dentist recommended removing amalgam filling, but i'm breastfeeding

[mamaC11]

I've read thru the remove metal fillings thread and i'm just not sure what to do.  DS is nearly 6 mo old, seems to have some food allergies so weaning is NOT an option.  my tooth is starting to have pain, there is a hole between the bottom of my tooth and the cavity, it's a large and old cavity ( 15+ years)  should i just get it patched and wait until DS is older and weans?  should i follow the protocol for amalgam removal (or rather find a dentist who follows protocol) and up my vit C intake (we use sodium ascorbate) and his as well?  right now we both take SA and culturelle probiotics or just plain ol' acidophilous when that runs out.  i swear, i'd rather pull the tooth and be toothless at this point, i'm really stressed.  i just stumbled on this mercury revelation while considering when to get the filling removed...i don't have many cavities but this one is the biggest :(  I need some good sound advice, experience stories are welcome.

[mbravebird]

Will pulling the tooth also release mercury? You have a hard decision here. Removing amalgams while nursing is nothing to mess with. Can you do some stop-gap measures, like packing with clay, taking colostrum, etc?

[mamaC11]

thank you for your response!  I've read that pulling the tooth will also release the mercury as well :(  I found a dentist kinda near me thru the IAOMT (i think?) that is willing to do it while I'm breastfeeding.  I'm nervous about it, but the tooth is going from achy to painful quickly.  are there any suggestions as to what I should do for protective measures for me and my son?  I REALLY need some input on this so please, anyone who knows anything, please respond.  I've seen stuff about charcoal and modilifan and other things...are these safe while breastfeeding?  This doctor is using a dental dam, providing me with oxygen, high suction during the procedure.  One dentist I talked to said to pump and dump for 48 hours...is this necessary?  it is sooo hard for me to pump as I don't make an abundance of milk, i'm trying using herbs to build my supply and pump but i've only gotten 3 small bottles.  I'm thinking I could get enough to pump and dump for a day but not sure if I can get more and formula is not an option as he's highly allergic.  I feel SO stuck! 

[mbravebird]

No time to write much now, but just wanted to say that both modifilan and charcoal are safe while breastfeeding.

[mamaC11]

is nitrous oxide ok in place of oxygen?  that is all the dentist has to offer.  no IAOMT dentist near me can take me for nearly a month and i'm in so much pain that i can't wait!  plan is dental dam, lots and lots of cool water, suction, nitrous oxide, hopefully some kind of cover for my face, remove the amalgam and dead parts of my tooth, allow me to get up and rinse and then proceed with fitting me for a crown.  this is the best i can do, is it OK?  I'm still planning on pumping and dumping for as long as my stash will hold out...since my appt isn't until tuesday then i have more time to try to build up my pitiful stash as long as the boobs will work with me.

ETA:  explain modifilan to me....how much to take for how long, how does it work?

[ttcintexas]

I am about to have an amalgam removed, so I have been researching this as well. Fortunately I have just finished nursing after 6.5 years. It sounds like your dentist has agreed to many things that will reduce your exposure. 

Regarding Modifilan (I just this moment placed my order through Amazon) -- Mbravebird commented earlier that you should probably take 6 per day during the initial period of mercury circulating in your body (I think this is about 6 weeks). Apparently the way the mercury works, is there is that initial period that is key, but that there is another period about 6 months in where there is a "dump" into your system. Another poster here recommended taking 6 Modifillan per day for 6 months if you can afford it--not sure I will be taking that many for that long. I bought three bottles of 90 for $81.00.

It was also suggested that I do a Vitamin C flush the night of removal or morning after. Here is the link.

http://www.perque.com/pdfs/Pt_Ascorbate_Slush_FIN.pdf

I am not sure of the safety of this while breastfeeding.

I am also taking Selenium in advance (2 to 3 weeks). Again, don't know the safety of this while breastfeeding. Increasing Vitamin C is also good. I was told that increasing Magnesium and B-12 would also be important. And adding probiotics.

I am sorry that you are going through this while breastfeeding. I would wonder though, how much mercury you are already leaching out of an old/damaged amalgam versus what will be released into your body with a removal under the precautions you and your dentist will be taking.

Here are some more links I have come upon during my research:

http://www.iaomt.org/patients/questions.asp

http://www.nutritional-healing.com.au/content/articles-content.php?heading=Guide%20to%20safe%20removal%20of%20amalgam%20fillings

http://mercurytalk.com/wiki/index.php/Safety_Precautions_During_Amalgam_Removal

http://www.maloneymedical.com/id51.html

Best of luck.

[ttcintexas]

The other thing I forgot to add, was that one dentist I consulted with said that if the dentist has nitrous they should be able to turn it to oxygen only.

[mamaC11]

thank you.  i had it done today.  i started out with the nitrous but didn't like the way it made me feel as if i had no control of my thoughts etc. so i asked them to turn it down to about 60/40 oxygen to nitrous...it eased my nerves but i was still in control of everything.  i'm not feeling so great right now...kind "eh" feeling in my tummy, not sure if that is due to my nerves, the nitrous, the removal or the fact that i've barely had anything to eat all day.  i hated having to make this decision while breastfeeding, but the increase in pain told me i didn't have much choice.  i'm pumping up on Sodium Ascorbate, i've read up on nutritional support after the procedure so i've got a ton of supplements on hand to help pull it out of my system and someone told me to eat sulfur rich foods and that will help too.    my little man is getting pumped BM right now, i've got enough to get thru tomorrow evening i believe.  he is already on daily sodium ascorbate and probiotics, so i may just bump his SA up a bit when we start nursing again.  i feel better knowing that of the studies done on this they were on people with an avg. of 12 (or 18, can't remember right now) amalgams in their mouth.  i had just this one removed.  the doctor drilled around it and fortunately hardly had to touch it with her tool...it all came out in one big chunk.  so, now i have my temporary crown on and go back in 3 weeks to get the permanent one placed in.  thank you all for your input and help.  i'd appreciate healing thoughts/prayers for me and my little one, that this is over and done with and neither of us would be negatively affected.

[ttcintexas]

I hope you are feeling better today. I know what you mean about the nitrous. Like you, I am glad I only have one amalgam to remove. Still need to reschedule my appointment. Waiting on the Modifilan to arrive. Best of luck to you and your LO.

[ttcintexas]

Hi MamaC11. Wondering how you and your LO are doing? And what you did in the way of supplements following your removal. I rescheduled mine for the 18th. Should have my Modifilan by the 12th. Hope you are feeling well.

[Brea Johnson]

i was wondering how did it go? Has any mother's breastfeed with amalgam filings my sister is breatfeeding still and has about 4 or 5 they want to do a crown and on that fifth tooth and another tooth they left some amalgam in there when they covered it with the composite which is BPA the stuff they took out of banned in baby products... so what to do take the mercury ones out breastfeeding won't that be toxic ? probably better to have bpa in than mercury.  before they can fix her crown they have to drill out the remaining amalgam the last dentist left in there?  what did they do for you so you don't smell the vapors? how long it stays in your body i read like a 6 month to max a 1yr? what stuff to take to absorb the mercury.. I also read that your body chelates it and dumps it into the breastmilk is the way the body chelates mercury to rid body of it?  are those supplements safe to take breastfeeding... what should I tell my sister wait until weaning meanwhile everyday those 4 or 5 are leeching mercury./ ? i heard it is very poisionious when taken out or put in? but aren't they poisonous anyway everyday leaking ? any input will help for my sister who's baby is 16 months old... i don't want him to become autistic or brain damaged since they say mercury causes autism/brain damage from him eating bm.  should she stop bf him? how many amalgma filing you have she has 4 and 2 still have some remnants of amalgam that they want to drill out to do crown in.

any info will help thanks for my nephew's sake!

[mamaC11]

Originally Posted by ttcintexas 

Hi MamaC11. Wondering how you and your LO are doing? And what you did in the way of supplements following your removal. I rescheduled mine for the 18th. Should have my Modifilan by the 12th. Hope you are feeling well.

We are doing well!!  Thanks for thinking of us.  I felt really crummy the day of and the day after the procedure.  I had enough BM stored up for both days and he has never shown any negative side effects other than being grumpy b/c he couldn't have his nee nees, lol.  I'm guessing yours is done now, how did it go?  I forget, were you still breastfeeding?  I didn't get any Modifilan, but am thinking I will to take during that 3-6 month "dump" phase.  I just had the permanent crown placed on yesterday and it looks really good.
 

Originally Posted by Brea Johnson 

i was wondering how did it go? Has any mother's breastfeed with amalgam filings my sister is breatfeeding still and has about 4 or 5 they want to do a crown and on that fifth tooth and another tooth they left some amalgam in there when they covered it with the composite which is BPA the stuff they took out of banned in baby products... so what to do take the mercury ones out breastfeeding won't that be toxic ? probably better to have bpa in than mercury.  before they can fix her crown they have to drill out the remaining amalgam the last dentist left in there?  what did they do for you so you don't smell the vapors? how long it stays in your body i read like a 6 month to max a 1yr? what stuff to take to absorb the mercury.. I also read that your body chelates it and dumps it into the breastmilk is the way the body chelates mercury to rid body of it?  are those supplements safe to take breastfeeding... what should I tell my sister wait until weaning meanwhile everyday those 4 or 5 are leeching mercury./ ? i heard it is very poisionious when taken out or put in? but aren't they poisonous anyway everyday leaking ? any input will help for my sister who's baby is 16 months old... i don't want him to become autistic or brain damaged since they say mercury causes autism/brain damage from him eating bm.  should she stop bf him? how many amalgma filing you have she has 4 and 2 still have some remnants of amalgam that they want to drill out to do crown in.

any info will help thanks for my nephew's sake!

I had 4 total amalgam fillings in my mouth.  This one was huge and broken, allowing further decay and infection to start in my mouth.  This is my 4th child, i breastfed all 3 before him with amalgams in my mouth.  My 3 girls are all amazingly well functioning, even performing at gifted levels in school.  This baby is our boy, he's only 6 months old and already appears to be very bright.  My dentist originally wanted to drill out the mercury filling and replace with composite.  I turned her down and told her I wanted a crown (the filling was at the corner of my tooth, not in the middle).  She was able to cut around the filling so it fell out in one big chunk--no direct drilling on the filling itself.  I read everything I could from the extreme of "Oh it is FINE, it won't harm you or your baby one bit" to the extreme of "your baby will surely die/be damaged/be____________(insert crazy horrible thing here) if you do this while breastfeeding".  I can't wean, but I can't walk around with infection streaming through my blood stream either.  I decided to place myself in the middle of the spectrum and rely on my faith in God to protect us (sorry if that isn't your cup of tea, but I've seen God do amazing things so I know he can protect us)  So, I built up a small stash of frozen breastmilk--enough for 2 days.  I read up on supplements safe for breast feeding and decided on taking a good probiotic, Sodium Ascorbate (a form of Vit. C), Fish Oil, Magnesium, and Vit. E (i take most of them 2-4 times a day). I also drink So Delicious Coconut milk (i can't have ANY regular dairy b/c of my son's allergies) and it has Selenium in it, also recommended to help remove mercury.  Modifilan is one that I am about to order for that "dump phase" you will read about 3-6 months after the procedure.  Also, my son gets Sodium Ascorbate and Probiotics as well.  All of those vitamins help pull the mercury out of the system.  I had them use a rubber dam in my mouth to catch any possible chunks, and they had suction behind the dam as well as inside the dam.  I asked for the nose cover nitrous/oxygen to keep me from breathing the vapors in.  Here is one guy's links that I found especially helpful and reassuring.  I actually contacted him about my situation and he replied to me and said to make sure to eat a lot of foods with sulfur (i.e. eggs etc, you can google sulfur foods for mercury removal):

http://www.mgoldmandds.com/isremovdanger.htm

http://www.mgoldmandds.com/detox2.htm

http://www.mgoldmandds.com/detox1.htm

this is kellymom.com, a GREAT breastfeeding resource

http://www.kellymom.com/health/chemical/mercury.html

there is one more link that i thought i bookmarked but can not find.  it was a list of supplements to take, i'll keep looking, if I find it i will post it.

My son has a milk and soy protien allergy which is why I can not wean him and put him on formula (yes they make special formula for it but we can not afford it right now as it is CRAZY expensive).  Putting him on formula would harm him as much as any possible mercury exposure considering his reaction is extreme vomiting for about 2 hours after ingesting the food which leads to severe dehydration and possible shock/hospitilization.  I HATED making this choice but feel that it was the only choice i had, and I know I am doing everything I can to keep us healthy.  As moms, that is sometimes all we can do.  I understand your fear, i still get sick to my stomach thinking of it all, but my faith is bigger than my fear, my God is bigger than my problem, and the wisdom he has allowed me to be smart enough to attain is invaluable in the protection of me and my child as well.  Good luck to your sister, Hope I helped some.  Feel free to ask any other questions.

[mamaC11]

http://tuberose.com/Metal_Detoxification.html

This is the other link i was referring to.

Also, I forgot to address some of your other questions.  yes, her amalgam fillings can "leach" mercury from things like chewing gum/food, drinking hot beverages (coffee), brushing teeth etc.  Would I suggest her to run out and get them all pulled out and replaced at the same time?  No.  The dr i referenced in my other post (with the links) said one removal shouldn't be too worrisome as long as precautions are taken.  How much longer  is she planning on breastfeeding?  If she is not in pain/danger to her health then she could wait until she is done breast feeding.  The mercury is supposed to stay in her system for up to a year, yes, but taking those supplements will definitely help.  In the article i just posted there are TONS of supplements etc. IT IS UP TO YOUR SISTER TO FIND OUT WHICH ONES ARE SAFE FOR BREASTFEEDING!  I'm not a doctor, the ones i posted that i take i researched out their safety, outside of those I am not qualified to say which are or are not safe.