need a filling for the first time

[Devaya]

and i'm feeling overwhelmed. I'm still nursing and prob will be for at least another year. My child is only one and nowhere near ready to wean, nor would I want to. My teeth have always been perfect and I've never needed fillings, so I'm wondering if there's some truth to pregnancy and birth etc somehow messing up your teeth...I have heard this but dismissed it as an old wive's tale.

anyway, to the dentist's annoyance (he was pretty rude) I said I'd go away and think about it rather than have the filling on the spot (I had DS with me and just didnt think it appropriate). I wanted to research the health aspects of a filling.

Anyway I cannot afford to actually pay for mercury-free dentistry, or even to just have the private option (we're on the national health service here), but I hadn't even realised until looking at this board, that it could affect my baby as well as me. ANy advice, or point me in the right direction to do some research?

[tanyalynn]

Just about any dentist should be able to put in a composite filling--if yours says he doesn't do that, just find another. You don't need a mercury-free dentist for that, mercury-free dentists are important for getting amalgam fillings taken out safely.

And if it's not mercury (and if you're considering mercury, do some reading at iaomt.org) then it should be fine to have it put in while nursing. I'm not up on the exact meds that are okay while nursing, but my understanding is that most are fine.

ETA: National Health Service--you're in the UK? Not sure how the mercury/composite thing works there, I got the impression that people can get composites but they need to pay more (not sure if it's the same dentist or a different one). So I can't speak to accessibility/cost issues, but while nursing, I just wouldn't get mercury.

You may also be interested in the Healing Cavities with Nutrition sticky (I mention it because sometimes my eyes skim over the stickies and I miss them). If you're willing/able to make dietary changes, you may be able to heal the cavity and not need to deal with a filling at all.

[Ruthla]

Are you 100% positive that you actually NEED a filling? No doubt there's some decay on your tooth that the dentist found, but that doesn't automatically mean that it must be filled.

How large is the decay? Was it visible on an X ray or was it so shallow it was only found during the visual exam?

I suggest you check out the 'healing cavities with nutrition' thread in this forum and try to heal the decay on your own, then have a dentist re-check your teeth in 6m, and only get a filling if it hasn't healed by then.

[Devaya]

I don't know about composite fillings, I know my dentist does also offer 'white fillings' on the non-NHS rate, which actually isnt too bad and I can just put it on the credit card It's worth not having mercury.

I don't think it's a severe decay, judging by the price he quoted me, but the dentist said it will just get worse. He was severely lacking in his professional manner however so it's hard to know what the 'truth' is. Perhaps I will request an x-ray, thanks for the suggestion Ruthla. As for the nutritional side, I did have a glance at some of that 'sticky' and it looks interesting, don't know how affordable all those supplements etc will be for me though. Am currently cutting out sugar though partly to work on my energy levels too. ANyway I have another appt next week and will take it from there.

[tanyalynn]

Those white fillings are probably composite fillings.