FDOK (NICO / Cavitations)
The Dangers of Chronic Inflammation in the Jawbone
Cavitations, also known as fatty degenerative osteonecrotic jawbone (FDOJ), chronic ischemic jawbone disease (CIBD), or neuralgia inducing cavitational osteonecrosis (NICO) are areas of chronic inflammation in the jawbone. Undetected by conventional x-rays, they’re usually the result of old, poorly healed tooth extraction wounds, dental germs, or foreign bodies.
Healthy bone
Diseased bone
Wherever wisdom teeth have been removed, especially if the extraction took place during puberty, it’s likely that chronically inflamed extraction wounds have developed.
Similarly to endodontically treated teeth, toxic substances and inflammatory cytokines like TNF-α, IL-1beta, IL-6, especially a chemokine called RANTES develop in the jaw, which can cause various negative neurological, joint and gut health symptoms. These can usually be diagnosed on suspicion, using 3D digital volume tomography (DVT) that’s read by a qualified biological dentist, but in most cases not by a traditional dentist. If a cavitation is suspected, we have been using the CaviTau ultrasound device for 2 years, that helps us determine bone density without any radiation, which gives us even more clues for the indication.
Anyone who is curious about cavitations can ask their dentist for a panoramic image (an X-ray), followed by a DVT 3-D X-ray. However, it’s important to go to a dentist who is familiar with cavitations and able to recognize their pathological structures. Dentists who are not trained to spot them will not be able to find them on an X-ray.
Cavitations can be removed using a minimally invasive surgical technique.
The wound is cleaned out using Piezosurgery, a procedure carried out with the help of ultrasound and disinfected with ozone. In our practice, the wound area is then filled with PRF membranes. This is a biological material made from the patient’s own blood, which makes it highly natural and biocompatible. The procedure, therefore, draws upon the body’s innate healing mechanisms.
When the human body is injured, it generates proteins to accelerate the wound healing process. These can then be used for the production of natural tissues. A small amount of blood is taken from the patient and centrifuged then used to make a suspension fluid with a high concentration of platelets. These platelets contain the information required for tissue regeneration like various growth factors and even stem cells (about 1.2%). When these are placed in the wounded area of the treated cavitations, they serve as a matrix for bone regeneration and also stimulate tissue regeneration.
So that all patients are optimally prepared for the healing and regeneration of the operation and are not operated on in hibernation mode, our patients start with the Food Design Concept and the Bone Healing Protocol 2-4 weeks before the planned treatment.
Photos: J Oral Pathol Med 1999; 28:423.
