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For those worried about the mercury in dental amalgam fillings. The FDA completed a study this past July about the toxicity of mercury and the benefits and risk to the patient when placing amalgam fillings. Please take time to read this because some of the things stated here about dental amalgam are disputed.

http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/DentalProducts/DentalAmalgam/ucm171094.htm

P.S.
Dental student, not one of my boss's, to save a patient money, ever told a patient, including me that to remove the filing would release more mercury. Let me tell you, the $$$ signs blinded them. I hope you will be an informative dentist who would educate your patient on that fact rather than talk them into replacements without the education.

Dear Dental student, I have worked in the dental field for 14 years working for Orthodontists, cosmetic dentists and general and unfortunately the article is very true, I hope that as you learn and graduate and start your own practice that you stay ethical and do not let greed cloud your mind, I have seen it happen 3 times and suspected that it happened to others in our little community here. I have seen some very unethical things go on and I hope you would be an 'honest' one............the mercury fact is a fact, yes it is found in fish too, but patients are entitled to know and make an educated decision. Good luck and stay straight!

Oh boy, another one of these articles. It is like the author came up with every controversial topic they could without actually doing any research.

Yes, amalgams have mercury, but so does fish. Eat a fish, get tons more mercury in your system than amalgams. Have your amalgams removed if you want, but in the process you will be exposed to more mercury during the procedure than if you left it in your mouth for the rest of your life. Also, in any case, people who have them removed aren't dead either, so apparently even then it isn't bad enough to cause problems.

Dental costs are rising because of people who love to drive the cost of our malpractice insurance up.

Going to the dentist 2x a year is the perfect way to take care of your teeth to avoid problems as best as you can.

And who cares if the dentist takes his family on a vacation to Las Vegas for his CE course? Sounds like the author is just jealous of someone else making enough to take his f...(Read more of this comment)amily on a vacation. He's doing the course and learning new things, so what is the big deal where it is. The author may want to look into some CE courses on how to do some real journalism.

Sure, there are dishonest dentists out there, but there are also dishonest doctors, lawyers, trashmen, mailmen, babysitters, taxi drivers, secretaries, teachers, etc. If I were to have the mentality that the author does here, I would have to say that all authors are liars because this article is full of inaccurate statements.(Show less of this comment)

I had dental insurance so i went to this team of two dentists in Clifton Park, NY (a gay mecca by the way). This guy put a crown on a tooth that had no problem and caused me no pain. After he put it on it began to hurt. He charged me for a buildup (whatever that is. Then he charged me for doing a root canal and charged again for another buildup. It did nothing for the pain. He then refers me to one of his drinking buddies to which i did not go. I found my own oral surgeon who did an apicoectomy which is cutting into your jaw bone from the side. This did nothing for the pain either. He told me to wait a year but the pain remained. Then he did a second apicoectomy cutting into my jaw bone again and the pain remained after waiting another year. The first so-called 'dentist' just wanted to milk me and the insurance. The oral surgeon was good but he was unable to stop the pain. I have had this pain since the year 2000. No more crowns for me and I have routinely thought of remo...(Read more of this comment)ving the tooth myself with pliers by wiggling it over time. The only thing that stops me is the pain might still remain. I live with pain for 8 years now. Do not get any dental work done in Clifton Park, NY by any dental team on Route 146 if you value your teeth. This same guy also did a job on my wife. He broke a drill in her tooth and left in it the tooth. She also had to have a root canal. There is nothing simple with this guy. If there is a way to max out your insurance he will do it. Only she refused to pay for the root canal and did not have to pay for his botched job. I on the other hand paid for two buildups and a root canal for a tooth that was perfectly sound.(Show less of this comment)

Being a dentist for 38 years, I disagree with the promotion of white fillings for back teeth. Every day I take out poor white fillings in back teeth and replace them with silver. White ones tend to leak, and most I see over three years old have begun to deteriorate. Whether this is due to the material or poor technique by the dentist is immaterial. The simple fact is that silver fillings, as a rule, last much longer than white ones. Re-doing white fillings over and over results in unnecessary destruction of good tooth structure and graduation to 'caps' prematurely. The ADA and most dental schools have great respect for silver. Why? Because it is generally superior to composite. Leave it to the screwed up legislators in California to try to outlaw good filling material, just as they've made so many other brainless laws!
Take heed! If California is trying to make an issue out of something, you can almost always trust they're on the wrong side of the issue!!

Perhaps if some of you had gone to the dentist every 6 months you would not be complaining of the root canals, dentures, implants, and the cost of dental proceedures. Small problems don't cost a lot of money...Neglect in dentistry is the most costly...I cannot believe that there are dentists on here advocating that cleanings and exams should be done less than 2 times in a year. I go for cleannings every 4 months. I havent had a cavity or work done in over 7 years. My gums are health. I brush and floss at least twice a day. I plan to have every tooth in my mouth for the rest of my life. All for under $100 a year for the extra cleaning my insurance company wont pay for.

IT IS TRUE YOU REALLY SHOULD GET YOUR TEETH CLEANED TWICE A YEAR AND BITEWING CK.UP X-RAYS ONCE A YEAR. TARTER BUILD UP ON YOUR TEETH NO MATTER HOW WELL YOU BRUSH BUILDS UP DO TO MINERALS ETC... IN OUR BODIES YOUR SALIVA. AND THERE IS NO WAY REGULAR BRUSHING CAN REMOVE THAT. AND YOU CAN DIE FROM PERIO PROB. THAT GO UNTREATED. IT CAN CAUSE HEART DISEASE AND A WHOLE HOST OF OTHER PROBLEMS THAT YOU WOULD NOT EXPECT PERIODONTAL DISEASE TO CAUSE THROUGH OUT YOUR BODY!!! AND OVER BLEACHING YOUR TEETH CAN CAUSE A BLUEISH TINT AND COLD SENSITIVITY.

Of course all dentists, lawyers, judges, etc., are not bad. But I can tell you that Gilbert (Gil) Garbiso of Pueblo, CO is terrible. He tried to kiss my wife goodbye the first time he met her, he did some front composite work on my four front teeth and said within several months the color would match the others, which was 15 months ago, and he started some serious work on my wife's teeth that he told us would take months and numerous visits, after he was working on her for an hour.

His off-colored jokes are offensive and I told him to stop and he makes his workers, including pregnant ones, work like dogs into the late hours of the night.

So you people actually believe dentists are BAD? Twice a year is a good recommendation, since checkups are a PREVENTATIVE measure; not only for a healthy smile, but overall health. (a tooth abcess can cause DEATH--wouldn't you want that to be found as soon as possible, before it is severe enough to cause symptoms?)Also, tartar buildup causes gum disease, which, if left there long enough, can cause bone-loss in the tooth structure, and eventually, loss of teeth!I think WE CAN ALL find an hour or so every 6 months to prevent all of this from happening-or should we just wait until the damage is done before we make the time to see a dentist?

Oh I forgot the dentures dont even look real, prefect in every way. You can tell there fake right away. what a good deal for the one who had to have older fillings removed silver mury poision put in my mouth this is sheer greed and most dentists hate the fact you could or will walk out of there office with a great 10 looking mouth with prefect looking teeth
that look better than 10,000 mouths and all you need is fittings for comfort
of dentures and no more cream where have all the GOOD DENTISTS GONE I am tired of the 45 years of Five Feet Five Seconds Pace Yourself Warranty DENTISTS!

I use to have a million doller mouth let it go to point of no return
I dont mind being told it is bad and needs fixed but when half dont know how
to clean a bad mouth and then they want to charge 100 to 200 per tooth for a parcal or dent/ this is really bad for a plastic or resin tooth
and the know how and easy 3 stainless screws to hold them in place no more denture cream this takes the price up over 500 a screw total of 1500 top/w resin teeth 1100 top 2600 just for top no more than 5 yr war for 16 resin teeth this is a sine of true greed not what is better for the mouth

The procedure to fill composite fillings is alot different than amalgams. Filling composite fillings is more labor intensive and time consuming, especially when done on molars. Many dentists continue to fill cavities with composites using the same technique as amalgams and the patients suffer. I recommend checking out the American Academay of Cosmetic Dentists (www.aacd.com) and select the fully accredited dentists to work on your teeth.

Okay, so I am a dentist in North Carolina and I can't believe that anyone would truly believe that you shouldn't visit your dentist twice a year. You wouldn't believe the number of horrible mouths that I treat on a daily basis. I would say that only 5% of my patients are free of cavities and gum disease. As for the rest of my patients, they wouldn't be in the position that they are in if they did come in to see me twice a year. I never do more than what is needed and I explain each and every procedure to my patients. There are poor dentists out there but there also poor patients.

S.X. Crawford, DDS

The dental six month recall as I had heard originated back in about 1939 from the advertizement used on the Amos and Andy radio show--Pepsodent toothpaste had a song --'brush your teeth twice a day and see your dentist twice a year'. People heard that so much that they believed it to be true. There is not reason to see your dentist twice a year.

Do a search under 'dentists of los Algodones, MX.' Spent $3500 and the same work here would have cost me $19,000. My Mexican dentist is far superior to the average U.S. dentist. Root canal $250/porcelain crown $200/3 unit bridge $600/implant $600 full set dentures $400/laser bleaching $300, veneers $250 each. Park on U.S. soil and walk 200 yards to his office. clabro52@aol.com for more information.

Dear Looking for insurance; Stay away from managed care plans. If you can get an appointment, often your out of pocket expenses would exceed what you would pay on a tradional indemnity or ppo plan. If you have had an exam recently, and nothing was found, go with the low option. If at your last visit you had carries, take the high option, especially if you have not had the cavities filled. These are likely future crowns and root canals.

I need to make a decision on purchasing dental insurance in November 07. Can anybody tell me some good advice on dental insurance? What insurance is the best? Is it worth having dental insurance versus paying the $20.00 to $50.00 premium per month? When selecting a dental insurance, do you select the cheaper plan of the company you select. In other words, high option versus low option?

About cosmetic dentistry, take care of what you have and you won't need to fall victim to what society thinks is right for you, in the form of whiter teeth or vaneers

i am not sure where you all reside but I can assure you ...its rare to none that we do amalgam fills anymore. I live in Chas SC. None of the dentist use this type of filling unless requested by the patient. Even then we try and talk them out of it. But not because its poison. that is still and always will be just a debate. Kind of like the Global warming stink.

After 44 years of practice in general and cosmetic dentistry, I must completely agree with everything that toothmastergeneral has written. My bona fides include: Clinical insructor of operative dentistry
Past president of my county's Dental Society
Expert Examiner, State Board of Dental Exasminers
And most important, the dentist of record for many thousands of happy, intelligent and grateful patients!

Is there basic dentistry like they do with medical clinics, a sliding scale type thing? If I have to choose eating or seeing the dentist, I choose food for my family. I'm in constant pain, but I hope the teeth falls apart in big enough pieces that I can pull them out myself. The small bits left in the gums cause great pain. I make too much to get state help, but not enough to pay a dentist (I don't go to a doctor for the same reason). I cry every day, but now it's just part of life.

I had 12 metal filling about 5 years ago and sence then I keep getting blader and kidney infections and was told that's why I couldn't get pregnant, I had blood test and everthing but never a mercury test, Iam going to now and I tell you if it is from these metal filling you will remember my name 'krabbykimmy' becouse it will be everywheres!

thanks to 'toothmaster general' I agree w/ you shame on Mr. Mauldin sick empty head
I am not dentist nor dental staff but I know it is gross not to see your dentist for one year or so I just can't beleive why all these articles are written by some sicky, psychic 'Doctors'????

its disappointing we still have uneducated dentists trying to confuse people . no need to see your dentist every 6 months!then whats the difference between us and people in poor countries who don't see dentists in years!gross,I dont beleive a dentist saying nohigh risk so come back next year! composite filling is more dangerouse than amalgam specially if you have one of those dentists who leave a huge beautiful gap for you.all dentist should be dead by now. they use amalgom all day !

karotladee:

It is NOT your Dental Insurance plan that limits you to 6 months visits...that's just what THEY will pay for. If you feel that you should see your dentist more frequently, why on earth wouldn't YOU be willing to shell out the $ for it?

Your plan doesn't forbid you from more frequent visits, does it?

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF and INVEST in what's important to YOU!

Dr. Cheryl Bingham, of Los Angeles, did the fastest and most comfortable root canal I've ever had. And the price was right. Even so-called specialists don't have her deftness of touch. One specialist told me after a procedure where I thought he was doing a root canal that he had to redo another root canal. I went in with a pain and it continued for a year. Needless to say I changed dentists. The specialist was in Westchester. Dr. Bingham is near Compton and is excellent.

Heat ALSO TRAUMATIZES THE VITAL PULP IN A TOOTH. Dentists are also able to use a more highly concentrated bleach in the office than they can let you take home. Claiming lights enhance bleaching is absolutely BOGUS and author, you just fell for one of the primary cosmetic dental scams. Shame on you and shame on your editor!

This is an unbelievably poorly researched (or was it researched at all?) article. Every single independent study of bleaching lights has proven that LIGHTS DO NOT CATALYZE BLEACHING. The lights produce HEAT and the heat acts as both a desiccant - it dries the enamel, making it temporarily appear whiter and less translucent - and it speeds the oxidation/reduction reaction which occurs in bleaching.

The PERFECT Dentist?
Someone asked about where they might find a dentist that makes sure you do not feel any pain. I recently found one through my Church and didn't know getting a root canal could be so painless! Everyone was saying how much thigns would hurt. Boy were we wrong! If I ever feel ANY pain, he wants to know about it so he can make sure it stops. You want a fantastic Dentist? Try mine!

Conlon, Robert D DDS
828 Portola Road, Portola Valley, CA 94028
(650) 851-0321

My suggestion would be call a couple of office, ask to meet the dentist and staff plus have a tour of the office. When you come across an office that makes you feel comfortable, schedule an appointment for a comprehensive exam and xrays. They will be able to determine what type of cleaning will be best for you. Then they will also be able to recommend a product for home use that will best for you as well. Whether it Fluoridex, PerioMed or maybe MI paste. Hope this helps...

noteeth...Something that you also need to consider is that when you are an adult with all of your adult teeth the fluoride in tablet form will not help you fight decay. Tablets are designed for teeth that are still forming in children, before the erupt. Adults need to brush that fluoride right on to the teeth. At my office, we highly recommend Fluoridex. It's a high dose of flouride, ment to brushed on the teeth and not swallowed using only a small pea sized amount. Also...

To Stockton pt. re: to Fluoride w/ Vitamins. It is not rec.to take a fluoride with a dairy product, as it decreases the uptake & availability of the fluoride. Since vitamins are normally rec. to be taken with a meal, which for children, tends to include milk - not the best choice to combine the vitamin with a fluoride. Determine the level of fluoride, if any in your H20. If you are on ciy H20, your DDS will have info. & can write an Rx for an app. level fluoride supplement.
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to pt. in Stockton, CA. I just recently relocated from Stockton to OH & worked across many functions from clinical to sales and mrkt in the dental industry for 25+ yrs. I can offer 100% confidence that there are many exc.DDS in the area. I suggest contacting a highly regarded Periodontist for a referral- seeing the dental work done by many diff. DDS, they can be a huge resource. One I would highly recommend is Dr. Randy Gordon - an office in Lodi. Genuine, honest & respected by all. annette a

Where can I buy chewable vitamins with flouride?

I hate going to the dentist! Last time I went to the dentist he ruined my front tooth. He was also going to drill and fill another tooth, one of my perfectly good front teeth. I have not been able to find a good dentist in 25 years here in Stockton, California. I do not trust dentist. Pain free who, where?

I am a 43 y/o Male and thanks to my Pediatric Dentist ('till I was about 10 or 12) prescribing CHEWABLE Vitamans with Flouride in them, both myself and my younger brother (3 yrs. younger) have NO cavities or fillings. Even with a less than frequent habit of brushing and even less flossing over the years, I credit his prescrIptions to my impressive teeth. Beyond being chewable, they even tasted good!

reducing the availablity of amalgam restorations will hurt the people who can least afford the pricier composite resin restorations: the poor. Amalgams provide a safe reliable treatment for dental caries whereas composites have yet to prove adequate and require more maintenance and replacement more often raising the overall cost of dentistry

Amalgam restorations have been in existance in the same formulation for more than 100 years and no one, even anti amalagamists, have been able to determine adverse health effects related to them. Another note, we might have seen a surge in health related issues in the people who handle these materials daily; the dental staff.

A bunch of dingalings in Colorado or the maharishis in Fairfield Iowa who claim that amalgam is bad isn't a reliable source...it is a terrible, uneducated source. As mentioned above, there are ~74 cancer causing chemicals in the composite (tooth colored) fillings.
Did you know that driving a car is dangerous to your health...better stop getting in cars.

At the University of Iowa there is a clinic that only performs esthetic dentistry. The professors and residents at the clinic would like nothing more then to find reliable info showing mercury to be harmful so they can push their cosmetic dentistry better. The problem is...they can't find a reliable source to show that amalgam restorations are harmful.

Sometimes you don't need a thousand scientific studies to tell you somethings wrong here. If you chew on a thermemeter and break the glass, you'll probably get mercury in your mouth and swallow some of it. So why is it so hard to understand that if you chew ice or grind your teeth or do any of the other million things dentists tell you not to do when you have fillings you CAN ingest mercury. Sometimes I think the people who spent the most time in school can be of the least intelligent.

'They' say smoking pot is not chemically addictive so they can make pot-smokers look bad for now quitting. However, everyone knows if you smoke enough of it you just can't physically stop because of the way it makes your body and mind feel and the way it creates an oral-fixation sort-of feeling in your head.

Does anyone else have anything else to say? I understand your cencern with the article, but I mean, let it go, man. Write your own article if you think you're so educated on the subject.
Anyway, to get back to the issues at hand: Reading the theory that mercury-based fillings are harmful to your health is very believable. And lets get some things straight Mr. ToothMasterGeneral, smoking cigarettes has never been PROVEN to cause cancer either, but everyone knows it does.

Does anyone else have anything else to say? I understand your cencern with the article, but I mean, let it go, man. Write your own article if you think you're so educated on the subject.
Anyway, to get back to the issues at hand: Reading the theory that mercury-based fillings are harmful to your health is very believable. And lets get some things straight Mr. ToothMasterGeneral, smoking cigarettes has never been PROVEN to cause cancer either, but everyone knows it does.

Suggesting that dentists don't tell patients that 'we'll need to do this again in a few years' is also irresponsible on your behalf. We all know that nothing lasts forever. You'll gladly spend 30 grand on a new car and hope to get 5-7 good years out of it. But lord help us if we need to replace a $900 crown after 10 years of good service. You're a raging anti-dentite.

You suggest checking ahead to make sure that your endodontist utilizes digital xrays. Does that make him/her a better endodontist? Having 'bells and whistles' and all the new 'toys' in the office does not correlate to better dentistry. Maybe it is a cover for incompetence? Maybe not. But the suggestion is ludicrous.

Your comment that dentists care more about your smile than they do about your teeth is pure nonsense. If $45 billion dollars were spent on cosmetic dentistry, that is elective dentistry. The patients are asking for nicer looking smiles, and are willing to pay for it. Providing cosmetic dentistry for patients that are asking for it does not mean that we care more about looks than health. Your comment is unfair.

Each routine hygiene visit includes an oral cancer screening by the dentist. That benign looking spot on your tongue can become one that should have been biopsied and removed 6 months ago. Bite your tongue Mr. Mauldin.
'Toxic mercury in your fillings'--has never been proven to be true. The American Dental Association stands by the material. Composite resin is a viable alternative, but will not last as long on back teeth.

Shame on you Mr. Mauldin for providing such irresponsible misguided information to the public. Suggesting that you don't need to see your dentist every 6 months constitutes malpractice on your behalf. A tooth can go from a state of health to a situation of decay in a 6 month time period.
.

people need to 'buy' dentistry with the same amount of info/referrals/knowledge that they would in purchasing a home, car or plastic surgery there are many fabulous caring dentists, that do excellent work & deserve to be paid for it ALSO: DENTAL COVERAGE SHOULD NOT DICTATE CARE....consider it pennies from heaven if you have it, but don't let insurance decide your course of care

tanya griffin, cda, rda
dallas, tx

this article has a very negative slant, and does not represent the kind of dental work MOST dentists perform. i am all for checking out a doctor or dentist before you drop a large sum of money, and encourage numerous opinions, but this article not only is non factual, it makes dentists sound like used car salesmen. most americans do not eat right, or brush & floss daily, nor do they address cavities when they are small, or just want a quick fix like an antibiotic when they need a root canal.

I'm one of the younger baby boomers & the only thing I can remember being told about dental health was to brush. My dentist group gives me good info & since I have common sense, I follow their advice. I fight cavities & periodontitis & need to go often. It's my INSURANCE PLAN that limits me to 6 month visits. When I'm keeping on top of tooth health, my dentists rewards me with a 6-8 month visit.

I don't think my dentist group is manipulative at all. I don't like your article because it is written as though I should question mine.

Not only should you see a dentist every 6 months , but most patients need to see a dentist every 3 months due to a lack of homecare information or misinformation such as this article.
Dr. Dave is absolutely correct you have more mercury from fish than fillings!
Next time you print an article check your facts and possibly check with a dental professional who actually has information that is valuable not just someone who may have had a bad experience and decided to write an article!

Due to lack of homecare and lack of respect for the dental office and its professionals, we are seeing far more signs of periodontitis, in adults in their 20's.
Due to the high rate of obesity, we are also seeing more signs inflammation in teens with diabetes, high blood pressure, in adults, and the medications for it.

As a hygienist I can assure you I have seen my fair share of poor dentistry, but to assume that all dentists are the same,
and everyone needs the same treatment, or is being taken is ridiculous!
I am especially offended by the obvious lack of information you have on periodontitis, to print such an obviously uneducated statement about the frequency of visits.

The truth is that if you go to Red Lobster for dinner you will get more mercury in that one meal than from a mouth full of amalgam fillings over a period of several months. And nobody discusses the long list of known carcinogens that can be found in the tooth colored fillings. Why? Most of the push against amalgam comes from dentist who either sell their patients on replacing all of their amalgams or those who want to sell cmpsts because they cost more.
Dr David Wetherington, DDS

Hmmmmm, don?t be offended if I am a little skeptical. Those of us who do make our decisions based on sound research (there is a difference between sound research and some of the bogus information he presented in this article) find it difficult to swallow that your magazine is promoting such conspiracy theory doctrines like the toxic mercury exposure.

Also, his evaluation of radiographs, amalgam, and and clinical decision making leads me think he is either someone with only an MBA, or one very bad dentist. I find it amusing that his credentials are not even identified on the site. His only other article is on choosing a broker.
Dr David Wetherington, DDS

What are William Mauldin?s credentials? He has hit on the marketing side of dentistry quite well when he talks about the push for cosmetic dentistry and the rising cost of dental care without regard for the patients health over their own pocket book, but this represents only a portion of dentists ? not the majority.


Sincerely,

Dr David Wetherington, DDS

What about the dentists who tell you that you need work that doesn't need to be done. My 'old dentist' told me that I had eight cavities. Because of billing issues, I went to another dentist who took new x-rays and believe it or not, I didn't have a single cavity, one small spot that needs to be watched but no cavities. Go figure.

What about the dentists that want to work on you and help you and do thousands of $s worth of work, when you really needed to go to another specialist to stop the damage. Then the work that was done just falls out and more teeth are ruined cause you needed a specialist , not a cosmotologist dentist.

Lets not forget what braces do to the enamel and your gums. I think your stats are off about tooth decay, There are people in their thirties now with dentures. Lets not forget the medications that physicians perscribe can do damage to your teeth and they don't tell you.