In a groundbreaking report from the British Medical Journal, researchers
who poured over thousands of studies detailing the efficacy of medical
and dental procedures have concluded that many popular surgical
procedures are completely worthless. Among those is one of the most
common procedures performed by your dentist: the removal of so-called
"impacted" wisdom teeth. According to the BMJ, this procedure may
actually do more harm than good.
I don't trust dentists. I've long
suspected dentists of scaring patients into undergoing unnecessary
procedures in order to generate more business. My suspicions were
confirmed when I visited a dentist in 2001 for a basic checkup. After
taking dental x-rays (another health hazard, as new research is
showing), my dentist fed me a scare story about how I still had all my
wisdom teeth, and that all those teeth needed to be surgically removed.
I was absolutely stunned. My wisdom teeth were working just fine: no
cavities, no pain, no problems. I had made an appointment for a routine
checkup, not to undergo expensive surgery for my wisdom teeth. But my
dentist insisted, relying on a variety of scare tactics to try to
convince me to undergo this expensive -- and completely unnecessary --
procedure. His behavior was highly unethical. He was using his authority
and position as "the dentist" to try to scare me into accepting a
surgical procedure that I quite obviously didn't need. In fact, even he
couldn't give me a good reason for justifying the surgery other than to
say, "We usually remove the wisdom teeth quite early." Which means, of
course, that they just order the surgery for every child or teenager who
walks into the clinic, regardless of whether they actually need it.
Now, it turns out, the removal of wisdom teeth has been found to be an
utterly worthless procedure to begin with. It "may do more harm than
good" says the British Medical Journal, after reviewing literally
thousands of case studies. So the typical dentist is really just hyping
a useless procedure, and if your dentist is anything like the dentist I
encountered, they're also using all sorts of highly unethical scare
tactics to try to force people into undergoing the procedure. That's
downright evil, and yet it's a common practice among dentists in the
United States.
Folks, you need to start questioning your
dentist. Don't believe everything they tell you. Most of the time,
they're full of bunk, or they're just trying to sell you on whatever
procedure they get paid for performing. They're not all evil -- many
actually believe these procedures will help you, which is why they seem
so sincere -- but they are misinformed. Their beliefs are based on
medical dogma, not scientific fact. Their beliefs in these procedures
are nothing more than a sort of medical pathology, where certain things
are just considered "true" and never questioned even though the original
basis for accepting them as truth has been proven entirely false.
In
the vast majority of cases, you will be healthier and wiser by
ignoring the advice of your doctor or dentist and seeking out a
naturopathic doctor or other healer. In fact, it's very important to
avoid allowing a doctor or dentist to even hit you with a scare story or
other manipulation tactic, because most people will just go right along
with their advice even when it makes no sense. People don't question
medical authorities as much as they should. And dentists know it. They
know that most patients will just go ahead and agree to practically
anything they recommend. That makes a situation where fraud and
exploitation of patients is frighteningly easy to accomplish. Any
dentist that wants to generate more revenues for their office can simply
start recommending an expensive surgical procedure as "standard
practice" and claim, "we always take those teeth out." It might be
complete hogwash, but most people -- absurdly -- will buy into it. Don't
let that person be you. Keep your dentist honest. Better yet, seek out a
"natural" dentist who won't use mercury fillings or highly toxic
fluoride, and who will turn to surgery as a last resort rather than a
"standard procedure." Don't be tricked into unnecessary (and medically
dangerous) surgical procedures that can only cause you harm.
With
this attitude, I'm happy to say that I now have eight more teeth than
most other people -- those are eight wisdom teeth that many dentists try
to remove from the mouths of everyone else. Yes, I feel wiser for
keeping them. And no, they don't cause me any problems at all. Go
figure.
By the way, I found another dentist who agreed to remove my
mercury fillings, but only after calling me a fool for my "outrageous"
belief that mercury was somehow dangerous. (Are these dentists for
real?) That's what it takes to be a modern dentist: you have to be a
complete idiot who has no concept of neurotoxicity, no ethics, and no
hesitation twisting the arms of patients into undergoing dangerous
procedures. I know this doesn't characterize all dentists, but it sure
does describe the vast majority of them.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, impacting the lives of millions of readers around the world who are experiencing phenomenal health benefits from reading his articles. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In 2010, Adams created NaturalNews.TV, a natural living video sharing site featuring thousands of user videos on foods, fitness, green living and more. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also the CEO of a highly successful email newsletter software company that develops software used to send permission email campaigns to subscribers. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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Sunday, May 30, 2004
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