Thursday, June 26, 2008

What to do once informed of amalgam dangers!

"Rachel" wrote and asked what basically what to do once we are informed of the dangers of dental amalgams but still need cavity treatment. I thought this worthy of both a long term answer and a short one. Posted below is my short answer for now and I thought that I'd post a long more in depth answer in a week or so once I have had some time to research and articulate my thoughts.

In the meantime, please, all that have dental concerns and questions post a comment and I will try to address them all at once or in a series of posts. I am looking forward to our discussion on this very important health and family issue.

I've included Rachel's post below.


I am a 35 year old heath conscious mother of five girls! I do have Alzheimer's in my family history and have some major dental work that Ihave been putting off for too long. (I am about to loose one tooth and another is on the way) Could you point me in the right direction for safe dental work as I don't want all that mercury in my mouth! Thanks, Rachel


Dear Rachel, Thanks for your question. You have hit at the heart of the struggle that I think many of us feel as we become more and more aware of some of the dangers of modern dentistry practices.I will give you my short answer here and my long answer to your comment in another blog post hopefully early next week.

Immediate plan (my a short answer)
Allow no more additional amalgam in you or your families dental work. Refuse fluoride treatments (Fluoride is one of the most toxic chemicals known to man along with mercury)and allow as few ex rays as possible.

Do get cavities filled as quickly as possible, as root canals bring more health questions and concerns.

Any filling material that is used should be composite (white) materials and preferably non metal in their mix.

Educate yourself so you are armed with conviction and knowledge of what you want from your dentist so you are not intimidated by their "expertise". The assistants DO work for the dentist and therefore have their employers best interest at heart and not always the patients. (exrays make a lot of money for the dental offices)Know that you will get some resistance from dentists and their staff on these issues.

Long term plan. Find a healthy or natural dentist in your area, and being informed- discuss a plan for cavity prevention, amalgam removal, composite tolerance testing and natural treatments for other issues.

Above all DO not blatantly trust your dentist any more than you would unabashedly trust your medical doctor. They do not come from a whole body health perspective but a disease treatment perspective. Being informed and responsible for your own dental health is THE most protective and proactive thing you can do.

My long and more detailed answer will be posted in the next week. Thanks again for the comment, Rachel

Janet Langford
Living a Lifestyle of Learning Daily