A cavitation is a hole in the bone, which usually happens when a tooth is taken out and the bone doesn’t heal or fill in properly. It is a place where the bone has died (dead bone). When a tooth is pulled, the periodontal membrane that was around it is usually left behind. The body should eventually fill in the space in the bone where the tooth used to be after it has been pulled. But if the membrane is left behind, the jaw bone may not heal completely. Instead, there may be a hole or a soft spot inside the jawbone. Experts speculate that this incomplete healing occurs because the bone cells on both sides of the extraction site sense the presence of the periodontal membrane and “think” that the tooth is still there.

Any bone in the body, not just the jaw bones, can develop a cavitation. There are other things that can cause cavitations to happen. Some of these reasons are localized injuries, poor blood flow to the area, problems with blood clotting, the use of steroids, and the use of dental anesthetics with epinephrine (a potent vasoconstrictor).

When an X-ray is taken of the site where a tooth was pulled, the membrane that is left behind can look like the shadow of a tooth. This image is almost always a sign of a cavitation. Most dentists know about this “phantom tooth,” but they don’t see it as a place where problems could happen.

What’s inside the Cavitation?

Inside a cavitation, anaerobic bacteria grow and multiply, as do cells that don’t work right. Cavitations are a good place for bacteria and the poisons they make to grow. Research has shown that these bacterial waste products are very strong and cause problems with digestion, chronic fatigue, a general feeling of being sick, and other long-term health problems. Cavitations can also block the energy meridians in the body, which can have a big effect on the whole system. Researchers have found that some cavitations store huge amounts of mercury. Cavitations can cause low or high levels of stress on the body as a whole.

It’s hard to figure out what’s going on with cavitations because they don’t always show up clearly on X-rays. Sometimes, they only show up as very small differences in the way the bone feels. If your dentist isn’t looking for cavitations in particular, your X-ray will be read as “just fine.” However, cavitations are much easier to find now that we have 16-bit shade mapping on our 3D scanner. We also use a scanner to check the health of the bones in the whole mouth.

In the end, a diagnosis is made after the area has been cleaned up by surgery and a biopsy has been sent to a pathologist for review. From our office, you can get both a tissue biopsy and a DNA biopsy. With the tissue biopsy, we’ll be able to find out what happened to the cells in the tissues. Most of the time, the pathology report has words like “focal necrosis,” “dystrophic calcification,” “fatty edema,” “chronic inflammation,” and so on. The DNA test lets us know exactly which bacteria are in the cavitation, what toxins they make, and what diseases are linked to those bacteria and toxins.

Different ways to treat cavitation

Once a cavitation site has been found, the area is surgically cleaned up. After getting numb the doctor will cut along the top of the lesion. She then “drops” into the cavitation with a sonic surgical diamond (no rotating instruments) for irrigation. The dead bone is taken out until solid, healthy bone can be felt around the edge of the lesion, and a lot of clean blood comes out of the surgical site. Almost always, oily bubbles rise to the top of a cavitation. After the wound has stopped bleeding, we wash it with ozonated water and then fumigate the area with pure ozone gas. Your blood clot (made of fibrin) supports new bone growth at the site of the previous cavitation. Then the stitches are put in, and you can go home. Most of the time, Motrin and Tylenol are enough to control any discomfort or pain 1–2 days after surgery. On the second day after surgery, most people don’t need pain medicine.

NICO Specialists have named cavitations “NICO” because they may be a cause of long-term facial pain (Neuralgia Inducing Cavitational Osteonecrosis). This is often the cause of trigeminal neuralgia and other types of facial pain that people don’t think about.

SICO

Even though it’s good that the effect of cavitations on facial pain is finally being thought about, the effects of cavitations on the body as a whole are still not well understood. Cavitations on major meridians can be very bad for your health. Dr. Mark Breiner calls this “SICO,” which stands for “Sickness Inducing Cavitational Osteonecrosis.” This name shows how much power a cavitation can have on a patient’s overall health. Researchers at the University of Kentucky have looked at cavitational samples so far and found that every single one of them has some kind of material that is harmful to living things.

Benefits of Treatment with Cavitation

If you have cavitations in your mouth, getting treatment can make the pain go away and get rid of any toxins that may be spreading in the area. Some of these problems can be helped by cavitation treatment and made better:

Facial neuralgia

It lasts a long time.

Trigeminal neuralgia

Pain from a fake toothache

Headaches

Migraines