Letter Defending Rooted - late 2006

The documentary called ROOTED, released in 2006,  has received mixed responses from the dental profession.  Some who I had regarded as friends must have become so threatened by the information that
I have never heard from them again.  Others considered that I had done a great service to humanity.  The situation internationally has been the same as in Australia .

One letter which I received from a dentist stated;

“The DVD opened old wounds for me. ……………   Mainstream is not ready for Rooted ! And endodontists are not going to be convinced to drop their profession when they see Rooted !
I think the video is totally one sided. …………………. Graphics are " awesome" to quote …. The conventional view is explained very little.”

Below is my response  

I hope that it rings a grain of truth for all of us in the profession.

“Dear ______

… If the only thing that ROOTED ever does is to make us dentists think and
take responsibility for our treatments, than I am happy to have done a
good job.

I am sympathetic with _______ situation and feelings having myself been on
the receiving end of official positions.  I make no apology for the
position I take in this movie - it is definitely one sided.  But is it not
time for this side of the root canal treatment issue to be brought out. 
I believe it is and for what ever reasons will emerge than at least I feel
like I have done my bit.

After spending many years trying to get the message through at official
levels I looked around and nothing,  not even the lies   had changed.
Today we are faced with responding to more official lies in the form of
two ridiculous and unethical studies on amalgam in children and the other
of the research demonstrating the relationship between fluoride and bone
cancer.  Why should we as health care providers support the destruction of
our patients, family and friends and ourselves?  I have made ROOTED and
Quecksilber as services to patients and the public at large.  As you know
they are both fully referenced and the references are available on the
movies and on their respected websites   www.rooted.tv  and www.
quecksilber.net   They are aimed at this level as I believe that change
only comes about at grass-roots level.  Information is critical to make
decisions.  I am presenting the ‘other’ side of these stories. It is one
sided.

There certainly is a sort of comfort in being part of a group.  When we
consider ourselves part of a ‘profession’ we become subject to the rules
and values of that profession. So long as we tow the line we have a large
group of semi-untouchable people to support us.  As soon as we step out of
the circle the stones fly fast and hard.  So we must all ask ourselves the
question, do we remain a member of the group for the sake of the support
of the group or is it that the group is dependent more on our support.
The same group of people will support us and destroy us just as easily.

Another way that we can see ourselves is as individual human beings with
particular skills which can be used to heal or create disease.  Our
individuality is certainly highlighted when we cross the group who do not
agree.  Suddenly we are very much alone.  I would think that most dentists
who have particular knowledge would want to pass this onto their patients
if for nothing else but to achieve a fuller informed consent.  I do not
see any endodontists warning their root canal treatment patients that the
treatment that they are about to receive may cause cancer, heart disease,
immune diseases, bleeding disorders, MS, thyroid problems………etc.  WHY NOT!
Even the Superior Court of California considers root fillings to be a
potential cause of cancer.  Why are the gods of dentistry immune to the
law?  Surely they should be giving real information to their/our patients.

         …………………………………….

A case in point is directly from the high priest’s websites.  On the home
page of the American Society of Endodontics (www.aesoc.com ) it is clearly
stated:  “The American Endodontic Society endorses and teaches the
technique of root canal therapy commonly referred to as the Sargenti or N2
method”

The American Association of Endodontists disagree forcefully.  Following
is their fact sheet:

“AAE Position Statement:

AAE members may photocopy this statement for distribution to patients or
referring dentists 1998

Concerning Paraformaldehyde-Containing Endodontic

Filling Materials And Sealers

…. the AAE does not endorse the use of specific materials.  However the
AAE does recommend against the use of paraformaldehyde-containing
materials as they have proven to be both unsafe and ineffective.

Paraformaldehyde-containing endodontic filling materials or sealers (
frequently known as Sargenti pastes, N-2, N-2 Universal, RC-2Bor RC-2B
White) should not be used for endodontic treatment because those materials
are unsafe.  Extensive scientific research has proven unequivocally that
paraformaldehyde-containing filling materials and sealers can cause
irreversible damage to tissue near the root canal system including the
following destruction of connective tissue and bone, intractable pain,
paresthesia and dysthesia of the mandibular and maxillary nerves, and
chronic infections of the maxillary sinus.  Moreover scientific evidence
has demonstrated that the damage from paraformaldehyde-containing filling
materials is not necessarily confined to tissue near the root canal.  The
active ingredients of these filling materials and sealers have been found
to travel throughout the body and have been shown to infiltrate the blood,
lymph nodes, adrenal glands, kidney, spleen, liver and brain.

… Undoubtedly, there are many other patients who have also suffered
injuries because of these materials, but whose injuries have not been
publicly disclosed.

…the American Association of Endodontists recommends against the use of
paraformaldehyde-containing filling materials and sealers because the use
of such is below the standard of care for endodontic treatment.”

Which experts are we to believe?  A case in point is that of Dr Meinig.
From being one of the founding members and past president of the AAE he
has become relegated to the level of Weston Price.  We are told that they
are both wrong.  Perhaps we must believe only the people who hold power!

Professional arrogance is rife in Australia and from what I have seen in
America also.  Dentistry ignores published science and clinical
observation published in anything but English.

Quoting Professor Daunderer

"If we take Multiple Sclerosis patients who removed amalgam but refused
both extraction of root canals and treatment of infected maxillary bone,
we observe a cure rate from MS of 16%

But when we consider multiple sclerosis patients that beside amalgam
removal accepted our full treatment (root canal extraction and cleaning of
alveolar bone), the percentage of cures increases to 86%."   

Daunderer in the 1998 TV show by Sabrina Giannini:

"The dental work we get from dentists is not something biological or
medical. I'd say it is a technical thing, and the technique give the
dentists a number of very strong poisons to be implanted in the mouth.  If
you kill the tooth and then fill its root canal with mercury, formaldehyde,
cortisone, streptomycin, arsenic,... you are not doing an healthy thing.
All this dentistry is just a sin against the biology of the body and a sin
against the 'real' medicine."

 

As Joseph Campbell once said;
‘There are many gods.  Choose your god wisely.  The god you choose is the one you deserve.’

One thing that I tell many of the patients is ‘don’t believe a word that I
am saying.  Here are the references which support my position. Get
references from the other side.  Read them and make up your own mind.
Same applies to dentists.

For me the greatest experts are the patients.  I cannot deny the health
changes that I see daily in my practice.  Over the past 15 years I am sure
that I would have extracted dead teeth from at least a thousand or so
patients.  The patients interviewed for ROOTED are obviously a tiny sample. 
They are all real.  The only instruction I gave them was “tell us your
story”.  I did not have to bend anyone’s arm.

I have always thought that the battle for amalgam was run as a political
battle whereas that of root therapy has been conducted as some form of
religious heresy.  If amalgam were to be banned tomorrow dentists would
not loose even a cent of income.  If root therapy on the other hand were
shown to be a cause of cancer than the religious leaders of this group,
the endodontists, would be out of a job.

There is little science to support the belief that we can achieve even the
goals of root treatment.  We cannot remove all dead tissue from the tooth.
We cannot sterilize the tooth. We cannot stop the toxins escaping from the
tooth. We cannot completely fill a tooth.  Where is the science to
continue to support this practice?   The most ridiculous lie that we are
supposed to swallow and tell our patients is that because the root treated
tooth can “FUNCTION” normally it is not a dead tooth!  Perhaps the reason
that so many people believe this lie is that we only consider mastication
and aesthetics as the function of a tooth.  Time to think a bit further
outside of the square, - compartmentalizing everything tends to obscure
the whole.  Every part of the body has multiple relationships with every
other part of the body.

I challenge any dentist who makes the claim that they assess each
potential root canal treatment on an individual case-by-case basis.  I
have so far not seen one protocol from any of these dentists to let us
know on which basis they make their assessments.  Weston Price assessed
patients as to their potential susceptibilities by studying three
generations of each patient’s family history.  How many go to that length?
I personally would not wish to have a treatment which has a failure rate
of over 60% and pay big money for the privilege.

I never recommend root treatment and make it clear to all patients that
the final decision is theirs, without any judgment from me.  I do however
claim the right to not perform treatments which I know may cause disease.
Thus I do not use amalgam (I believe we are amongst the safest in
Australia at removing the stuff) nor do I use fluoride in my practice.
If a patient decides that they want a root treatment I am happy to refer
them to an endodontist.  Many say things like   ‘but make sure you send me
to a good one.’  My response is always that in my opinion there is no such
thing.

As individual practitioners we have a responsibility to every person that
we treat.  The medical profession would never agree that it is a good idea
to leave dead, infected and gangrenous tissue in the body.  Only dentistry
promotes this madness.  I accept the criticism that I am passionate about
these issues.   They are founded in the gratitude of the patients.

I hope that this letter may resonate with others and that we create a
truly health enhancing profession.

Robert Gammal”

This special note has been added 19th January 2010

Since writing this letter I have retired from the practice mentioned above.  There has been no association with that practice since November 2008.