Diagnosing Dana: Exhibit 3

On March 2, 2000, I was solicited to the dental office of Theresa F. Keefe, DMD, (a.k.a. Dr. Tracey Keefe) because she wanted to pay for my decorative painting services in her house, which she owned with her husband, hematologist/oncologist Zia Rahman (St. Francis Hospital) by providing me with cosmetic dental care. 

During my first visit with her she took this x-ray of tooth #30 and the surrounding bone in my lower right mandible:

Now, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see that there is something seriously wrong with this picture.

Unfortunately, Dr. Keefe never showed me this x-ray and never informed me that I had permeative, moth-eaten and ill-defined radiolucent lesions and root tip resorption in tooth #30, or that the extraction site from tooth #28, which was pulled by my regular dentist seven months prior due to complete resorption of the root (a sign of bone lymphoma, the tooth also had a nickel post in it and a nickel crown), had not yet healed, as shown in this photograph of my jawbone, also taken by Dr. Keefe (and which was also never shown to me):

An extraction site that fails to heal is a sign of early, treatable cancer:

A case of oral non-Hodgkin's lymphoma presenting following a tooth extraction is reported. The clinical presentation was that of a periodontal lesion and an extraction socket that failed to heal.

"Swelling, ulcer, or discomfort may be present in the region of the lymphoma, or it may mimic a periapical pathology or a benign condition." - Diffuse Large B-cell lymphoma of mandible: A case report. 

Dr. Keefe lied at least THREE TIMES in my dental records by specifically writing that my oral cancer exam was "within normal limits", that my bone x-rays were "within normal limits" and that I had no root tip abnormalities:

Unfortunately, I did not have access to this x-ray until October 25, 2002, or this photograph until August 24, 2004.

Had I known about this lesion in my jawbone, I would NEVER have allowed Dr. Keefe (who has post-graduate training in dental oncology and head and neck cancer and is also a Clinical Professor of Dentistry at UConn Hospital) to place a carcinogenic nickel-beryllium-aluminum post into tooth #30 and a cosmetic dental bridge over a potentially cancerous non-healing ulcer in my jawbone . . . .

Notice the osteoclerosis (seen in bone lymphoma) and the widening of the periodontal ligament space next to where her custom-designed nickel-beryllium core cuts into my jawbone? Both signs of cancer. 

Beryllium has been banned from dentistry because it causes osteosarcoma, and there was even a lump of reactive bone (reactive fibrosis is seen in bone lymphoma) that grew around Dr. Keefe's post and core. Also, the post in tooth #30 looks like it has caused the entire root to resorb and the adjacent bone to turn black.

You would think that with all her post-graduate training in oncology (she is not incompetent, and her husband was her oncology professor), she'd be the first person to recognize the signs of cancer, and the last person to sell you a carcinogenic nickel-beryllium bridge . . . .

Nickel causes bone lymphoma, aka reticulum cell sarcoma, aka histiocytic lymphoma, a lymphoma of the connective tissue.

Genetic and Epigenetic Mechanisms in Metal Carcinogenesis and Cocarcinogenesis: Nickel, Arsenic and Chromium

Metallic Implant-Associated Lymphoma

Increases in sarcoma and lymphomas with bone involvement due to metallic implants containing high levels of nickel. 

(The Unitbond alloy she used to fabricate my post and core contained 78% nickel, much higher than the amount used in stainless steel.)

ADA: Proper Use of Beryllium-Containing Alloys

On August 23, 2002, I emailed this letter to her:

She agreed to meet me at her office on September 2, 2002 to discuss and then she very coldly refused to remove these allergens and carcinogens from my mouth even after I spent almost two hours in her office crying and begging her to remove it, unless I paid her another $3500 for a replacement bridge. 

I called the manufacturer of Unitbond, the metal used to fabricate my post and core, and they told me that Unitbond was contraindicated for use in posts and cores.

The MSDS for the 78% nickel alloy (Unitbond) used in my mouth by Dr. Keefe claimed that it was toxic and caused tumors and fatigue. It has been recently removed from the market.

Still, Dr. Keefe refused to remove it. She told me that I would never be able to prove that dental metal allergies cause CFS or cancer, that no oral surgeon will ever biopsy my jawbone, and that I will never be able to prove I have cancer. 

So I filed a suit in small claims court to get my money back for the bridge, so that I could have another dentist replace it and to assert my rights as a dental consumer. However, she had her attorneys motion it over to the regular docket.

SMALL CLAIMS LAWSUIT transferred to regular docket by Dr. Keefe: Click here to see how difficult it is to get the carcinogens she places back out of your mouth.

During discovery, Dr. Keefe made it very clear that she thinks that I am delusional for believing that I have cancer in my jawbone and that nickel is a carcinogen.

She also deposed my treating psychologist and tried to convince him that I was a delusional liar, that there were NO lesions in my jawbone, and warned him that he was about to testify against another "professional".

During four 8-hour depositions at her attorney's office she would show up and glare at me with hatred the entire time. 

She never once showed any signs of remorse or empathy or apologized. 

UConn: The Killers (and Liars) in Our Midst:

So how do you recognize a sociopath if you happen to meet one in your daily life? Stout urges readers to practice what she calls "the rule of threes." 

One lie or broken promise or neglected responsibility may simply be a misunderstanding. Two may involve a serious mistake, but "three lies says you're dealing with a liar, and deceit is the linchpin of conscienceless behavior," Stout writes. 

"Do not give your money, your work, your secrets or your affection to a three-timer."

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The bridge that Dr. Keefe installed in my mouth:
(It had a loose post and core still attached, which means the bridge was broken).
Removed June 5, 2003

This is what my jawbone looked like after the removal of Dr. Keefe's bridge and tooth #30:
(Notice the two dark spots from toxic nickel leaching out due to root resorption.
Root resorption is a sign of malignancy.)
Photo taken October 2003

This is what my jawbone looked like in January 2004 after oral surgeon Avram Berger, DDS, sewed up the extraction site that failed to heal. There was thickening in the bone torus, which was removed but never properly biopsied. There was no infection in my jawbone. Lymphoma of bone is a gray-white fish-flesh like tumor that diffusely infiltrates the bone:

This was the swelling in my jawbone and neck glands after the same very minor surgery:

Dr. Avram Berger (who I later found out is a friend of Dr. Keefe's) then called my new PCP to tell her that I was delusional and that there was nothing in my jawbone:

Panorex, April 2004:

Occlusal x-ray of the area surrounding Dr. Keefe's work, April 2004:



X-ray of lower right mandible, April 2004:



If I had not gotten that extremely toxic bridge out of my mouth, I don't think I'd be here today to tell my story . . . .

Here are some of my interrogatory responses in my lawsuit against Dr. Keefe:

At the time, I did believe it was an "artifact" because I trusted Dr. Keefe. 

I hope you like the living room, dining room and 2-story foyer I painted for you Dr. Keefe.

I worked really hard to make your home more beautiful and used only non-toxic materials.

Had you not been happy, I would have painted it over, for free.

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This story has been updated on March 24, 2105 here:

Dental Causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

And here are two more cancerous lesions found underneath the two dental crowns (also with nickel-beryllium underneath) she placed in my mouth in 2000:

Teeth extracted 7/31/15. Photo taken 8/05/15.