What Dentists Don't Tell You

This week I have an appointment at my dentist for my semi-annual cleaning.  After having recently read the book, Cure Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel, I am having second thoughts about going back to a regular dentist.  So, I cancelled the appointment; and instead, I have made an appointment with a "holistic" dentist. 

But first, a little history...

When I was a child (about nine years old, as I recall) my parents decided to take advantage of my father's military dental benefits and take me to the dentist, my mouth being full of cavities (and probably toothaches).  I wasn't much of a milk drinker--as a matter of fact, I was an extremely picky eater--and so was more than likely deficient in a variety of vitamins AND minerals, which took its toll on my teeth.  After having a very unhappy "discussion" with the dentist (that resulted in an unfortunate biting incident), and eventually coming to an agreement of reluctant cooperation, the good doctor began what turned out to be a life-long process of filling my mouth with "silver."  As I write, I have four porcelain crowns, three of which are root canals, six teeth with amalgam fillings (one of which is chipped and in need of repair), and probably a few lurking cavities that will eventually need attention. 

You may be wondering (about now) what's wrong with fillings?  How about THIS for starters:  roughly 50% of the material called an "amalgam" filling is none other than the highly toxic heavy metal we know as mercury.   Amalgam is shipped to the dentist's office labeled as a "hazardous material."  If you have an amalgam filling in your mouth, every time you chew, drink, grind your teeth, brush or otherwise disturb the surface of the filling, it will produce mercury vapor in your mouth.  According to a recent article on Mercola.com, "Mercury vapor from the amalgams passes readily through cell membranes, across the blood-brain barrier, and into your central nervous system, where it causes psychological, neurological, and immunological problems. Children and fetuses, whose brains are still developing, are most at risk, but really anyone can be impacted."  In short, mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin. Check out this short video! 

And yet the dentist does not by law have to disclose any of this to you or me! 

So now you understand a little better about my second thoughts.  But there's more.  Conventional dentists cannot cure cavities or heal teeth.  They can only pull them, drill them, and fill them (usually with poison)...as we all have plenty of experience with.  But, are you aware that teeth are capable of remineralizing?  Have you ever had a dentist tell you that your rotting teeth might be connected to a poor diet?  Probably not.  They will patiently explain to you that you don't brush enough or floss enough... but once you get that cavity, well, teeth just don't heal-- and once they rot, that's pretty much it for you.  (But BONES heal, don't they?  Why would teeth be any different?)  One thing is for certain-- they won't heal if they're drilled away and packed with amalgam or removed from your mouth!

The conventional explanation of tooth decay is bacteria.  But, here's a thought:  God created our teeth and put them into a mouth full of bacteria where he knew we would eat food, which would cause chemical reactions like acid.  Even if you don't believe God created your teeth, common sense ought to tell us that if bacteria caused tooth decay, everyone would have rotten teeth before they reached adulthood!  (What kid do YOU know who brushes his teeth properly?)  And, of course, we know that's not the case. Lots of people have perfectly wonderful teeth.

According to Dr. W. D. Miller, a dentist and researcher of the late 1800s, a tooth's ability to withstand decay is dependent upon its density and structure and the protection of the enamel around the neck of the tooth by healthy gums.  He believed such a tooth would "resist indefinitely the same acid to which a tooth of opposite character would succumb in a few weeks."   In other words, a tooth's density will protect it against decay.  Dr. Nagel, also a dentist, explains in his book the physiological connection between diet, hormones (the parotid hormone in particular) and mineral-rich dental lymph excreted by our own bodies through microscopic channels in our teeth to clean and remineralize them.  On the other hand, it is possible to eat a cavity-causing diet (the one I was eating most of my life!)  Not only that, but tooth decay tends to increase with age (not a good statistic if you're me!)   

Now, why don't dentists tell us this??

As some of my readers may already know, it was Dr. Weston Price who first made the connection between dental health and diet.  I won't burden you with details on that research as you can easily find in on the Weston Price web site and in a score of published works, including Dr. Nagel's.  Suffice it to say, proper diet produces healthy teeth.  Too bad I (or my parents) didn't know about this years ago.

So in a few weeks, I open a new door and decide whether or not to step through it.  Since the day that a doctor of dentistry put his finger unbidden into my mouth at the tender age of nine, I have thoroughly hated going to the dentist.  But, I do like to eat, and appreciate the convenience of having my own teeth, such as they are.  I would like to keep it that way as long as I can.  My first appointment will be a consultation and x-rays.  I'll write a follow-up post in February with the prognosis.  (Say a little prayer for me.)

P.S.  In case you're wondering what happened to my follow-up post, my appointment was rescheduled to March, so that will be coming up shortly.  Stay tuned!