When to trust vs. question the dentist?

[my3beasties]

OK I'm sure someone has asked this before, but I just wondered...where do you get the info on dental alternatives, and the necessity of mainstream dental procedures? I'm very holistic-minded when it comes to medical care, I just want to follow the same natural, common-sense approach with dentistry.

My 6yo DS has 9 crowns already, 1on a front tooth due to fillings that wouldn't hold and the rest to "prevent" failure of fillings in between his molars.  He started getting cavities on his front teeth at 2yo, people told me it was due to nursing until 33 mos, but I attribute to poor hygiene (brushing was difficult, he would freak out, scream, bite, etc). 

Anyway, DH wondered why it was necessary to put these crowns on...he feels the dental industry is just as corrupt and greedy as the medical industry, and thinks they will say anything to get you to agree to doing more procedures.  I agree to an extent, but the dentist we see is a friend of a friend and I doubt she is out to stick it to the insurace company...I think she's doing what she feels is best for the kids, and this is what her training dictates. 

Now she says my 3yo DS has pre-cavities, and wants to make sure they don't get worse...she put this fluoride goo on their teeth, and when I questioned its safety and efficiacy, she told me it was about the same amount of fluoride as drinking 3 cups of tap water, and it would help strengthen their teeth.  I'm not sure I buy that, and wondered if anyone has some info on dental procedures like this?? 

I'm not comfortable being led around blind by the dentist, well-meaning as she may be...if I did that with the MD's, I would have had all my kids vaccinated & pumped full of every allopathic medicine there is!  Just wondering what treatment alternatives are out there, and what is actually necessary in terms of regular checkups.

Thanks in advance!

[1love4ever]

I'm interested to hear what others have to say on this as well!  I feel that the dentists wanted more money out of me/my insurance when I was growing up.  I always had perfect teeth but they did a few questionable procedures to me even though Ive never had a cavity.  I remember the flouride goo when I was growing up, they put it in a foam mouthpiece and have the kid bite down on it for a length of time?   Here is some info on flouride http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/08/12/fluoride-and-the-brain-no-margin-of-safety.aspx     http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/11/dr-bill-osmunson-on-fluoride.aspx

There is a book about flouride ive seen recommended on MDC, I dont remember the title tho.

And of course we all know the dangers of amalgam fillings, here's a little info on that as well  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/07/dangers-of-mercury-contamination.aspx?e_cid=20120407_DNL_art_1

So, no I dont think flouride is safe at all and I would not use it, and I certainly wouldnt use mercury.  Sealants have BPA, but I havent seen too much about that, so I'm not sure what my choice would be on that.  I definitely wouldnt have it done until my child was older, already hit puberty for sure, and I would discuss it with my kids and tell them my thoughts on risks vs benefits.   We do follow a TF diet for the most part, and brush well before bed (we need to start doing it more often) which can help prevent decay.

I wish that my parents would have questioned Drs more, and my dentist.  I wish they had not consented to that flouride mouthpiece once a year, maybe I'd be a little smarter lol.

[choochootwo]

I would find a holistic DDS that works with children. You can purchase calcium fluoride cell salts. This type of fluoride is naturally occurring and is not like the synthetic stuff that's added to tap water. Did you want to ask the dentist why not just have your child drink three glasses of tap water? :)

Don't ever feel apprehensive about asking questions. You're the parent and have your child's best interest at heart. 

I took our 20 month old son to a family dentist because I suspected cavities. He said everything looked fine. Ten days later I took him to a holistic DDS and he found 7 cavities and three teeth with decalcifcation. He didn't sell me anything. He recommended holistic products that we can buy online or at health food stored and are already seeing results. 

I'm sure there is a time for surgical intervention in the case of an abscessed tooth or a cavity, so I wouldn't throw all the dentist's information aside. But, IMO drilling and filling for every cavity is over kill. 

FYI : My holistic DDS says Iodine slows or stops the bacteria that causes cavities. We put two drops of Povidine Iodine on my sons toothbrush twice a day. 

[Snapdragon]

my personal opinion:

I think dental care is very different than other types of medical care. I am totally on board with you regarding how doctors can sometimes do more harm- I don't vaccinate my child, I use caution and care in listening to medical advice etcetera.

When I was younger I thought the whole dental industry was a sham too! I stopped going to the dentist from age 18-! for about ten yrs-! I brushed my teeth twice a day and figured that was enough. I was wrong and had a huge amount of problems from not caring for my teeth. Since then I got it all cleaned up but also suffered a lot of loss from it. Now I go to the dentist and get cleanins and checks very regularly. but as a result I am pro active about my 2 yr olds dental care. I brush his teeth with flouride toothpaste- I personally think the flouride helps strengthen the teeth. I bring him to the dentist every 6 months.

so my answer is I don't think you should just think the dentists are all lying to get money or whatever. while I do think that is true of some of the pharmecutical comapnies, and I do think some doctors are over aggressive and harmful. And of course some dentsits are too.

but the bottom line is that teeth Do need to be cleaned properly. People do need dental cleanings beyond what they can do at home. Without it, some get lucky- but it really can lead to decay and pain and loss and major work needed later.

So I think you should look aorund and try to find a dentist you feel good with. But do give your kids preventative dental care. If you are told to do a procedure- then do lots o f research on it and figure out if you want to do it. But do give them cleanings and check ups. my 2 cents-! 

[1love4ever]

I agree that the cell salts would be a good idea, we take bioplasma which has the flouride, and since its naturally occuring it doesnt bother me, its the synthetic junk that does.

I also have read stuff on here about kids born via c-section having more dental problems and nutrient absorbation problems that can lead to dental problems, having to do with not being exposed to the "good" bacteria when passing through the vagina.   I wonder if the  same goes for moms who were GBSpostitive and were given abx or Hibiclens vaginal washes during labor?  Because that kills off good bacteria too!  Anyway, just a thought!   And I also agree with finding a holistic dentist!!  You might also check into a traditional foods diet. 

Heres a book that might be helpful as well  http://www.curetoothdecay.com/

[phathui5]

Originally Posted by choochootwo 

I would find a holistic DDS that works with children. You can purchase calcium fluoride cell salts. This type of fluoride is naturally occurring and is not like the synthetic stuff that's added to tap water. Did you want to ask the dentist why not just have your child drink three glasses of tap water? :)

Don't ever feel apprehensive about asking questions. You're the parent and have your child's best interest at heart. 

I took our 20 month old son to a family dentist because I suspected cavities. He said everything looked fine. Ten days later I took him to a holistic DDS and he found 7 cavities and three teeth with decalcifcation. He didn't sell me anything. He recommended holistic products that we can buy online or at health food stored and are already seeing results. 

I'm sure there is a time for surgical intervention in the case of an abscessed tooth or a cavity, so I wouldn't throw all the dentist's information aside. But, IMO drilling and filling for every cavity is over kill. 

FYI : My holistic DDS says Iodine slows or stops the bacteria that causes cavities. We put two drops of Povidine Iodine on my sons toothbrush twice a day. 

What all did he recommend?

[choochootwo]

Phathui5 : 

Sorry! I missed your question. He specifically told me to put two drops of povidine or lugol's iodine on my son's toothbrush and brush his teeth with it. There's some pretty compelling information about povidine iodine and ECC. He also said MI Paste, cell salts, absolutely no sodium fluoride, cod liver oil, grass fed dairy, and xylitol. He also said absolutely no grains. We were doing all of that but the iodine. The decay has slowed on his top teeth, but not halted. He has a lip tie and we have an appointment next week with an ENT to evaluate getting it snipped. I think this will be the silver bullet that does it. The decay on his bottom teeth is not completely gone. His bottom molars were bad, really bad. They're now about half as tall as they should be and gnarly looking, like dog teeth, but the decay is gone and there's bright, shiny, new enamel on top. I was pretty shocked to say the least. 

We also took measures to heal his gut. He's always had digestion issues and we think he had a leaky gut and wasn't getting the vitamins he needed. We started him on zinc which helped tremendously, and then we started him on calcium supplements, coupled with transdermal magnesium. Healing his gut was big and played a huge role in helping his teeth. I know this because his bottom molars did continue to decay after we started the protocol..because now they're shorter. But, it's only been two months and about a week and a half, so his bottom teeth completely remineralized in less than that time. The body is a powerful thing. 

[JOJO BUBS]

love this thank you and i will pass it on

[choochootwo]

I reread my post and see I may have misled about the iodine. We ARE doing the iodine. We were already doing the other things and added the iodine. We do two drops on a toothbrush, twice a day.  After that we brushed with Squiggle toothpaste, but I've now made my own herbal/remineralizing paste that I prefer over squiggle, and then I used a clean finger and put MI Paste over his teeth, 30 minutes later I pack the cavities with Pascalite clay.