Thank you for your continued efforts to educate both the general population and those waking up in the medical profession. The dental side of healthcare is just as blind to the harms of vaccines as they are to the poison that is fluoride. I am grateful you covered this in a prior Substack. Keep up the great work, the research and the tim…
Thank you for your continued efforts to educate both the general population and those waking up in the medical profession. The dental side of healthcare is just as blind to the harms of vaccines as they are to the poison that is fluoride. I am grateful you covered this in a prior Substack. Keep up the great work, the research and the time you devote to your newsletters. Your recent newsletter on osteoclast inhibitors featured by Mercola is a topic I want to cover with my patients because it has such in unpack on me as a dentist.
Thank you. It's on my to do list to go into all the dental things (e.g., currents from fillings with different metalic compositions) but I probably won't be able to for a long time.
I look forward to your thoughts. As a dentist I struggle with the inferior quality that is the composite (plastic) restorative material which has replaced amalgam. I say inferior in that decay happens rapidly under a composite if there is the tiniest of breach in the marginal contact. This can happen with poor placement and functional forces over time. But I can’t in good conscience place amalgam knowing now if the dangers of mercury toxicity (something that was a completely taboo discussion in dental school). I have patients who have amalgams that were placed in the 70s and 80s, they are still functioning and no recurrent decay!!
Your time is valuable and your research is priceless. I look forward to your input because no one in my profession wants to discuss the truth behind composites (white fillings). There is public demand for white fillings and they cost more to place hence the silence from anyone in dentistry. Likely because the next option would be porcelain and the cost skyrockets from there.
This may offend some in the holistic space but gold is the absolute best functioning material that I have ever seen and place in a patients mouth. When a patient can afford and the conditions necessitate, it is my preferred treatment option.
I have been in dentistry since the 80s (worked with my dad as a child) and practicing dentist since 2000. There is no material that we currently have available that is better than gold for durability, longevity, kindness to the tissue and hardness similar to tooth structure.
I know you asked AMD, but I want to share my thoughts as a dentist. Do some careful research about the quality of the dentist you choose to see! I have had several patients over the years transfer into my practice that went to a ‘safe mercury removal’ dentist for the replacement of their amalgam fillings. The work was very poorly done in these instances and it frustrates me to see patients taken advantage of. There is a significant cost increase to see a dentist who will do a ‘safe mercury filling removal’ and because the demand for this is likely greater than there are dentists performing it, I see a quality issue.
I went through the training to consider this removal process but never adopted completely when I learned that the most significant impact to reducing mercury exposure during the removal of an amalgam is from copious water irrigation and high volume evacuation. Two things I was already doing. The other steps in the process had negligible benefit to the patient and provider.
If you do consider their removal, I would recommend working with a functional medicine provider who can put you on a specific detox protocol.
I've never seen this kind of comment, so that is helpful to me. Is there any way to vet dentists to know how competent they are? As a regular person, it just seems that at best I look for someone who seems like a sincerely compassionate person and doesn't push fluoride and is recommended by other regular people, but I really don't know how to tell. I'm one who has dental trauma and breaks down on the chair, so it would give some semblance of control to my experience and trust to have a plan for picking someone.
You’re absolutely right! It’s difficult for the general public to ascertain the quality of dentist they select. You’re just on a good path. Find someone who takes time with you, cares for your past experiences that were traumatic and talks to you about your dental condition in a way that allows you to feel in control of the care you select. He/she should take time to educate you and give you treatment options. A good rule of thumb right now is to find someone who is in a stand alone practice. Venture capital is taking over dentistry and these corporate offices are moving towards the institutional model of medicine.
Perhaps a good litmus test is to choose someone who respects your wishes for no fluoride without pressuring you to change your mind. Good luck!
That makes good sense that the stand alone practice is one point to look at. To me it suggests that the dentist wouldn't be tied to corporate processes which usually emphasize profit over people. It also suggests they have to survive on their personal reputation and so would value honorable and respectful work. It seems to me that going with that might also be not accepting insurance, as insurance seems to exert influence over treatment as well, in a way that I distrust.
The bad about that, though, is that if you are poor, you are in a tight spot. When I tried to have my daughter seen, all of the local dentists refused to see her because we have government insurance that is not seen as worthwhile for the local dentists. I didn't realize this and spent hours and hours trying to find her a dentist, with them all refusing to see her even for cash once I had mentioned the insurance. They could be seen as criminally liable to refusing the insurance while accepting cash. I understand that, but it resulted in a rural Midwest blacklist for all children with government dental insurance, thus making it impossible for them to be seen except at basically two corporate dental offices which are well known to rush the kids roughly through and milk them quickly for the treatments that are reimbursable. It is like a factory. It took me a year to pay off the loan cost of having my child seen by a dentist a very long drive away whom I lied to, saying I didn't have insurance. And even then, I still wonder if all of that work of crowns and such on baby teeth was truly helpful or was bad for my kid.
I do often which for truly good advice from someone who knows and who I could actually trust. That is why I am so interested in what you might say.
Thank you for sharing your story and for more accurately calling out what is happening in my profession. I hate it but I did not want to disparage dentists who are part of corporate dentistry. There are good and bad dentists in all walks of our field!
I hate how you’ve been treated! There is a strong tendency to over treat especially in pediatrics. I hope that you find a great dentist who listens to your concerns and does not push you into procedures you do not desire.
You could follow my Substack for the one or two dental newsletters that I write. Use the comments section of those newsletters to ask any question. It is my passion to help people understand their dental health and to optimally reduce their need to see the dentist. It should be our goal as providers to support health discussions that make you need us less!
Thank you for sharing your expertise Jessica Funk. I really appreciate. Yes, I appreciate it would be a very expensive undertaking. And I agree that finding a reputable dentist would be one of the challenges. Am already working with an appropriate and amazing health practitioner. Thanks again!
Sorry... a further question.... assuming you can find a reputable dentist and are working with a health practitioner on a specific detox protocol, do you think it is a good idea to have mercury fillings removed?
This is a complicated response to a simple question. If you’re experiencing health conditions that your provider identifies as possible related to mercury toxicity, then it may be a good idea to consider. The exposure to mercury is at its peak during placement and removal. Every time we cut into a tooth, we weaken the tooth additionally.
I am skeptical of the white fillings that are traditionally used to replace amalgam because they are a plastic product. Their longevity pales in comparison to amalgam.
I am hanging in limbo between holistic/biological dentistry and traditional. There are elements of the holistic side that push for the invasive removal of amalgam to be replaced with an inferior plastic product. I wish that some honesty in the care provided to patients could be actively discussed and debated so we can give true informed consent with treatment options.
See here is another example of the lack of true informed consent. I have never heard anything about fluoride being bad after cleanings, only that it was bad being in water since that would expose multiple times a day. Dentists only explain why it helps my teeth, never any concerns for a few times a year. I am on a peri plan now requiring a cleaning every quarter so I have been getting fluoride 4x a year! I’m older so I thought it was necessary. I’m stopping that from now on until I can learn more about this.
I recently wrote an article about the concerns of water fluoridation. I think that fluoride in toothpaste and dental treatments are likely the biggest danger due to sublingual absorption, the fastest route of entry.
Thank you for your continued efforts to educate both the general population and those waking up in the medical profession. The dental side of healthcare is just as blind to the harms of vaccines as they are to the poison that is fluoride. I am grateful you covered this in a prior Substack. Keep up the great work, the research and the time you devote to your newsletters. Your recent newsletter on osteoclast inhibitors featured by Mercola is a topic I want to cover with my patients because it has such in unpack on me as a dentist.
Thank you. It's on my to do list to go into all the dental things (e.g., currents from fillings with different metalic compositions) but I probably won't be able to for a long time.
I look forward to your thoughts. As a dentist I struggle with the inferior quality that is the composite (plastic) restorative material which has replaced amalgam. I say inferior in that decay happens rapidly under a composite if there is the tiniest of breach in the marginal contact. This can happen with poor placement and functional forces over time. But I can’t in good conscience place amalgam knowing now if the dangers of mercury toxicity (something that was a completely taboo discussion in dental school). I have patients who have amalgams that were placed in the 70s and 80s, they are still functioning and no recurrent decay!!
Your time is valuable and your research is priceless. I look forward to your input because no one in my profession wants to discuss the truth behind composites (white fillings). There is public demand for white fillings and they cost more to place hence the silence from anyone in dentistry. Likely because the next option would be porcelain and the cost skyrockets from there.
Or real silver? What is a good option or strategy?
Silver is not used much in dentistry.
My grandfather had gold fillings , are those ever still used?
This may offend some in the holistic space but gold is the absolute best functioning material that I have ever seen and place in a patients mouth. When a patient can afford and the conditions necessitate, it is my preferred treatment option.
I have been in dentistry since the 80s (worked with my dad as a child) and practicing dentist since 2000. There is no material that we currently have available that is better than gold for durability, longevity, kindness to the tissue and hardness similar to tooth structure.
Thanks AMD. Any thoughts on whether I should get my mercury-containing fillings safely removed?
I know you asked AMD, but I want to share my thoughts as a dentist. Do some careful research about the quality of the dentist you choose to see! I have had several patients over the years transfer into my practice that went to a ‘safe mercury removal’ dentist for the replacement of their amalgam fillings. The work was very poorly done in these instances and it frustrates me to see patients taken advantage of. There is a significant cost increase to see a dentist who will do a ‘safe mercury filling removal’ and because the demand for this is likely greater than there are dentists performing it, I see a quality issue.
I went through the training to consider this removal process but never adopted completely when I learned that the most significant impact to reducing mercury exposure during the removal of an amalgam is from copious water irrigation and high volume evacuation. Two things I was already doing. The other steps in the process had negligible benefit to the patient and provider.
If you do consider their removal, I would recommend working with a functional medicine provider who can put you on a specific detox protocol.
I've never seen this kind of comment, so that is helpful to me. Is there any way to vet dentists to know how competent they are? As a regular person, it just seems that at best I look for someone who seems like a sincerely compassionate person and doesn't push fluoride and is recommended by other regular people, but I really don't know how to tell. I'm one who has dental trauma and breaks down on the chair, so it would give some semblance of control to my experience and trust to have a plan for picking someone.
You’re absolutely right! It’s difficult for the general public to ascertain the quality of dentist they select. You’re just on a good path. Find someone who takes time with you, cares for your past experiences that were traumatic and talks to you about your dental condition in a way that allows you to feel in control of the care you select. He/she should take time to educate you and give you treatment options. A good rule of thumb right now is to find someone who is in a stand alone practice. Venture capital is taking over dentistry and these corporate offices are moving towards the institutional model of medicine.
Perhaps a good litmus test is to choose someone who respects your wishes for no fluoride without pressuring you to change your mind. Good luck!
That makes good sense that the stand alone practice is one point to look at. To me it suggests that the dentist wouldn't be tied to corporate processes which usually emphasize profit over people. It also suggests they have to survive on their personal reputation and so would value honorable and respectful work. It seems to me that going with that might also be not accepting insurance, as insurance seems to exert influence over treatment as well, in a way that I distrust.
The bad about that, though, is that if you are poor, you are in a tight spot. When I tried to have my daughter seen, all of the local dentists refused to see her because we have government insurance that is not seen as worthwhile for the local dentists. I didn't realize this and spent hours and hours trying to find her a dentist, with them all refusing to see her even for cash once I had mentioned the insurance. They could be seen as criminally liable to refusing the insurance while accepting cash. I understand that, but it resulted in a rural Midwest blacklist for all children with government dental insurance, thus making it impossible for them to be seen except at basically two corporate dental offices which are well known to rush the kids roughly through and milk them quickly for the treatments that are reimbursable. It is like a factory. It took me a year to pay off the loan cost of having my child seen by a dentist a very long drive away whom I lied to, saying I didn't have insurance. And even then, I still wonder if all of that work of crowns and such on baby teeth was truly helpful or was bad for my kid.
I do often which for truly good advice from someone who knows and who I could actually trust. That is why I am so interested in what you might say.
Thank you for sharing your story and for more accurately calling out what is happening in my profession. I hate it but I did not want to disparage dentists who are part of corporate dentistry. There are good and bad dentists in all walks of our field!
I hate how you’ve been treated! There is a strong tendency to over treat especially in pediatrics. I hope that you find a great dentist who listens to your concerns and does not push you into procedures you do not desire.
You could follow my Substack for the one or two dental newsletters that I write. Use the comments section of those newsletters to ask any question. It is my passion to help people understand their dental health and to optimally reduce their need to see the dentist. It should be our goal as providers to support health discussions that make you need us less!
oh that's awful. I'm so sorry that has been your experience.
Venture capital is indeed destroying everything good.
Good on you Mama for doing your best to do the best for your kid. It's tough.
Wish
Thank you for sharing your expertise Jessica Funk. I really appreciate. Yes, I appreciate it would be a very expensive undertaking. And I agree that finding a reputable dentist would be one of the challenges. Am already working with an appropriate and amazing health practitioner. Thanks again!
Hi Jessica
Sorry... a further question.... assuming you can find a reputable dentist and are working with a health practitioner on a specific detox protocol, do you think it is a good idea to have mercury fillings removed?
This is a complicated response to a simple question. If you’re experiencing health conditions that your provider identifies as possible related to mercury toxicity, then it may be a good idea to consider. The exposure to mercury is at its peak during placement and removal. Every time we cut into a tooth, we weaken the tooth additionally.
I am skeptical of the white fillings that are traditionally used to replace amalgam because they are a plastic product. Their longevity pales in comparison to amalgam.
I am hanging in limbo between holistic/biological dentistry and traditional. There are elements of the holistic side that push for the invasive removal of amalgam to be replaced with an inferior plastic product. I wish that some honesty in the care provided to patients could be actively discussed and debated so we can give true informed consent with treatment options.
Thanks so much. Your nuanced response is really helpful. I appreciate it.
Yes, some of the white filling materials contain fluoride 🙁
See here is another example of the lack of true informed consent. I have never heard anything about fluoride being bad after cleanings, only that it was bad being in water since that would expose multiple times a day. Dentists only explain why it helps my teeth, never any concerns for a few times a year. I am on a peri plan now requiring a cleaning every quarter so I have been getting fluoride 4x a year! I’m older so I thought it was necessary. I’m stopping that from now on until I can learn more about this.
I recently wrote an article about the concerns of water fluoridation. I think that fluoride in toothpaste and dental treatments are likely the biggest danger due to sublingual absorption, the fastest route of entry.
Is this the article you are referring to? If not can you post a link to the correct one? Thank you!
https://open.substack.com/pub/jessicabfunk/p/is-fluoride-safe?r=1x1wzs&utm_medium=ios
That one and the one titled, Today’s the Day.
Impact (not unpack)
We knew what you meant to say 😉.
The three dots offer edit. Permanently; not just for 5 minutes like on Medscrape. (And no community standards bot will deactivate it.)
Thanks!
If you aren't following him, bowtiedgatordds on X is a good dentist to follow.