[Editor's Note - Here's the story of that first patient from Dr. Meinig's book: "(Dr. Price) had a sense that, even when ( root canal therapy) appeared successful, teeth containing root fillings remained infected. That thought kept prying on his mind, haunting him each time a patient consulted him for relief from some severe debilitating disease for which the medical profession could find no answer. Then one day while treating a woman who had been confined to a wheelchair for six years from severe arthritis, he recalled how bacterial cultures were taken from patients who were ill and then inoculated into animals in an effort to reproduce the disease and test the effectiveness of drugs on the disease.

With this thought in mind, although her (root filled) tooth looked fine, he advised this arthritic patient, to have it extracted. He told her he was going to find out what it was about this root filled tooth that was responsible for her suffering. "All dentists know that sometimes Arthritis and other illnesses clear up if bad teeth are extracted. However, in this case, all of her teeth appeared in satisfactory condition and the one containing this rootcanal filling showed no evidence or symptoms of infection. Besides, it looked normal on x-ray pictures.

"Immediately after Dr. Price extracted the tooth he dismissed the patient and embedded her tooth under the skin of a rabbit. In two days the rabbit developed the same kind of crippling Arthritis as the patient - and in ten days it died.

"..The patient made a successful recovery after the tooth's removal! She could then walk without a cane and could even do fine needlework again. That success led Dr. Price to advise other patients, afflicted with a wide variety of treatment defying illnesses, to have any root filled teeth out."]

You can find this passage on Cure Zone (RootCanals link) along with the rest of the interview.

I was having sinus infections about every 2 or three months and was told for about 7 or 8 years that since no other reason could be found that maybe it was my teeth. My dentist told me there was nothing evidently wrong, but that my root canals as well as the Amalgam fillings could be the cause. Because there were no apparent problems with my teeth I ignored the advice for years. Finally out of desperation I had all the Amalgams replaced with non-metal fillings had a cavitations done that showed no blood present in the jawbone of an earlier tooth extraction. This is done with a machine that can test for blood flow in bone. I also had all my root canals removed. This was a gamble since they weren’t bothering me but like I said I was desperate.

Well the bottom line is I haven't had a sinus infection in four months. What has this got to do with Arthritis I hear you ask?

I also was diagnosed with Arthritis in my right hip. Also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in the right shoulder and neck Area. About a month after the dental work, the Arthritis disappeared from my right hip and the Fibromalgia has gotten much better.

I try and walk 4 or 5 miles at least 5 days a week. Prior to the dental work, I would have to stop walking because of the pain in my hip after a 1/4 mile. I have no pain at all now.

It's hard to make the decision to have teeth that aren't bothering you on the face of it extracted, but they are dead teeth and are not protected from bacteria by the immune system because no blood runs through them. The older they are the worse they get.