I once heard (whether it's true or not is a different story) that genetically a person can have 'soft' teeth, which of course would result in a greater probability of cavities. I like to think that I was subject to such 'soft' teeth from my genetic predecessors whomever they were. And not to mention, with the faultless gene of soft teeth comes the expected fillings to save face of having dentures at the age of 12.
At that age in my life amalgam fillings were the way to go - whether they were in style or just the least expensive alternative - I ended up with a mouth full of them. Literally. All but the six top and bottom middle teeth are filled with amalgam fillings. That's a lot. I know. Growing up I was always self-conscious about my teeth. They were very crooked to say the least. My brothers used to call me snaggle-tooth because they were so jagged. Getting amalgam fillings didn't help the matter. It wasn't until I got my braces off at the age of 24 that my self-consciousness reduced dramatically. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't look in the mirror and am grateful for the straight teeth that I have; the humiliation was that bad. (Thanks Mom, Dad, and Dr. Smart!). Since the braces came off I have desired to get my amalgam fillings replaced with white fillings. This was not an entirely vain or cosmetic desire (although I must admit a small part of it was). Mercury toxicity was the main drive.
This being a very expensive procedure I have not had the means to be able to follow through with this desire - until now (or I wouldn't be writing about it). With some coverage from my health insurance and a new 'flex spending plan' that my employment offers I am able to finally follow through with replacing my fillings.
This week was the first of four procedures that I will receive over the year to remove the amalgam fillings. As you can see from the picture, the bottom right fillings have been replaced with white fillings! It was an exciting start to begin this process, but of course a dentist visit isn't a dentist visit without getting some bad news. When I was at the exciting moment of laying in the orthodontist chair finally getting my braces off the assistant who was sanding the cement off my upper left teeth nicked my gum and sliced it open. With no address to what she had done I figured that everything was fine. The excitement of having my braces off didn't last much more than a day or two due to an infection in my gums where the assistant had sliced it open causing a large abscess to form. I was with my roommate and her family for Thanksgiving break in a different state at the time and was in so much pain that they gave me an 'aspirin' like pill that they would give their horse when it was in pain. It literally was a horse pill. After about a week or so the pain subsided but an abscess has continued to make its appearance on and off since. Long story short...this infection in my gum has gotten into the root of an upper left tooth which will require me to receive a root canal when the amalgam fillings are being replaced in that section of my mouth. Bad news and a big hole burned into my wallet. But the end result of better health is worth every penny.
3 comments:
Sorry to inform you Rachel but you totally wasted your money. In fact you probably exposed yourself to more mercury having them taken out then if you had left them in. Composite fillings look better but they don't last as long. There has been tons of studies trying to show that amalgam fillings are bad for you and not one has been able to make a correlation of amalgam and mercury poisoning. I am sure your dentist made a lot of money from it though!
Let the controversy begin.... It just seems logical to me that having mercury (a highly toxic metal) in your mouth isn't really that great for the body at any level. Kinda like sticking your head into a shed that is filled with gas fumes and taking deep whiffs. Toxins are toxins.
As many ways as we are exposed to them, there are also many ways to rid them from the body.
If you don't want to be exposed to toxins you better leave the planet! Every time you breath you are exposed to them. Fortunately for us our bodies are incredibly well adapted to it. It comes down to risk and benefit, in this case no risk and lots of benefit.
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