. Because baking soda is relatively abrasive, I later found a natural toothpaste with limited ingredients and started using that. Then... I started to apply oil of oregano (OoO) on my toothbrush bristles before applying toothpaste... I follow up with a drop of oil on the infected molars and then work it in with floss. So, it goes like this: Rinse, brush, rinse, OoO, floss, rinse. I do this every morning and ever night before bed. Every other day I do an oil pulling before bed right after I do my brush/rinse/floss routine. I always follow the oil pulling with several hefty rinses of h2o2. Sometimes I will add a drop of OoO to the oil pulling. Periodically I will add some salt and/or baking soda to the rinse.

I also started using salt to remove the white coating on my tongue and have gradually started to do that about once or twice a week. I use less salt and do not leave it on nearly as long... I simply sprinkle a little on my tongue and after a few seconds brush or scrape it off and it magically removes most of the white coating. My breath is amazingly fresh now.

Throughout the day I chew on pieces of toothpick soaked in tea tree oil. You can buy them or make your own. Becuase they are cheap and I am only using portions of a pick at a time... i chose to buy them. I just break off about a third of a pick and stick in-between my gum and cheek and move it around from one side to the next. From time to time, I'll give the toothpick a bite to release some juice and swish it around. I spit it out every hour or so and give myself a break until I feel the need again. It's a lot better than chewing gum. I'm actually chewing on a couple pieces right now.

Lastly, and most importantly, i eat a lot... I MEAN ALOT more raw foods. About 50-75% of my diet consists of raw food. I also stay aways from bread and dairy as much as possible. I make sure I drink plenty of water too. The diet change has been the spark i needed for healing. Not just healing my teeth/gums... I'm talking about my entire body. I have more energy, feel lighter, have less aches/pains, my digestive track is starting to work normal again, and my head is much clearer. I said I feel lighter, not because of weight loss(although i have lost some weight), but because my spirit is lighter. It's hard to explain... but, it is amazing. Hopefully something in here helps you or someone else that happens by.

Replied by Lindsay P (Yorkshire, England) on 06/15/2010

Hi Rainman,

Thank you for replying to my question re healing crisis, it is v much appreciated. It has been quite a 6 months following my tooth extraction but on the plus side I have learnt so much. From being a 'passive' dental patient I have now become so much more knowledgable about what I should be doing to protect my dental health. I am still oil pulling which has undoubtedly helped but like you I seem to have developed more sensitive teeth than I had before. I have bought some OoO and will add that to my regime. I have always been worried about hydrogen peroxide and sensitivity - has this been ok for you and are you not worried about damaging the enamel? Co-incidentally I have been making my own toothpaste with salt and baking soda but then realised that it has aluminium and need to find an aluminium free option. I am now researching other toothpastes and I think there is something called 'coral care' in the states but I can't seem to be able to get it in the UK and that looks to have a lot of minerals which may help to 'remineralise' your teeth. The other aspect which I hadn't really understood before (apart from sugar is not good for your teeth) is about diet. Our teeth are in a constant state of de-mineralising and re-mineralising and diet plays a huge part in this. I have discovered the information about westonprice which is fascinating and you may find it interesting because this talks about indigenous people who didn't own a toothbrush yet had no cavities - check it out. Following on from this is the Nourishing traditions diet by Sally Fallon which whilst isn't just about dental care but talks about the fact that amongst other things raw, unpasturised dairy is very good for you - vit A and D. As you say bread is not neccessarily good for you as it contains phytic acid (as do grains) which bind minerals to it so the minerals that you take in your food can be leached and not absorped. Soaking or sprouting is advocated. I am now implemeting some of this into my diet to see how this may help and more raw foods - will add a mineral supplement as well and am also starting to take krill oil which is a 'super' fish oil. I have also found a holistic dentist and have booked an appt to see if his approach is better that the 'drill and fill' experience I have had so far. I would love to hear how you are progressing with your programme. Thanks, Lindsay

Replied by Texgal (Houston, Fl) on 09/24/2010

Baking soda is bicarbonate of soda and does not contain aluminum. You are thinking of baking powder, which does often contain aluminum.

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