Holistic (Biological) Dentistry, Part 2

Mercury Amalgam Fillings. Conventional dentistry uses amalgam (silver fillings) in dental practice. After all, dental schools have been teaching students that amalgams are completely safe and pose no danger to the patient's health.

Now, holistic dentists no longer use silver mercury amalgam fillings because they know it is the most toxic element causing adverse health effects to humans.

Dr. Nelson Mari L. Gaba considers mercury as an acute neuro-toxin, its toxicity in humans taking a variety of forms. Mercury accumulates in nerve cells--those that run throughout the body (peripheral), those of the spinal cord and brain (central), and in organs and glands such as the kidney and the thyroid. As the body detoxifies itself from mercury, it pushes it out through the various bodily excretions. This includes hair, exhaled hair, urine, feces, sweat and milk (nursing mother). The damage it causes depends on where it accumulates and to what extent the person's body is able to detoxify and excrete it.

The most common symptoms of mercury toxicity in the peripheral nervous system are numbness, tingling, tremors in the fingers or toes and weakness of the limbs. The most common symptoms of mercury toxicity in the central nervous system are an inability to concentrate or form coherent thoughts, depression, blurred vision, and all forms of nervous instability. These include mood swings, insomnia, irritability, anxiety, paranoia, and the development of social phobias. Other common symptoms of mercury toxicity include a metallic taste, bad breath, loose gums or gum disease, trembling tongue, mouth ulcers or sores, loose teeth, and excessive salivation. Skin symptoms include ulcers, eruptions, skin rashes and eczema-like patches.

Metal-Free Dentistry. Dr Gaba acknowledges the biological significance of corrosive products used in dentistry. The electro corrosive processes change the surface structure and physical properties of the restoration involved. Such changes, as well as tarnish of course, can be easily seen, especially when low quality alloys are used. These changes enhance bacterial plaque accumulation and make the corrosive procedure go faster. Electro corrosive processes predispose to plaque accumulation not only on metal surfaces but also on the adjacent teeth.

The corrosion products formed in the mouth are absorbed by the tissues in the teeth, saliva, the soft tissues and body fluids. Some of the corrosion products taken up by saliva, the gingival and the dental pulp will be rapidly transported throughout the body and sometimes to specific target organs where they are accumulated.

Dr. Gaba also acknowledges that metals in our mouth has a strong electromagnetic field around it. This electromagnetic field present in metal crowns, metal fillings and metal bridges may cause an electromagnetic interference to our body's nervous system contributing to biophysical stress. It is imperative that a material compatibility test be rendered before any teeth restoration is to be performed. Your holistic dentist believes in the concept of metal-free dentistry.

[Holistic (Biological) Dentistry, Part 3 will appear in next week's posting]