Teeth

Hi Aussie Soul Sister

Have you ever asked the dentist why he does so many x-rays? I would have thought that full mouth, twice a year was outrageous! If you have a lot of amalgam fillings he may be looking for problems underneath them so he can replace them only on an as needs basis. Removal of amalgam fillings puts a lot of mercury vapour into the air. There is a very good reason why many dentists die while relatively young. They don't do amalgam removal until they have to. some who do it as a specialist practice probably have special air filtration and surface cleaning methods that avoid the staff and cleaners becoming contaminated with mercury.

My oldish dentist works on the principle that, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I like that approach. He has missed a couple of things while they were minor, but there is no guarantee with dental work that the repair will last for longer than the tooth anyway. All dental repairs will eventually need replacing if the person lives long enough. It is very like POP repairs in that way.

I recently had a root canal on an infected tooth, and crown, done by a dentist other than my normal one. My normal oldish dentist has a machine in his rooms which can convert an impression into a ceramic crown in about 30 minutes. I have had a root canal 'excavation' and temporary crown in the same visit and the crown made and fitted at a second visit. I have several of these in my mouth. This recent one with a young dentist took five or six visits and I think I had about six or eight x-rays over that time.

I am detecting a trend in modern dentists of using imagery for everything they possibly can. The reason is probably risk of malpractice, ie they are documenting the work as they go, for their own protection as much as for the wellbeing of the patient.

Admittedly the x-rays I had were with a very new, probably ultra- low dose machine, which is very narrowly focussed. The whole mouth x-rays that you mention may be the same. (I am ashamed to say that I didn't ask.)

Dentistry has become an industry that is about aesthetics as much as about having the teeth that will chew food until you die. It is sometimes really hard to tell whether the dentist is suggesting work on the basis of maintaining a healthy bite, and making it easy for the person to keep their teeth in tiptop shape, or whether they are simply creating a shop window in your smile, as a marketing exercise for their practice.

I would be asking the dentist a lot of questions, and possibly getting a second or third opinion, before having major work done. You have a right to know what they are planning on doing, and all the risks involved. You may be worrying unnecessarily.

In the meantime, ensure that you have plenty of detersive foods, http://2020dentistry.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/grub-thats-good-for-your-te... (eg raw carrots, celery, apples, and other hard foods) that will clean the plaque off your teeth and gum margins while you snack, in your family's diet, floss daily and clean teeth twice a day. Here is a paper about dental health in children which seems to be pretty well-refernced and comprehensive, http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/apjcn/4/s1/wei.htm . I cringe at the thought that breastfeeding can cause dental caries, but I think we have to read even scientific papers with some scepticism when it comes to issues like this. The earlier paper cited was written in 1979, right in the middle of the controversy about Nestle killing babies, and whether breast was indeed best, and could possibly be a stisfactory diet of babies right up to one year. My first baby fitted this category, gagging on other foods right up to 11 mo. There is a lot of medical research done with funding from companies that stand to gain from the right results. The author of the NHRI article concedes that bottle supplementary foods given at bedtime are probably the culprit, not the breast milk that is given in between times.

I sometimes carry a toothbrush in a little plastic box in my handbag if I am rushing out the door to a meeting, and can clean my teeth somewhere later, when I have a spare couple of minutes.

Regarding braces: Three of my children have had braces. The first, my stepdaughter, had hers applied when she was too young (in my opinion) at about age 11. The process was finished as she was still growing and her teeth drifted out of alignment. Continued follow-up use of a retainer makes sense because some drifting is expected, but hers was extreme since her jawline was still maturing and she was not diligent about using her retainer at night.

The other two got their braces 'late' according to the average orthodontic protocol, starting at ages 15 and 16. That was difficult for them socially, but both of them have beautiful teeth now as adults and I believe it worked better for them at that age. One had a tooth completely in front of the row of upper front teeth and it was the last one pulled in line. He then had a gum graft done to protect the part of the root that was exposed because of the gum stretching to make room for the tooth. It all went well and looks great.

Another of my sons had an extra tooth come in at the front of his palate at about age 11 and we had to have it surgically removed. When he was six, he fell on our terazzo floor and broke out a front tooth. I rinsed it in milk and stuck it in the socket and rushed him to the dentist. It worked; the tooth "took root" again. If I had left it alone, there would have been room for the one in his palate to move in! Funny, huh?

I've been doing oil pulling (which I read about on the forum) with sunflower oil. My mouth feels good and my teeth are whiter than the dentist expected when he had to match a crown recently. I thought it would gag me to rinse with oil, but it's not unpleasant at all. The sunflower oil is a little less expensive than the recommended sesame oil and tastes a little 'nutty'. I also use feather-like plastic toothpicks that free stringy meat fragments and popcorn kernels and use an interdental brush along with my spinbrush to clean. My dentist and hygienist always seem to be surprised at how clean my mouth is. (Makes me wonder if I don't give them the impression of being a slob otherwise!)

Louise, you're a wonderland of information. We had to change dentists; our guy was getting senile-like way too early. We loved his really gentle hands, very good with his tools, and honored our requests to only do what was necessary for us adults until we got all the kids' teeth taken care of. I miss him, but he was inexplicably losing it. Maybe it has a little something to do with mercury poisoning. We always worried about his exposure to pathogens but never thought about the materials he was working with.

Finally a subject I can chat about. I was told children have to have an x-ray every year by law because they change rapidly by growth, and if something is missed it can be corrected faster. Adults should be every 2 years. This is my story and including it because people who come to this forum are looking for good information and someone who has been through it. I have had my mercury fillings replaced and feel it has made a difference. I used toothpaste for sensitive teeth and gums. My teeth and gums hurt & bleed a lot. I went to numerous dentists asking "How can you protect me when you change my fillings". (had some really strange looks, one commenting "I get more mercury than any of my patients when I change fillings!") Why remove or mess with mercury fillings - because anything hot against your fillings causes mercury to be released. Many people I know around their 40's are ending up with their teeth breaking which I really cringed at (composites require a smaller amount of tooth to be removed, but takes more effort on the dentist part. I was told by a dentist I needed about 5 more crowns. I finally found a wonderful dentist - he said I did not need anymore crowns and he replaced all the fillings with composites. My teeth and gums rarely hurt when I eat hot or cold foods now. Crowns sadly do provide income and you must judge who's best interest is at heart. Suggest have one really good x-ray done and carry it from one dentist to another. My dentist used a dam (a barrier placed over the tooth worked on to prevent mercury gas going directly to my brain) and Oxygen canula to help. The same little filling in your mouth if thrown into a pond would have to be roped off as a contaminated area. (And yet the USA allows the practice every day). Most of my family is also using toothpaste without flouride. There are other studies showing very little difference about floride really helping. Some people are now looking at flouride as a posion - bottom line it is your health on the line. Next on my list to research is my 1 root canal with crown (as one nutritionist told me it is entombing a dead tooth poisoning my body - yep cringing at that on also) --- Anyone with this information would be greatly appreciated.
I have improved my health by using the Whole Women knowledge and continue to learn how to take care of myself & my family. I hope this helps someone!

An X-ray every two years is standard at my dentist.

contrary to what a previous poster stated i recently read that a new study found there was a stark difference in the health of children's teeth in non-fluoridated water areas compared with fluoridated areas, which strongly suggests that fluoride does have a beneficial effect on dental health.

I had my fillings replaced around 5 years ago because I was told that they will/were failing and reluctanlty agreed to have them changed. This was without really understanding health implications and I did wonder at the time if i was actually simply lining the dentists pockets. The process of removing the old fillings was a bit arduos.

My two boys have both had braces. With my oldest he had one tooth next to the top front tooth that never turned up and a molar stuck in the gum. My sister freaked him out when he overheard her saying that it would rot in his gum! The orthodontist wanted to realign his teeth and give him a plate with a false tooth to replace the missing one!! I said no way because I didn't want him saddled with that at 15 and forever. The ortho suggested removing the tooth next to the front tooth that was "missing" its mate. I agonised a bit about this because it was a healthy tooth. As soon as a space was made for the tooth stuck in the gum it came straight down. The eye teeth were ground slightly and now my son has a beautiful set of teeth. I on the other hand had dental intervention twice and a determined set of front teeth that were not going to be straight!! I have had lots of tmj issues too. I would love to have straight teeth but as with other things including pop I learn to live with it.

Has the dentist/orthodontist said anything else about your daughter with the teeth stuck in the pallette? Could braces help? A friend of mine has a son who needed implants for his top front teeth lost through an accident. The process has been quite involved and my understanding is that it will need to be repeated in the future as the implants do not last a lifetime.

Ausy