Poison in the Mouth — The Dangers of Dental Amalgam

This video clip provides a great basis for the science behind the concern over mercury amalgam fillings. Proponents of mercury in dentistry will often argue that there is no research that shows that mercury amalgam is dangerous. That same argument was made about asbestos 20 years ago — that it’s safe until proven hazardous.

This video — clipped from the BBC’s Poison in the Mouth — provides the science behind the hazard.

Dental amalgams were first introduced in 1833 but many dentists refused to implant them due to the mercury. In 1843, the American Society of Dental Surgeons declared the use of dental amalgam a malpractice(!) and forced its members to abstain from using amalgams.

Proponents of amalgam continued to claim that dental amalgam was safe because it was supposedly inert in the filling. As dental amalgam was less expensive and easier to work with than standard gold fillings, it was not long before dental amalgam was routinely used by most dentists.

In 1926, Dr. Alfred Stock showed that mercury vapor escapes from amalgam fillings and that this could cause significant health damage. The American Dental Association (ADA) vigorously defended dental amalgam as being safe and its widespread use was continued.

In 1986, the ADA finally admitted that mercury vapor escapes from the amalgam fillings. But the ADA remained adamant that amalgams were safe, and in 1986 it changed its code of ethics, making it unethical for dentists to inform patients of the health risks of amalgams or to recommend removal of amalgams

In 2008 the FDA admitted that dental amalgam can cause health problems.

Norway, Denmark and Sweden have ended use of mercury fillings and many dental schools no longer teach mercury placement. Germany, Canada, and California require mercury toxicity warnings to be given to pregnant women.

There are healthier alternatives to dental amalgam such as composite resin (white) fillings, porcelain, and glass ionomers. Gold is not a good alternative as it produces electrical currents within your mouth.

Improve your health by having your amalgam fillings removed!

The mounting body of scientific evidence against dental amalgam is finally creating extensive public concern. It is only a matter of time before dental amalgam fillings are banned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
This Video is Courtesy of HealthRanger7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Is Your Bite Causing Health Problems?

This episode of Dangers in Dentistry — airing on KPRZ in San Diego on Friday, January 29 at 7:00 PM and Sunday, January 31 at 3:30 PM — explains how they way your bite aligns can have an adverse affect on your dental health as well as your overall well-being.

This is a sneak-peak at the radio show — posted here before it airs!

Click the following link to play the audio:

Dentistry May be a Key in Cancer Prevention

A simple inspection of your cheek could reveal potential life-threatening lung cancer, says the leading oral cancer researcher in the country, Dr. Li Mao.

“We hypothesized that tobacco-induced molecular alterations in the oral epithelium are similar to those in the lungs,” which may prove to be a vital cog in the future of lung cancer prevention trials, explained Mao.

Dr. Mao, professor at the University of Maryland Dental School, is pioneering the idea that tissue in your cheek can be an excellent indicator for tobacco-induced lung cancer. As he continues to pursue the links between oral indicators and cancer, it’s important to realize that this discovery has even broader implications: that doctors, researchers, and scientists are coming together to realize and promote the importance of oral care in our overall well-being.

At The Center for Natural Dentistry, we have built our practice on the foundation that good, proper oral care is vital for our overall health; that what goes into the mouth affects the body. Now prominent members of the medical community are starting to build and promote the bridge between medicine and dentistry.

If we can prevent and/or catch lung cancer early by simply examining tissue from your cheek, what will it mean for the future of preventative medicine? Hopefully it means that we will all take a more vested interest in caring for our bodies as a whole, rather than as individual parts.

Is Stress Taking it’s Toll on Your Teeth?

The economy is bad. Unemployment is high. Real estate values are low… It’s a stressful time for many — if not most — families in America right now. But who’s taking the worst of it? Who — or what — is the biggest punching bag for all our stress? It’s possibly our teeth.

In a recent New York Times article (When Stress Takes a Toll on Your Teeth, By Camille Sweeney, October 7, 2009), Manhattan dentist Dr. Robert Rawdin, reported to have seen “20 to 25 percent more patients with teeth grinding symptoms in the last year. And in San Diego, Dr. Gerald McCracken said that over the last 18 months his number of cases had more than doubled.”

“We’re finding in a lot of double-income families, we have the people who have lost jobs and are worried, and then we have the spouse, who still has the job, with the added pressure and uncertainty,” Dr. McCracken said. “This can cause some real grinding at night.”

Teeth grinding — or Bruxism — is an unconscious act, so most people don’t know they grind their teeth. In fact, most grinders are night grinders, rubbing away at their teeth as they sleep. The only way to distinguish what’s going on is symptomatic. Jaw and facial pain, headaches and earaches are some of the most commonly reported. Perhaps the most damaging affect, however, is the physical wear on the teeth.

Teeth grinders can exert as much as 10 times the amount of pressure on their teeth when the are sleeping as they do when they are eating. Not coincidentally, they can also wear away the enamel on their teeth 10 times faster. Since we only get one set of “adult” teeth that are expected to last us a lifetime, the long term affects of severe tooth wear can be devastating.

So what’s the solution? On the high-end is veneers. Expensive, veneers can repair the look and functionality of your teeth. Unfortunately, veneers won’t help solve the root problem: you’ll still grind your teeth. The most common solution is an occlusal splint, or night guard.

Custom night guards can not only help stop the grinding, they can actually help train the muscles to stop the grinding motion altogether for some patients, eliminating the long term need for the guard.  Night guards are not all the same.  We fabricate guards the fit the lower teeth and are adjusted to the proper bite alignment.

While inexpensive night guards are available over the counter, many are made of soft plastics that can actually increase the chewing and grinding action, compounding the problem.  That’s right, run of the mill guards can make things worse!

Stress can affect us all in different ways, but one of the more common manifestations is the grinding of our teeth. If your teeth show wear in your molars or anywhere else — whether you’re stressed or not — or if you’re getting frequent facial pain or headaches, see a dentist. While over the counter and prescription pain medications can alleviate the pain, they will do nothing to solve the problem, which may well be rooted in your teeth.

The Alternatives to Root Canals

We talk a lot about the alternatives to root canals typically the only alternative mentioned is extraction of the tooth. But is that really the only alternative? Surely there must be other options, right? This was the question posed by Sean after listening to recent podcasts (Root Canals, Infections, Formaldehyde, Oh My!).

The truth is, there are other alternatives depending on the situation. We’ll try to explain it all in detail, here.

First off, if you really need a root canal, then that means the damage has gone too far and you are having serious symptoms (toothache or swelling). At that point, the healthiest option is to extract the tooth and replace it.

Root canals, however, are often recommended for the wrong reasons (such as when a dentist has exhausted or ruled out other sources or causes for tooth pain). A common incident is when the bite is off and the problem tooth is sore and causing pain. Another common example is when the gums have receded and the tooth is painful because of exposed dentin. Of course, taking out the nerve will cut sensation or feeling to the tooth, but it by no means is the source of the problem is cured.

The reason root canals are so often recommended is because many dentists don’t spend enough time diagnosing the root cause of the problem. Diagnosis is time-consuming and inefficient. For every minute a dentist spends diagnosing the source of your dental pain, he or she loses money (because that time could have been spent seeing more patients). While many dentists will dedicate the time to properly diagnose problems, far too many take the easy route and make assumptions in order to quickly provide a solution. Root canals will most often remove the cause of the pain (again, because you’ve removed the nerve), therefore, root canal therapy is often recommended.

Now, if the dentist has properly diagnosed the cause of your problems and if you really have a true need for a root canal (infection or deep cavity), then the damage is too great to reverse. The healthiest alternative to a root canal is simply to take out the infection by removing the tooth.

Does this sound barbaric when you can “save” the tooth with root canal therapy? Probably at first. But what dentists are unaware of are the links between leaving an infected tooth in the body and other systemic illnesses (such as breast cancer). It’s called the focal infection theory. A better question would be, “Would you jeopardize your health to ’save’ a tooth?”

If you have an infection or severe decay that has caused a deep cavity and a root canal is recommended, your only two options are extraction or root canal therapy. That’s why knowledge and prevention is of utmost importance: learn how to prevent decay and the spread of tooth decay and you’ll never have to deal with a root canal.

If a root canal is recommended to you, you should definitely get a second or third opinion to confirm the true need for the procedure. Unfortunately, too many dentists do root canals for the wrong reasons and you may have other, less “barbaric” solutions if you were misdiagnosed and don’t need to undergo the procedure.

If you already have a root canal and are wondering if there’s a link with that tooth and the rest of the body, view a tooth meridian chart (we have an interactive meridian chart here: Tooth Meridian Chart) or visit a natural or holistic dentist. A lot of times, extracting the problem tooth can help alleviate or eliminate problems (not always, so again, get a second or third opinion before taking action).

The short answer to the alternatives to a root canal question is… If you really, truly need a root canal, you have only two options: root canal therapy or extraction. However, there is always the chance that you have been misdiagnosed and have many, safer, more appealing options available to you.

Next Page »