[H] Root canal

[homeopathy-bounces@homeolist.com]

I do not know if any dentists are on this list still. Anyone else with
experience would be welcome to reply. Is it always necessary to have a
root canal done once a tooth has abscessed? I gave up on homeopathics,
after trying a variety, and am now on antibiotics. I really, really
hate having my teeth worked on but feel that this is probably something I
have to do. Any comments?
Thanks,
Laura Peterson
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[homeopathy-bounces@homeolist.com]

Thanks to all that replied to my query.
I tried many remedies, Donna, some of which helped the pain but none that
stopped the abcess. I started with Cham because it felt better with cold
water and that worked. Eventually though, the cold water no longer
helped. I also tried Silica, Hepar sulph, Phos, Pyrog and Calcarea
(although the highest potency I had was a 6C in this. I even tried Sepia
since it is a fairly regular remedy for me. I also tried Mercury 30C once
but it seemed to make it worse. I repped on the pain, the fact that it
was probably an abcess (deep filings) and first the gum swelled, then the
cheek. I look like a lop-sided chipmunk. I made it until Monday morning
to get antibiotics from the dentist and I was feeling bad all over
-feverish and weak. I would love to find a good remedy for me, Allen,
like you did. Just haven't had much luck yet, either with a professional
or with self-prescribing.

Perhaps I need to rephrase my question. Do abscesses kill the roots? If
the roots are dead, will the body take care of the debris? Will the
tooth fall out without roots? How to tell if the roots are dead?

Thanks for all your replies.
Laura Peterson
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[Shannon Nelson]

Hi Laura,

As an experienced root canal victim, I mean patient , here's my
understanding:

on 1/28/03 6:52 AM, ljmp@juno.com at ljmp@juno.com wrote:
Actually I *thought* that abscess is formed from already dead root tissue.
But in any case, yes, it's considered a death sentence for the root, because
the structure of the tooth doesn't allow for enough blood or lymph to
perform clean-up or healing.
I have heard it said that you can *sometimes* save the tooth with
homeopathy, but that it's a slow, difficult process. I would imagine it
requires an excellent familiarity with all the right remedies, and all
that... I think I've heard only one person say they'd been able to do it,
and scores of others say that they had tried and failed...
Worse news, no, it will not fall out. The part that's dead is the pulp of
the tooth, the nerve tissue itself, tucked safely (and inaccessibly) inside
the teeny, twisty little "pulp chamber" within the root. So if the
infection is not cleaned out, there will be ongoing leakage of bacteria
and/or toxins from the infection, and nasty things ensue...
Easiest way is for a dentist to use a "vitality tester", which sends a tiny
electrical current thru the tooth. He says, "As soon as you feel a little
tingle, raise your hand," as he very slowly raises the voltage. if you can
take full voltage without feeling anything, the tooth is dead. If you jump
when there's hardly *any* voltage, it means the tooth is way stressed,
overreactive (and possibly infected, tho possibly still saveable).

You can also try putting hot and cold things against the tooth and see what
causes discomfort. I forget exactly what means what, but I think that
extreme reaction to either is not a good sign. (Teeth naturally have some
temp sensitivity, and some people's are more sensitive than others'; but if
the touch of an icecube makes you see stars, that would not be a good sign.)

Best,
Shannon

[Laura Peterson]

Chris wrote "Just maybe this was part of the problem. Trying out every
routine remedy
listed. Messed up case, nothing works.

Hi Chris,
That thought did cross my mind! I did give each remedy several tries and
tried to wait a bit between remedies. I have learned though that in
acute situations, it is not necessary to wait very long to see if the
remedy works. It either helps or doesn't. I stuck with a remedy until
it stopped helping the pain. Nothing seemed to stop the gradual spread
of the infection. I could also only try those remedies which I had on
hand. Myristica and hecla lava were not in my cupboard.
Thanks to Shannon for the specific reply to my question and to all that
shared their stories. The antibiotics are doing their job ( allopathy
does come in handy occaisionally!) and now I just need to decide whether
or not to proceed with the root canal. I am continuing Silica 30C along
with the antibiotics as it repped very high and has been helpful to me in
the past. (Teeth, abscess of roots; Face, swelling, toothache) Maybe
something helped since the only pain medication I needed was Advil. The
dentist offered me codeine.
Looking less like a chipmunk!
Laura Peterson

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[Chris_Gillen]

Just maybe this was part of the problem. Trying out every routine remedy
listed. Messed up case, nothing works.

Chris

[Laura Peterson]

Hi Chris,
Yes, I almost always have that problem when acutely prescribing for
myself. All that I can see are the most acute symptoms and it is hard to
think at all when in pain. I took into account such things as modalities
(better cold0,and general feeling of coldness (chilly fever which came
laterr), but other than those I did not see anything characteristic. I
did not use right sided or upper because that just happened to be where
the tooth was. Would using those have been more 'characteristic"? To
me, etiology was the most important characteristic. Why the tooth went
bad when it did is something that I can only guess at. I have been
ignoring twinges in that area for a long time simply hoping things would
right themselves. Perhaps that was the time to rep it? Once a tooth
has been compromised by a large mercurial filling, I wonder if it fits
into old proving rubrics? Just wondering about how to do this better.
I'm a slow student.
Laura Peterson

On Wed, 29 Jan 2003 17:15:46 +1000 "Chris Gillen"
writes:
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[Shannon Nelson]

Hi Chris,

If I can stick up for Laura here:
My experience with trying to treat this sort of thing (many sorts, actually)
is that the plan to treat according to "characteristic symptoms" is
sometimes *much* easier said than done!!!! For instance, speaking for
myself, I *always* take that approach; I certainly look first at rubrics for
"abscess", "swelling", etc., if that is what I am specifically trying to
address and do not see reason to think that my chronic rx will do the job.
But having done that, one does not always see the symptoms properly
"labelled" or conveniently crystalling. E.g. many rubrics are hard to
diffrentiate (at least for me they are), so I cross a lot and hope I haven't
left anything out. Sometimes I find later that I missed the rubric that
might have been closest.

One might say that if you don't have "a case", you should not give a remedy.
And one might also say (sigh) it's my tooth, my pain, and I'm going to
try...

Shannon
on 1/29/03 1:15 AM, Chris Gillen at chrisgillen@bigpond.com wrote:

[Chris_Gillen]

Laura wrote:
Yes and the point I was trying to make is that regardless of whether the
situation is acute or chronic the remedy is still chosen according to the
characteristic symptoms, not routinist specifics. Waiting for an ill-fitting
remedy to work is pointless. Using pathognomic symptoms of the disease that
are common and uncharacteristic is pointless. Going through the Materia
Medica from A to Z trying out dozens of remedies, hoping to get lucky in an
acute situation is pointless.
Yes, I know, there are always lucky exceptions.

Hope you feel better soon.

Chris

[Shannon Nelson]

Hi Chris,

I'm well aware of (and in agreement with) everything you've said here.
And will freely admit that my limiting factor is "working knowledge of
Materia Medica" -- NOT a proclivity for "routinist prescriptions". I'd just
prefer to be patronized and insulted in a more accurate manner!
(kidding, kidding...)

Cheers,
Shannon
on 1/29/03 7:30 PM, Chris Gillen at chrisgillen@bigpond.com wrote:

[Chris_Gillen]

Hello Laura, Shannon,

I'm sure we probably all feel like we're slow learners. But the temptation
to take short cuts with routinist prescriptions to stem this flow of
frustration does not generally bear good results.

I would like "to stick up for" the greater homoeopathy here and state again
that it is uncommon characteristic symptoms, and working knowledge of
Materia Medica that resolves acute and chronic situations.

Without these vital ingredients only superficial observations are made.
(Arnica for every single injury. Calc carb for every fat little baby.
Pulsatilla for every mild mannered person. Hyoscyamus for every kid in
trouble with the law. Strammonium for every hyperactive child. Carcinoma for
autism. Arsenicum for leukaemia. Sulphur for scabies. ) Some lucky cures
yes, but palliation or disappointment more likely. By the way, I'm not
critical of resourcing Therapeutic Guides per se to track down a remedy, the
criticism is when individualization is lost in the process.
Not necessarily. Location in this situation may only serve to confirm the
choice, but it does not appear strongly characteristic or an extraordinary
feature in itself to me.
You could have something there
This is a natural function of the Vital Force to bring things to a head.
Palliating the pain may be all that could have been achieved by that stage
for that one tooth, but the susceptibility to the complaint can be treated,
if it is not ignored. The incidence of dental cavities in my own case rapidy
reduced under constitutional treatment.
Only if the signs and characteristics of Mercury are present in the patient.
The basic rules of prescribing don't change.
Etiology is one symptom that can uncover the true nature of the whole case.
But it is the combination of characteristics that determine the remedy. The
Never Well Since observations need to be examined well within their context
before they can fast-track a prescription.
Also, remedies have relationships or overlaps with each other. Trying dozens
of remedies in rapid succession confuses the case all the more.
Chris