Cavitations – Silent Problems in Your Jaw – Part II

CAVITATIONS – SILENT PROBLEMS IN YOUR JAW - Dentist in Fairfield, CT

Last month we started our discussion about Cavitations: “Cavitations – Part 1”. A quick review: Cavitations are holes in the bone often where teeth have been extracted; they can occur in any bone in the body but are most frequently found in the jawbone.

In addition to extraction sites, cavitations are often found around root-canaled teeth.

These holes are like cesspools, they become filled with toxins, some have even been shown to store mercury, and if not quarantined by your body, can go out into your system causing a myriad of symptoms(see below).

How Does One Treat A Cavitation?

I have found that some cavitations can be treated by injecting homeopathics into the area followed by the use of a device called The Anodyne, an infrared pad of a specific wavelength. If this does not work, or if the cavitation is too extensive to begin with, then surgery is necessary. Thorough debridement (cleaning) of the involved bone is required. Use of the EAV instrument (a device discussed in the last newsletter) is valuable in determining if enough debridement has been accomplished.

One of the causes of a cavitation is lack of proper blood flow to the area; therefore, it is very important to not use vasoconstrictor epinephrine in local anesthetic. I also caution my patients not to use ice after surgery, again to not impede blood flow.

Do All Cavitations Need Treatment?

Here I differ from many holistic dentists and physicians. Almost everyone has a cavitation somewhere – remember these can occur in any bone, but especially in the bones of the jaw. However, I believe (and it is just a belief – I cannot back this up scientifically) that if a cavitation is present, but is not showing with the EAV to be having a systemic effect, I would not tend to treat it surgically if the person is healthy.

I find cavitational surgery is rarely needed with the use of  Biomagnetic Pair Therapy, homeopathy, ozone and other holistic approaches.

Cavitations and Pain

Cavitations are often the cause of facial pain, and are also referred to as NICO lesions. NICO stands for “Neuralgia Inducing Cavitational Osteonecrosis.” Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) can be caused by a cavitation. TN affects the trigeminal facial nerve and can cause such severe pain that people have committed suicide. To help such people, the nerve itself is sometimes cut. Unfortunately, the underlying cause is often an undiagnosed cavitation. To see if the TN pain or other facial pain is indeed related to a cavitation, a few drops of anesthetic can be injected directly into the bony cavitation, with a special needle device. If they are connected, upon injection, immediate cessation of pain will occur. Patients who have been in pain for years are astounded when the pain dramatically goes away. Of course this is temporary -more definitive treatment will be needed to resolve the issue.

Cavitations and Systemic Effects

Another result of a cavitation can be a systemic effect with the lesion having consequences beyond the head. I have thus coined the term SICO lesions (Sickness Inducing Chronic Osteonecrosis). If the distant effect is pain – this can often be shown by injection into the cavitation. If the symptoms are other than pain, then the injection testing will not be of benefit but EAV testing will be helpful.

Symptom/Disease List Associated With Cavitations

Here is a list of just some of the diseases or symptoms that have been associated with root canals and cavitations.Because root canals and cavitations are both so toxic, it is hard to separate one from the other.

  • anemia
  • angina
  • appendicitis
  • arteriosclerosis
  • arthritis
  • asthma
  • bronchitis
  • colitis
  • cystitis
  • diabetes
  • eczema
  • endocarditis
  • epilepsy
  • gall bladder problems
  • gout
  • heart disease
  • hypertension
  • hyperthyroid
  • iritis
  • migraine
  • nephritis
  • neuralgia
  • neuritis
  • sinus infection
  • tachycardia
  • tonsillitis
  • varicose veins

© 2003, updated 2020, Mark A. Breiner, DDS

The information presented is for educational purposes only. Please consult a qualified dentist or health practitioner for diagnosis and treatment.


Questions & Answers About Cavitations.

Q – Do I have to be put to sleep for cavitational surgery?
A – No, not unless you want to have general anesthetic and be unconscious for the procedure. Local anesthetic (without) epinephrine will allow the surgery to be done pain free.

Q- Why do most dentists not recognize cavitations?
A- It is in the dental pathology books, and has been in the dental literature for decades. Cavitations can occur in any bone and physicians are aware of them. I do not know why dentists don’t recognize their existence.

Q- I have arthritis, can it be from a cavitation?
A- The simple answer is yes. However, arthritis can be caused by many things. Overall toxic load, Lyme disease, etc. must be evaluated by a physician through comprehensive examination. If no cause can be found, then a full whole-body dental exam should be done. Dentally, cavitations, mercury, and root canals can all be related to arthritis.


Dental Detective Story: Cavitation

Having a toothache, Ruth, 65 years old, had a root canal performed on a lower left first molar. However, the pain persisted. She then had the tooth extracted but the pain continued. Going to several MD’s and DDS’s no cause could be found. Her energy also ebbed away and she was no longer able to dance or play golf. Then numerous discrete areas of swelling on her left arm developed. A biopsy was not diagnostic so her doctor decided it would be best to surgically remove the growths. Before that happened, Ruth decided to see me.

I felt a cavitation was present in the area of extraction and injected a small amount of anesthetic – the pain immediately stopped. That convinced Ruth that I was right and she decided to have surgery to clean out her jaw bone rather than have arm surgery.

The cavitation site was very small. A few weeks after the surgery, Ruth came in for a checkup. She had no more facial pain, no more swellings on her arm and she was going to Florida so she could golf all winter.

Three years later, she is still in excellent health.

© 2003, updated 2020, Mark A. Breiner, DDS

The information presented is for educational purposes only. You should consult a qualified health practitioner for diagnosis and treatment.


Additional Information on cavitations is covered in Dr. Breiner’s book, Whole-Body Dentistry.

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