Re: Can I avoid a root canal?

I am located in Texas, so I have very little contact with anyone on the NE coast. The only thing I could do is tell you who my parents go to (they live in NJ). I would not feel confident "recommending" someone in that area because I am never up there. The one thing I can say is what I can tell anyone in any area:
1. avoid large dental companies (like monarch, castle dental, etc.) because they basically push their dentists to focus on PRODUCTION and not patient care
2. Do NOT follow advertisements claiming something that seems too good to be true
3. Do NOT skimp on price. You know the old addage "you get what you pay for". I would not want to lower my standards when it comes to my health. Generally cheaper dentists are cheaper for a good reason.
4. In response to #3, the MOST expensive dentist may not be the best either, especially if he falls close to the dentists in #1
5. You should look for a private dental office with 1-2 dentists total.
6. Talk to the staff! Sometimes they can give you good insights about the person they work for, good or bad.
7. Find a dentist who is receptive to questions, does not rush you, is willing to explain every procedure and reasons why/why not to do things. A dentist who sees you for less than 2 minutes probably is not very interested in you as a person.

Before I answer the next part, I feel I should share the following personal information: I am NOT a "biologic or holistic" dentist. I do however focus on prevention above anything and am open to any natural prevention technique if I see evidence that it works. I was taught to look only at evidence and not tradition (what old dentists claim work). I have taken patients from hopeless mouths to function and healthy results. I am always open for new ideas, but like I mentioned, I need evidence. I am a debater by nature and I am constantly fighting both the mainstream opinions as well as the expanding hollistic industry for the same reason.

As for the book you mentioned:
He has a lot of good information, especially about prevention. Avoiding refined sugars is a VERY good prevention technique. HOWEVER, there are some very distinct things I completely disagree about.

1. Fluoride - most of the points mentioned are common scare tactics that have no valid evidence and preys upon people with limited knowledge of the subject (this debate requires its own post if you want more info, or send me a pm)

2. Xylitol gum - All of the attacks against xylitol only focus on excessive dosing or fight the idea that xylitol can help. I agree with him that xylitol MAY not prevent decay, BUT the act of chewing gum (with Sugar that does not feed bacteria) stimulates SALIVA, which is your body's natural defense against tooth decay. However, many other non-toxic things you can chew will produce the same response (herbal).

Overall, I like the herbal idea to help prevent tooth and other health problems. However. my main problem with the hollistic industry is it seems to think the same thing old dentists/doctors did: "WE ALONE CAN CURE YOU". Life is not that easy, only a combination of both ways as shown by evidence will work completely.

Herbs and oils may take away your pain, but be careful because it may not eliminate the source, just mask it. (evidenced by stopping the protocol for 1-2 weeks and having the symptoms return. If you were cured it would take longer for the problem to re-emerge.)

You can absolutely remineralize a tooth, but only if you catch it early. Herbs will not rebuild a tooth's structure once you lose the basic matrix. For this you will need traditional and CONSERVATIVE dental treatment. However, with good hygiene and a healthy lifestyle you can prolong the life of any dental work by 3-4X, many dentists may not tell you that.

Feel free to ask me anything specific you want about that book, or anything else that comes up. Tweet