Amalgam removal...what should I do?

[japonica]

Hi there,

I have some choices to make and I'm looking for some info/advice.

I have some decay under some of my old amalgams. I have 8, most were done in my teen years. I need at least 2 removed. I just went to see a new dentist who has more safety protocols in place (rubber dam, ventilation and filter system...but no oxygen mask that I saw) than my old dentist. So, I'm looking at getting them removed and replaced with porcelain crowns in the future. I'll call and ask about the oxygen/separate breathing system before I get them removed.

Problems: I'm still BFing my 22 month old. From what I read, it's best that she be weaned before doing this (to avoid additional exposure). Is it better to wait and wean more naturally or to wean quickly for the sake of getting the fillings out?

Next: I wanted to TTC in the next few months. I read the other post about TTCing and have heard that waiting a year is recommended. Trouble is, I'm 37 soon (sure, wish I had the luxury of a year to detox, but not sure I do) and I have endometriosis, so with every cycle, my fertility may be in greater jeopardy. Is is better just to repair what absolutely needs it, leave the rest, detox somewhat, and then TTC, or am I realistically looking at starting TTC at 38 instead?

For the record, I eat a very healthy diet (about 90% organic), take the appropriate suppplements, and feel fairly healthy...my daughter does not seem damaged by any exposure to the mercury from my fillings to date. She has never been vaxed, so I imagine her heavy metal burden is lower than kids who did get the prenatal exposure and who were subsequently vaxed.

Any advice? Thanks...

J

[BeagleMommy]

I hope someone has some good researched advice for you.
I am in a similar situation. I am pregnant with baby #1 and have a filling that according to my new, great dentist is REALLY leaking badly. He patched it with ceramic for me last week and said that it was urgent enough that I need to have it dealt with before I finish breastfeeding.
He suggested that I pump and build up a reserve of breast milk, have the filling removed, feed the frozen milk, and after a week or so, continue breastfeeding. (presumably, I am supposed to keep pumping while I am "toxic").

Does anyone know if this works? And how long is one's milk extra toxic after amalgam removal?

Any experienced mammas have info for this kind of situation?

[JaneS]

I'm a little rusty on this but this is my understanding:

Yes blood levels start to go down after a few days to a week. That is when the Hg settles in the brain and organs. So theoretically pumping and dumping would work. However, at this point, when fillings are removed, the body realizes it is no longer being exposed to the same amount of mercury as before and then it starts dumping the accumulated amounts from your organs into your blood in an effort to detox. Then your levels will go back up. The estimated time is 3 months but it can be different for every person depending on your body's response.

Studies regarding this are at DAMS http://www.amalgam.org/ I think.

I would not remove any mercury fillings without the proper IAOMT protocol. Dams are great, so are filters, but why take a chance and load your brain with more metals? www.iaomt.org

[japonica]

Thanks, Jane, for the info...I will talk to the dentist about the IAOMT protocol. I would like to think that weaning, having the amalgams removed, and then detoxing for a few months (before TTC) would be better than just leaving them in through another pg and extended BFing...

J

[SleeplessMommy]

I would suggest pump amd dump... mercury will accumulate in breast milk (and other bodily fluids) so pump and dump can help lower your mercury level.

I was reading up on mercury excretion from the body and it seems to me that the mercury in the blood stream gets excreted pretty quickly. (of course, mercury stuck in internal organs is another story. I think it is stuck there for good!)

After 4 weeks of so, you can have your blood and/or milk tested for mercury. Look up the symptoms of mercury poisoning, and ask your MD. There is a chance your insurance can pay for it. If not, it is $200-400 I think. If your tests are fine after 4 weeks, you can BF and/or try to get pregnant.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...&dopt=Abstract

http://www.nrdc.org/breastmilk/chem13.asp

and here is a really disturbing statement:

Many metals that have been reported in breast milk also contaminate drinking water and so can occur in infant formula at levels even higher than in breast milk. For example, an infant's exposure to cadmium from soy infant formula is about 20 times higher than the levels generally found in breast milk. Estimated cadmium intake from powdered formula has been estimated at six times higher than average levels in breast milk.[1]

so all those ff babies are really getting all kinds of cr*p put into them.

best regards, sleeplessMommy