The one thing I dont agree with you on is this last part:
"if everyone could take good care of their mouths we wouldn't have to worry about amalgam fillings or root canals, etc, would we?"
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I do agree with you that oral hygene is vital- especially teeth flossing after each meal , brushing with a soft bristle brush, tongue brushing or scraping each morning, non-toxic mouth rinses after brushing, etc. I even go a step further and use hydrogen peroxide rinses -- and I use those Crest White strips occasionally.
As you are a dentist, we dont expect you to agree with the dangers of the mercury content in amalgam fillings. Dental school probably brushes it off as hype. However, if you do further personal research on metal fillings , you will read many testimonies of those who have had their fibermialgia, and other illnesses gradually restored after metal filling replacements. Some still have to further detox themselves of mercury lodged in thier tissues from the fillings already removed. The longer amount of years one has these fillings in, the more mercury is already in the body and has to be leached out.
In some people, they're immune systems are such that mercury fillings make them go over the edge. My immune system is pretty good-but I know it wont be as good when I'm old. So now's the time to get rid of the things that will weigh it down then.
Please do more research on this matter. Trace amounts of mercury are not even safe in a human body. Citrus and hot drinks, as well as normal chewing of fiber rich foods releases trace amounts from the fillings into the gum tissues,etc.
I've read that amalgram fillings have 30% to 50% mercury in them. Enough for minute amounts to leach out day by day.
I have 4 metal fillings in my mouth. All in the back molar areas.
I've had these fillings since childhood. Now I am 41.
Even to this day, I get dizzy spells a few minutes after chewing on something acidic- combined with a hot tea.
I always brushed that off- until I found out WHY that happens after reading more about mercury in the gums.
It's not enough to make me keel over-- but why have something that is considered toxic waste in my body? Why feel guilty eating citrus fruits, etc.?
I know of a few dentists -- NOT holistic dentists either-- who refuse to use mercury fillings after researching more on the subject. They use composite/porcelain or other plastic fillings.
Im sure even some composites have thier own toxicity issues. Probably the more porcelain used, the better---i'd guess.
Nevertheless, I dont want any metal--even GOLD in my mouth-- because any metal acts as a conductor of electricity. That's another story in itself.
Sincerely,
Boldyloxx