I had two fillings and one restoration placed in my mouth. This was the first time I’ve had any substantial dental work done. My teeth had always been fine until recently. My husband lost his job and the dental insurance that went with it, so I put off going to the dentist for a couple of years until we were back on our feet. I had no idea how much those cleanings and checkups were helping. Since getting the restorations, I’ve been having sores in my mouth and feeling off-kilter. My dentist didn’t feel it was the dental work, so I finally went to a medical doctor. He sent me for an allergy workup and it turns out I’m allergic to nickel, cobalt, and mercury. I’m sure these things are in my dental work. The fillings are silver, so those may be the big culprit. My dentist assures me he’s never encountered a patient who has had problems from their dental work and still believes it is unrelated. Where do I go from here?
Maya
Dear Maya,
I am constantly flabbergasted with dentists who are in denial about allergies. Your dentist is even ignoring the results of the medical tests you’ve had done. Yes, being exposed to materials you are allergic to can cause you to feel poorly and have reactions such as the sores you are experiencing. That seems like a no-brainer to me. I’m going to be blunt and say this is not the best dentist for you.
In your place, I’d look for a metal-free dentist. They will have the materials on hand you need to get restorations that won’t cause a reaction, such as a zirconia bridge or crown.
Your silver / amalgam fillings are going to be a bigger deal. You need a dentist who knows how to remove the amalgam fillings while minimizing the risk to you for swallowing or inhaling any mercury or mercury vapors. There are special materials which can be used such as a stopper dam, and water to keep the mercury from melting.
My suggestion is to look for a mercury-free dentist or a biological dentist. Most, if not all of them are metal-free. Even if they’re not metal-free, a biological dentist will bend over backward to work within your medical requirements.
This blog is brought to you by Holisticย Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis of Portage, MI.