The Healing Potential of Diet

How to Save Money on Dental Care

What keeps people from getting the dental care they need? Fear is a major factor. Another is concern with cost.

According to a new Consumer Reports reader survey on oral health, 43% delayed care due to financial concerns. But the survey also found that those who delayed dental treatment were also less satisfied with the care they got. The why is simple:

Because not going to your dental appointments may lead to more extensive and more costly dental treatment in the long run.

Whether money is tight or you’re a committed saver, the best way to minimize dental costs is the same: Take a proactive, preventive approach. This means

• Brushing after meals, flossing daily and regularly using a proxy brush, perio-aid or oral irrigator to clean the necks of teeth and at the gumline.
• Eating a varied, balanced diet based on whole foods, low in sugars and refined carbs.
• Regularly exercising.
• Getting enough quality sleep and rest.
• Managing stress and maintaining a balanced lifestyle.
• Seeing your dentist every 6 months for a cleaning and exam.

Any money you spend pursuing the above is nothing compared with the cost of dental surgery and restorations!

Funny. You know the entertainment discount books full of coupons? We don’t usually think twice about buying things like those, justifying the cost by thinking of the money we’ll save. Sure, there’s more fun potential there, and a quicker payoff to the investment. It takes years for our lifestyle choices to catch up with us, but when they do…! Of course, writes one dentist,

It is easy to rationalize buying something you want like shoes, a car, diamond ring, etc. On the other hand, it is even easier to rationalize not doing something like dieting or going to the dentist, right? I mean who wants to have someone stick their hand in your mouth, poke around it, mumble a few things and then tell you the bad news?

The catch: It doesn’t have to be bad news.

The challenge: Start backing up our words with action. Most everyone agrees that good dental hygiene is important, yet according to the CR survey, only 1/3 of readers brush and floss as much as they should. Changing that behavior alone would do much to cut down on dental bills.

Here are CR‘s tips for dealing with the cost factor:

• Shop around and bargain. Look up typical insurance paid rates in your area at FairHealthConsumer.org and HealthCareBlueBook.com, then ask providers to accept that amount, or less, as a cash payment. [Of the two, the first seems better - more specific, targeted and accessible to the layperson.]
• Consider Free and low-cost clinics and health centers. Some community health centers offer dental care with fees based on the ability to pay. Consumers should call their local health department to find one nearby. But they should expect to encounter waiting lists in some locations.
• Look into dental and dental-hygienist schools. Consumers who are willing to be treated by supervised students can avail themselves of schools that offer free or discontinued care to the public. A list of schools is available at www.ada.org/267.aspx.
• Investigate dental discount plans. For an annual membership fee of around $50 to $100, one can get access to a network of dentists who have agreed to discounted rates. But Consumer Reports recommends that consumers watch out for pricey add-ons and extra procedures they don’t need.

One caveat: Most low-cost clinics and dental schools are not holistically focused. Things like mercury amalgam fillings, root canals and insufficient cleaning of the socket after tooth extraction can have long term health effects that vastly outweigh the short term bargain of low-cost care. As my colleague Dr. Gary Verigin writes,

In short, “cheaper now” usually means “more expensive later.” In the best case, you wind up replacing work sooner and more often. In the worst case, cutting corners causes more extensive and expensive problems down the road.

The smart consumer looks at the big picture.

Or as a small plaque hanging in our office has it, “Beware of bargains in parachutes, brain surgery and dental care.”

Consider: If you needed surgery on any other living organ – and each of your teeth is a vital organ, just as your heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and such are – would you opt for the cheapest surgeon or the most qualified surgeon whose services fit within your budget?

So also keep in mind that some dental offices will work with you to develop a payment plan for costly procedures. It’s worth asking about when you first call. There are also options such as CareCredit for financing over time.

But again – and as ever – your best bet is to make your oral (and physical) health a priority and minimize the risk of pricey problems arising in the first place.

Image by Danielle Moler, via Flickr

Gum Disease? Smoker? Why You Need to Kick the Habit Before Getting Treatment

According to a recent poll, 1 in 10 smokers try to hide the fact from their physician. Most say they do this to avoid getting get lectured about their habit. And that’s understandable. After all, most smokers know they should quit. Many have tried. But the pleasures, rituals and effects (physical and mental) – and so, the addiction – often win out.

Since so much of tobacco’s damage isn’t readily visible in a routine medical visit, hiding the habit may be fairly easy – especially if you’re a light smoker, as the poll says many hiders are. Hiding it from a dentist, though, is tougher. Yes, you can mask bad breath for a while. Yes, you can diligently whiten your teeth. But you can’t mask things like bleeding gums, bone and tooth loss or cancerous lesions.

While most Americans have some degree of gum disease, the problem, as noted before, is much worse among smokers. According to research published in the Journal of Periodontology, over half of all cases may be due to smoking, and smokers are four times more likely to develop it. Why? Among other reasons, they “may be more than 10 times more likely than nonsmokers to harbor the bacteria that cause periodontal disease and are also more likely to have advanced periodontal disease.”

And no, it’s not just about cigarettes. You don’t get a free pass just because you smoke cigars or a pipe. The effect is similar. And the more you smoke, the greater the risk. Chewing tobacco carries its own oral health risks.

While gum disease can lead to bone and tooth loss, it’s not a necessary cause. Smoking alone is enough of a trigger, and its effects persist even after decades of living smoke-free. While we can try to spur new bone growth or at least slow the rate of loss, there’s currently no sure-fire fix.

Because of tobacco’s pernicious effects on both the hard and soft oral tissues, an increasing number of periodontists refuse to treat smokers until they kick the habit. Smokers may be surprised, frustrated, hurt or even offended by this. Obviously, they care enough about their oral health to consult with a specialist. But that care needs to motivate a successful quit, as well. After all, would you start repairing a flooded home while water was still gushing in? Or a fire-damaged home while flames are still raging?

For while periodontal treatment may help in the short term, long-term prognosis for smokers is poor. This is borne out both clinically and through research.

Among the latest research is a study just published in the American Journal of Medical Sciences. For it, the authors reviewed over 40 years of research on the impact of smoking on perio surgery outcomes. Of the two dozen studies that met their criteria, 2/3

showed that reductions in probing depth and gains in clinical attachment levels were compromised in smokers in comparison with nonsmokers. Three studies showed residual recession after periodontal surgical interventions to be significantly higher in smokers compared with nonsmokers. Three case reports showed periodontal healing to be uneventful in smokers.

But this can be new incentive to quit. No one wants to waste money on treatments not likely to help much or last long. So the choice becomes one of continued tobacco use and worsening oral health or quitting and getting help to regain periodontal health and keep as many natural teeth as long as possible. (After all, replacing teeth isn’t cheap either: a single implant can cost several thousand dollars!) For the good news is that although the risk of tooth loss persists, the effects of smoking on gum tissue are reversible. You can undo a lot of damage.

You just have to quit the cigs first.

Some natural, drug-free tips for quitting smoking

Abstracts on the tobacco-perio health link

 

Image by Marko Miloševic, via Flickr

What Are Cavitations?

Most people familiar with holistic or biological dentistry know the problems mercury amalgam fillings can cause. Many also know about the health risks of root canal teeth. But fewer know much about a third major oral issue: cavitations.

So although I’ve posted about them before, I think it’s important to share additional information from time to time so more people become aware of this other potential block to more optimal health.

So just what is a cavitation?

In simplest terms, it’s a hole in the jaw bone that hasn’t healed correctly. There are many causes, including dental trauma, gum disease and toxic assault, but they most commonly follow tooth extraction. (As the title of one research article by Drs. Levy and Huggins put it, “Routine Dental Extractions Routinely Produce Cavitations” [PDF].) For when a tooth is removed, the periodontal ligament and a bit of the bone around the socket must be removed, too. (This ligament is what attaches teeth to the jaw.) Otherwise, remaining bacteria will be effectively sealed into the jaw bone as new tissue grows over the surgical site. The infection continues to destroy tissue, while the waste from that dead and decaying tissues worsens the infection.

This infection doesn’t just stay in the jaw, however. The pathogens have access to the general circulation via blood and lymph vessels. Where they go, what organs they affect and how depend on their type.

Notably, mercury and other toxic heavy metals may also be distributed through the body via cavitations, as evidence suggests they can act as holding tanks of sorts for the vapor released by mercury fillings in the mouth. It is, in short, another route of access for systemic mercury poisoning.

Here’s naturopath Dr. Alison Adams on cavitations and their long-term consequences:

 

 

See also “Dental Dangers: Cavitations” and “Oral Obstacles to Optimal Health.”

The Holistic Dentist Year in Review, 2011

As we’re about to say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012, it seems only right to take a quick look back at the year in blogging.

It was The Holistic Dentist‘s first full year of existence. (Its two year anniversary will be at the end of this coming February.) And during that time, our audience more than tripled!

Here’s what people were reading:

Top 10 New Posts of 2011

1. What’s Ozone Therapy & How Is It Used in Dentistry?
2. US Calls for a “Phase-out” of Dental Amalgam in World Mercury Treaty Negotiations
3. Do Natural Mouthwashes Work?
4. Root Canal Myths
5. Want Your Kids to Eat More Veg & Fruit? Try Smiling!
6. Why Do We Have Two Sets of Natural Teeth in Our Lifetimes?
7. Teeth Sensitive? Don’t Look Now, but Your Dentin May Be Showing
8. Case History: “A True Healing Miracle”
9. Detox Support: Reiki
10. How to Get Rid of Bad Breath Naturally

Top 10 Overall Posts in 2011

1. Why Tongue Piercings Aren’t So Cool for Your Teeth & Gums
2. Get the Most Out of Tooth Whitening
3. Nutrition & Your Amazing, Self-Healing Teeth
4. Why Doesn’t Everyone with Mercury Fillings Get Sick?
5. A Nanosilver Bullet Against Tooth Decay?
6. What’s Ozone Therapy & How Is It Used in Dentistry?
7. US Calls for a “Phase-out” of Dental Amalgam in World Mercury Treaty Negotiations
8. Do Natural Mouthwashes Work?
9. Root Canal Myths
10. Does Fluoride Really Prevent Cavities?

Thanks much to all of you for reading, commenting and sharing! And if you’ve not yet connected with my office via Facebook and/or Twitter for more frequent info on holistic, biological dental health and wellness, please do!

My staff and I wish you the happiest of New Years…

Some Weird & Funny & Surprising Holiday Gifts for the Dental-Minded

You know how important it is for kids to get an early start when it comes to learning about their teeth and how to take care of them.

So do the toy companies.

There are play sets…

…dolls…

…board games….

That “patient” looks none too confident, though. Maybe it’s because he’s seen his “dentist” practicing with this:

Interestingly, a different – perhaps earlier – version of this play set includes gold Play-Doh, not mercury amalgam gray.

Make-believe toxic dentistry – the perfect gift this holiday season, right?

At least it’s a little more exciting than the flavored dental floss and “fun” toothbrushes that Delta Dental is suggesting as “teeth-friendly stocking stuffers”.

But why limit dental-themed gifts to the kids?

For instance, how about a lovely, silver dental charm, such as these dentures?

Or better yet, jewelry made with teeth?

Maybe some art?

You could even go a little crazy and give a tattoo –

– if not on the skin, on the skin of your teeth:

This kind is supposedly very popular in Japan:

But maybe you prefer something practical – like a $295 toothpaste squeezer.

Want something more high tech? How about a USB-powered toothbrush? Or a toothbrush cam, so you can see your teeth all up-close-and-personal while you brush, just as they look to a dentist?

Or maybe not.

 

Happy holidays, everyone!

No Time to Eat Well? 8 Time-Making Tips

Regular readers here know about Dr. Weston Price and his important research on the relationship between diet and dental conditions. (Not familiar? I give a quick overview at the start of this video.) It was Dr. Price, of course, who showed that when people shifted from their traditional diets to a Western one, high in white flour and sugar, dental problems followed – problems such as cavities, narrowed arches and crooked, crowded teeth.

Archaeological and anthropological research has also suggested that the rise of agriculture and the accompanying shift to grain-based diets had a negative impact on health. Now a new study shows that this may be due to broader effects of this change. Based on her analysis of more than 300 skulls from 11 different populations, anthropologist Noreen von Cramon-Taubadel concluded that

the changes in human skulls are more likely driven by the decreasing bite forces required to chew the processed foods eaten once humans switch to growing different types of cereals, milking and herding animals about 10,000 years ago.

“As you are growing up… the amount that you are chewing, and the pressure that your chewing muscles and bone [are] under, will affect the way that the lower jaw is growing,” explained Dr von Cramon-Taubadel.

She thinks that the shorter jaws of farmers meant that they have less space for their teeth relative to hunter-gatherers, whose jaws are longer.

The study abstract is available here.

The problem with crowded teeth, of course, is more than just aesthetic. They can be harder to clean well, raising the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. They can throw off the bite and contribute to improper oral and facial function and/or habits that can lead to pain and other problems. They’re also more vulnerable to uneven tooth wear and breakage.

As ever, good dental health, like good physical health, depends on eating well. Yet for many, this isn’t always easy – especially with the economy still so bad and budgets tight. But “challenging” doesn’t mean “impossible,” as shown by projects such as 100 Days of Real Food on a Budget ($125 a week for a family of 4). More recently, a group of three bloggers – Sherrie Flick, Cory Van Horn and Hal B. Klein – did a variation on the Food Stamp Challenge, in which participants commit for a week of living on the average food stamp allotment of $4.50 per day. These bloggers challenged themselves to eat a healthy, varied meals on just $35 a week, supplemented by any food they grew themselves or bartered for.

One particularly striking aspect of their reflections was their observation that the food itself was just a small part of the challenge. As Flick writes,

The idea of bartering led to a discussion about the importance of community and friendship in food circles. It’s much easier to eat cheaply if you’re joining together with others.

We also talked about cooking skills—how knowing how to cook, how to garden and prepare food efficiently is one key to avoiding processed foods. We talked about time versus money. How, for me, having a non-traditional work schedule lends itself to, say, baking bread on a Monday morning.

For many of us, regardless of budget, the biggest obstacles are often time and energy. Affordable convenience wins out. Yet, as Edward Stanley wrote in The Conduct of Life, “Those who think they have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later find time for illness.”

So here are few tips for ensuring you eat well even if you have “no time” for it:

1. Keep it simple
   Who says you have to cook fancy recipes for every meal? It only takes 15 to 20 minutes to put together a tasty dinner of pasta and green salad, or meat, steamed vegetables and salad. Baked or roasted foods can be put in the oven to cook while you take care of other chores.
2. When you want something fancier, know where to look
   Lots of recipe websites have sections of nothing but “quick and easy” recipes and meal ideas, such as these at simplyrecipes.com and allrecipes.com.
3. One word: crockpot
   It doesn’t get much easier than throwing ingredients into a crockpot and leaving it to cook. And don’t think it’s just about soups and stews either. Sites like Slow & Simple offer a wealth of ideas for delicious crockpot/slow cooker meals.
4. Cook less by cooking more
   On the weekends or other off days, cook larger-than-usual meals and freeze the extra. Voila! Instant TV dinners! If you cook steaks or other meat, cook a little more than you need for your meal and use the rest for a quick and easy hash or stirfry on the next day.
5. Plan and shop ahead
   Make a list, check it twice and keep a pantry well-stocked with basics. If you stock it with a lot of processed stuff “just in case” you don’t feel like cooking, you’re apt to not feel like cooking a lot more often. Clean, cut and store veggies as soon as you bring them home. It’s less work down the road (and handy for snacking, too!)
6. Keep healthy snacks at hand
   When we’re on the go, it’s all too easy to default to vending machine and convenience store nosh – most of which is highly processed and loaded with sugars, salt and unhealthy fats. Keep things like fresh fruit, nuts and jerky at the ready.
7. Eat out…of a brown paper bag
   Or any other device for carrying your homemade lunch with you. If you’re not a morning person, why not make lunch the night before – even while you’re cooking dinner? A sandwich takes just a few minutes to make. If you make a point of cooking more than you need, those extras/leftovers can make fine lunches, too.
8. Commit
   Decide on your preferred mealtimes and stick to them, even setting an alarm if you need a reminder. Just as you make time for those activities that mean a lot to you, you can make time for eating well. Being the foundation for good health – dental and systemic – it’s certainly deserving of all the commitment you can give it.

Image by pha10019, via Flickr

The Need to Talk About Oral Cancer

The British Dental Health Foundation recently distributed some interesting UK survey results on oral cancer. Reading their media release, I wondered: Would US survey results be similar?

What they found:

• 88% of the public would like to be checked for oral cancer at their dental appointments.
• 89% of dentists check for signs of oral cancer.
• 68% use tools like VELscope to check for cancer.

More, every dentist surveyed – 100%! – said that they consider it their role to promote oral cancer awareness. And yet the BDHF found that

• 84% of dentists do not explain the risks and symptoms of mouth cancer to their patients.
• Almost half – 43% – do not provide oral cancer educational material to patients.

How do you effectively “promote awareness” then?

Earlier this year, I wrote about the sharp increase in oral cancer rates:

Once upon a time, oral cancer was a disease limited largely to tobacco users and heavy drinkers. For all others, the risks were thought to be very low, and the rate of disease remained fairly steady.

And then it started going up. And fast.

How fast?

Between 1974 and 2007, cases of white men with oral cancer shot up by 225%.

At the same time, there was a five fold increase in young adults with oral cancer.

Incidence has especially skyrocketed for women. In 1950, for every 6 men who developed oral cancer, only one woman did. Today, that ratio has narrowed to 2 : 1.

Clearly, oral cancer is something we need to be talking about, dentists and patients alike. So it’s no surprise that the BDHF’s media release about this survey focused so sharply on the need for better communication.

Chief Executive of the Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter…said: “Good communication in healthcare is vital for both the professional and the patient. In dentistry it allows the dentist to explain certain procedures, which can often be very technically-minded. The patient can then come back with any further questions they may have about the treatment, what is involved and what may happen afterwards. If either of these roles is ineffective then it can lead to a failure of communication.”

“Mouth cancer cases are increasing at a phenomenal rate due to choices in lifestyle such as smoking and alcohol. The disease, its symptoms and risk factors need to be discussed honestly and openly more often and there’s no better place to start than at a dental check-up.

“Knowing the risks and learning how to self-examine are key when it comes to the early detection of mouth cancer, where it can dramatically improve survival rates to 90 per cent. Without early detection, half will die – it really is a silent killer.”

If you’re not sure your dentist checks for cancer at your regular appointments, just ask. Ask your dentist to explain the procedures and what he or she looking for. Talk with him or her about any risk factors you may have and preventive steps you can take.

I can’t speak for all dentists, of course, but as a dentist, it’s important to me that you understand what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, as well as what you can do to gain and sustain more optimal oral health in general. After all, dentists are doctors, too – physicians whose specialty involves the teeth and oral cavity. You know how the word “doctor” came about? The English word comes from the Latin word docere, which means “to show, teach or cause to know.”

Teaching is part of our job.

To learn more about key risks and symptoms of oral cancer – as well as why we’re seeing so much more of it these days – see my earlier post, “The Oral Cancer Pandemic & How You Can Keep Yourself Safe.”

Thanks/Giving

Originally posted November 2010

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is almost here in the US. While not all Americans observe this holiday, most of us will do the “traditional” thing of spending time with family and friends, eating a lot, visiting, reminiscing, maybe watching the Macy’s parade in the morning and a football game or two in the afternoon. Some of us will volunteer our time to help feed others in need. But all of us who do celebrate the day will at some point address it’s core concept: gratitude.

During challenging times such as our own – with economic hardship, bitter political division, seemingly endless wars and more – it can seem hard to be grateful. What do we have to be grateful for when so much seems so wrong, so bad, so impossible? But consider: When Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving to be an official holiday, the country was in the midst of the Civil War. Yet, Lincoln wrote,

In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

In many respects, gratitude is about keeping perspective so you can count your blessings. Just because things aren’t perfect or even good doesn’t mean that everything is wrong or there is nothing to feel thankful for. As Gautama Buddha taught,

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.

Over the past several years, there has been a growing amount of research into the health effects of gratitude. That there’s some psychological and spiritual benefit may be of little doubt. Most if not all of us have experienced the peace and calm that comes with being thankful – when someone has done something thoughtful for us or when we recognize the blessings in our lives, such as the people we’re honored to know and the experiences we’ve been fortunate enough to have. Psychologists who have studied gratitude have noted more specific effects, both mental and physical:

In an experimental comparison, people who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events (Emmons & McCullough, 2003). It doesn’t end there.

Participants who kept gratitude lists were more likely to have made progress toward important personal goals (academic, interpersonal and health-based). And there’s more. Young adults who practice a daily gratitude intervention (self-guided exercises) had higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to the group that focused on hassles or thinking of how they were better off than others.

* * *

Researchers have found that when we think about someone or something we really appreciate and experience the feeling that goes with the thought, the parasympathetic, calming branch of the autonomic nervous system is triggered. This pattern when repeated bestows a protective effect on the heart. The electromagnetic heart patterns of volunteers tested become more coherent and ordered when they activate feelings of appreciation.

There is evidence that when we practice bringing attention to what we appreciate in our lives, more positive emotions emerge, leading to beneficial alterations in heart rate variability. This may not only relieve hypertension but reduce the risk of sudden death from coronary artery disease.

Such research tells us that cultivating a grateful spirit is something worth striving to do on a daily basis, supporting our health and well being. This Thanksgiving Day would be an excellent time to start, carrying the good feeling with you through the holidays and into the new year. Perhaps practicing gratitude might help us make better progress in solving the big challenges of these difficult times, giving us even more to be grateful for in the long run.

My staff and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a great start to the holiday season!

Images by JPhilipson (Harmony, Health, Joy) via Flickr

 

The Persistent Defense of Mercury Fillings

It’s kind of a weird passage to find on a site that promises to “improve your world” by covering “the broadest scope of environmental and social responsibility issues on the internet.” (Then again, the corporate-sponsored site – Mother Nature Network – gets funding from the likes of environmental polluter Georgia-Pacific, so maybe some cognitive dissonance is to be expected.)

From “6 Signs You Need a New Dentist,” originally published in Woman’s Day:

If your dentist recommends that you replace all of your silver fillings with tooth-colored versions, you may want to get a second opinion. While there are some theories that the mercury content in silver fillings can be harmful to your health, none of them has been proven to be true, says Dr. Gross. According to Shelley Seidel, DDS, MD, who practices at Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons of Houston and is the director of the Institute for Dental Implant Awareness, as long as you don’t have cavities below your fillings — which can be detected by examination or x-ray — or the fillings aren’t broken or fractured, there is no need to replace them. “If your dentist wants to take them out simply because silver fillings are passé, you’re asking for trouble because you don’t know how your teeth will react,” explains Dr. Gross. “They may react in an unfavorable way, becoming more sensitive or in need of a root canal or crown.” (emphasis added)

Amalgam being “passé” is hardly the issue.

As regular readers know, “silver” describes only the color of these fillings, which mostly consist of mercury, a potent neurotoxin. Though more and more dentists have quit using mercury amalgam, US dentists alone place about 70 million of these fillings every year, using 34 tons of mercury. But not all that mercury goes into patients’ mouths. Tons of it are released into the water system each year, as well. As Dr. Bicuspid has reported,

Approximately 50% of mercury entering local waste treatment plants comes from dental amalgam waste – about 3.7 tons of mercury annually, according to the EPA. Once deposited, certain microorganisms can change elemental mercury into methylmercury, a highly toxic form that builds up in fish, shellfish, and animals that eat fish. Fish and shellfish are the main sources of methylmercury exposure to humans, and the EPA is concerned that methylmercury can damage children’s developing brains and nervous systems even before they are born.

And it doesn’t even take that much mercury to cause contamination: As little as one teaspoonful (PDF) can render a 22 acre lake toxic.

Yet it’s considered okay to put mercury in a person’s mouth, mere inches from the brain?

Contrary to Dr. Gross’s claim, there is a substantial scientific record of amalgam’s power to harm human health. (For a sample, see this and this and this.) There has also been work along the lines of a study published just this month in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation which demonstrated long-lasting reduction of health complaints after mercury removal.

That said, no conscientious dentist would make a the kind of generalizing statement like the one used in the MNN/Woman’s Day article: “You need to replace all of your silver fillings with white ones.” You can’t just assume that if a person has amalgams, they must be removed. Our bodies have excretory mechanisms to remove any toxins that enter. Some people have healthier, more robust systems than others. Some carry a heavier toxic load due to multiple and/or ongoing exposures, not just mercury.

You have to ask, Is the person experiencing symptoms? Are amalgams the primary cause?

Always, you need to look at each individual’s health situation and do the appropriate exams and evaluations to determine the presence and impact of any oral obstacles to systemic health. If you find any – mercury fillings or otherwise (e.g., infected root canal teeth or cavitations) – you then map out a systematic, patient-specific plan for treatment and healing. And if amalgam removal is involved, it must be done safely (PDF). You also need to be sure that the new restorations are biocompatible, which is determined beforehand through blood serum analysis and other tests.

So, yes: The caution against rushing into amalgam removal (or any other treatment) is sound. You just don’t need to justify it by insisting against evidence that amalgam is risk-free.

Note: There’ll be no post next week, due to the Veteran’s Day holiday.

Mouth image by brillenschlange, via Flickr