DENTAL WORK
The Visit To The Dentist
Find an oral surgeon willing to clean up your mouth for you.
It is more than “just pulling teeth.” They must be willing to let
you examine your own X-ray, participate in decisions, and use
your homemade antiseptics.
Make two appointments (if you have time), one for X-rays
and one for dental work. That way you will be able to study the
X-ray. Dentists often want to get started right away, but you
may need more time than that for these important decisions.
Arrange for a friend to accompany you to the dental office.
All professional persons pay more attention to a party of two
than a single person. Ask for permission to have your friend
nearby. Your friend can hand you your antiseptics. Your friend
should sit quietly near you, not wasting the dentist’s time with
talk or questions.
Treat yourself to a good meal before going for dental work.
You will be on liquids for a while afterward.
If you have “dentist-phobia”, take a strong dose of pain kil-
ler (not aspirin) one half hour before your appointment time.
Your Antiseptic Is Best
Make and bring your own antiseptic. Even though the sur-
geon and dental assistant wear gloves, a cancer patient can’t
help picking up bacteria. This is not the dentist’s or surgeon’s
fault. They are coming from your own mouth. Sterility for the
mouth is impossible. While blood vessels are broken (bleeding),
bacteria can enter your circulation.
By far the best antiseptic to use during dentalwork is plain
bleach.
Bunyan [in The Use of Hypochlorite For The Control of
Bleeding, Oral Surgery, v. 13, 1960, pp. 1026-1032] reported that
rinsing with 0.2% hypochlorite solution stops postoperative
bleeding within 1 minute after a tooth extraction or other oral op-
eration. The hypochlorite solution functions also to contract and
harden the blood clots and make them more resistant to infection.