I have had a long standing problem with headaches and joint stiffness.
Recently I had a root canal that was apparently long overdue.
Unfortunately the infection had time to spread at mimnimum to
the sinuses and adjacent teeth.

I need to know if there is a possible connection between decayed
teeth(including the roots) and the arthritis like problems I am
having. I have uncovered some web pages discussing the work of
Dr.George Meinig, DDS and Dr. Weston Price, DDS. This work seems to
indicate not only bad teeth but root canals also can be harbringers of
disease.

I need to know:

1-How has the medical community responded to this hypothesis? Are
there are any independent supporting studies or documention for this
idea? If so what are the medical terms and/or papers that would
convince my dentist and endodontist that this a valid problem.

2-What are the practical ways of confirming that teeth are involved in
a systemic illness? Especially, is there any non-invasive test that
can confirm a decayed root or compromised root canal is present.
X-rays have proved inconclusive in my case. And x-rays wouldn't spot
the compromised root canals Dr. Meinig theorizes.