no holistic/biological dentists withing 4 hour drive of me... what now?

[aldensmom09]

Hi all,

I have 5 or 6 ENORMOUS amalgam fillings (had malformed enamel) that I really want to have replaced. I've searched through every holistic/biological dentistry organization, but there are no holistic/biological dentists anywhere within 4 (or more) hours of me). I am nursing my 19 month old son, and do not plan on weaning anytime soon, so I am concerned about the procedure- obviously I want every precaution taken, so was really, really hoping for a holistic/biological dentist. I don't want to wait until my son is done nursing to have them replaced if I can help it, because I would like to have them replaced before my next pregnancy, which will likely happen before he decides to wean. Any suggestions? Has anyone here decided to have amalgam fillings replaced by a "regular" dentist? Has you dentist tried to accomodate your wishes regarding safety? Would it be worth it for me to travel out-of-province (which would be much more expensive, obviously, with the cost of gas and a hotel)

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

[tanyalynn]

This may not be what you want to hear, but if you don't plan to wean before you get pregnant, I'd keep them and work on your nutrient status and reducing other sources of toxins from your life instead.  Even removal done with good safety protocols releases extra mercury into circulation--I weaned my son to get mine out and I'm glad.  That headache I got after I got mine out was not a coincidence.

[Koalamom]

I too would not get them out either unless you wean.  That is not fair to your nursling.  I felt so bad when I had to get a small one out a few months ago as there was a cavity around it.  We were a mess afterwards.  Totally felt the release of metals and am glad that I don't need any more of my big ones out.  There are plenty of ways to deal with the metals without taking them out.  Do a mother search for the threda "anyone regret their mercury removel".  We discuss it there.

[aldensmom09]

It isn't what I wanted to hear, haha, but to be honest, that is my gut feeling, too.

The fillings are just enormous. For example, one of them is a (quite literally) tooth-sized piece that is attached to the root of my tooth (which is the only thing that is left of that tooth, essentially), by 2 big screws, 3 others are at least pea-sized...and then there are several other ones that are smaller.... My teeth are chipping away from them, because they are so old (12+ years). The thing is, the work needs to be done one way or another, my dentist has been talking about crowns on 2 or 3 of them for several years, and one of them (the worst one, with the screws), is getting quite sensitive to both temperature and sweet things.

I am very worried about leaving these teeth the way they are. I will probably be either pregnant or nursing (or both) for 5 or 6 more years at least, and I just can't see them even lasting that long (and I don't want to risk needing emergency work done on them during pregnancy or the early months of nursing an infant, you know?).

I've done lots of reading on Weston Price, and I've started following a (mostly) traditional foods diet with the help of "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. I've eaten mostly local, organic foods and pastured meat for probably close to 5 years now, don't use cosmetics, fluoride toothpastes, etc, have only used baking soda and vinegar for household cleaning, etc for years, I see a chiropractor regularly, and we see a naturopathic doctor instead of a GP, no vaccinations, no drugs..... there aren't any major ways, I don't think, to reduce my toxin exposure otherwise (these days). My past is not so toxin-free, however- I spent a summer treeplanting, and we were told not to have kids within 3 years because of the pesticides sprayed on the trees (i WISH i had just gotten on a plane and come home, but that was 9-10 years ago though, and i was young and foolish)....I did a youth exchange in East Africa and got a LOT of different vaccinations, and was on a pretty nasty malaria prophylactic for 6 months (that was 8 years ago).... and in my previous job, I worked in organic agricultural research, and was exposed to A LOT of different chemicals doing analysis in the lab (I experienced 2 miscarriages while working there).... I did a great detox cleanse (6 weeks) about 4 years ago, and of course want to do another, but can't while nursing, either.

My pregnancy with my son was incredibly healthy until 34 weeks, when I suddenly developed high blood pressure, low blood platelets, and some abnormal liver enzyme levels. It was looking like pre-eclampsia, except that I never spilled protein in my urine, and then it was looking like HELLP... I had a partial placental abruption at 35 weeks and had to be induced. The more I learn about both of these syndromes, the more concerned I get about the state of my liver....

After blabbering all this out (sorry ladies, I tend to get long-winded), I think I'm coming to the conclusion that I need these fillings out, and then I need a good solid detox, and then a good solid recovery period before becoming pregnant again. Neither of which I want to do while still nursing. But this would mean delaying pregnancy for probably another 2 (or more) years, unless I wean my son before he makes that decision...

I suppose this is something that I could also post to a breastfeeding forum... I wonder if there is a point in our nursing relationship where it would be OK to do this (for example, once he is down to just a quick comfort nursing once a day?). I feel as though I will need to make a decision between the benefits of extended nursing, and the realities of having more babies (we had hoped for 3 or 4 kids, but this might have to change)

Thanks for listening to my blabbering thoughts, girls. I appreciate your input.

[Koalamom]

I understand.  I have lyme dsease and am full of toxic crap and I have made the decision the other day ot wean my nursing ds very soon, who is 18months.  I really would like another child some day, but wont put my next child what he wnt through.  I also need to feel better and I gave so much and now it is time for me to get better so I can be a better mom.  I would have like to nurse longer but I made it this far and it is ok with me now.  I have cut down to only going to sleep and I will cut that out perhaps in a month.  I am in full support of breastfeedin for longer, but for me personally when dealing with toxins and lyme, I am ready to get better and not pass it to more children.

[amia]

My inclination would also be to get them removed. If the fillings are failing they may very well be releasing mercury already. I had a large amalgam filling removed and replaced with a crown, and I still remember how I felt better the exact moment it came out. This was done by a regular dentist at his recommendation. I did not know the questions to ask but IIRC he mentioned some safety precautions. I've had smaller ones replaced as well by regular dentists without problems.  I think plenty of dentists that do not describe themselves as holistic are trained to do this. I think it is worth calling around to see what they say. I don't know how long it takes for some people to recover from amalgam removal, but at that stage in nursing I went w/o nursing or pumping for a week on travel and resumed right back when I returned, so a temporary hiatus could be a good compromise.