The Story of Someone’s Bad Dental Visit:
I came across a blog post the other day about someone who had sworn off dentists after discovering treating a cavity only to have the same tooth break a few months later. The scenario they described was that they had two fillings, one on each side. One of the fillings was painful causing them to have to eat and chew strictly on the opposite side.
After a few weeks, the tooth on the other side that had the filling broke. They blamed the break on the dentist’s preference of using composite resin fillings over mercury amalgam fillings.
Due to the experience, they proceeded to try a whole brand new dental regimen. This individual went on to proclaim that their current dental hygiene regimen that consisted of a coconut oil rinse and brushing with an all-natural toothpaste has served them better than any dental checkups could.
They also said that even though they haven’t had a checkup in a while, they’re absolutely sure that they are healthier now than when they went to the dentist because of these amazing new techniques they were using.
Testing New Dental Techniques
If you watch enough television, listen to enough media, or read enough online news; there is always going to be some new product or new doctor that says they have the newest simplest cure all product or technique for your dental health.
I remember not too long ago, Dr. Oz had everyone and their mother doing body cleanses saying that a simple drink will erase years of bad eating habits and restore your health like no other food can.
The problem with these listening to these sources is that their sole purpose is to sell you a product, get you to watch for ratings and not necessarily to improve your health.
Afterwards, another scientific program went and tested Dr. Oz’ claim of the clean and tested two groups of people. A control group who ate normally and a group who endured the cleanse.
After what seemed a week they tested both groups for any improvements based on blood tests, BMI and a host of other health metrics.
What they discovered?
There was absolutely no change.
Being Empirical – The Blogger’s Claims
Back to the blogger who’s post I outlined in the beginning of this post.
Their New Dental Health Regimen Is the Best Way to Prevent Dental Health Problems
I’m not saying that all-natural remedies won’t have any positive effects; I’ve heard many good things about coconut oil rinse and whitening your teeth and preventing bacterial growth.
But before proclaiming that there is a single cure all to any dental health woes, it is very important to be objective in testing your results.
I’m not saying that the new regimen did not help, but it could be that the person never brushed or flossed before following their new regimen. Every single study I’ve read has proven that there is no more effective way at cleaning your teeth than flossing your teeth. Not many do it, but I’m sure this single tasks done daily would have greatly improved the person’s health.
The person also went on to say that even though they didn’t have any X-Rays they were sure that the prior tooth decay that they had all been healed due to their new regimen.
That’s a very dangerous claim because some people might actually believe them and their new miracle regimen. I’ve learned over time that people that never doubt themselves are hardly ever to be trusted and people that are normally right, doubt themselves a lot.
Without having a professional examine the tooth and take a look underneath the tooth structure for tooth decay, there is absolutely no way I would take someone’s word on the miracle improvement in health solely due to their new health regimen.
They also went on to say that:
Mercury Amalgam Fillings are Far Superior to Composite Resin Fillings
This just left me astounded. With all the studies about mercury poisoning and the negative side-effects amalgam fillings have I don’t know why anyone would conclude the amalgam would be superior to composite.
Strength of the Filling:
With the continual improvements of the composite resin, the latest resins on the market do compare quite well in strength and longevity to mercury amalgam fillings.
Health-Risks involved with Fillings:
In terms of long-term side effects, without a doubt I would say composite is superior especially with all the findings over the last century about the dangers of mercury poisoning.
Appearance of the Fillings:
When weighing appearances, the white filling looks natural and preserves the look of your teeth.
Overall conclusion of which Filling is Best:
Everything I’ve read and from every professional I’ve interviewed the overall theme of the conversations or findings is generally positive with the only negative connotations being that they generally aren’t as strong but do note that composite fillings are consistently improving and have more pro’s than con’s.
When discussing mercury amalgam fillings the general feeling is that they are trying to prove that “they aren’t that dangerous” for your health and outline findings to show how they aren’t so negative for your long-term health. I don’t know about you but anytime a study tries to prove to you that it “should be safe” and there is an alternative route that has more positives; I’d stay away from the choice that “should be safe”.
I apologize for the wordy post it’s just that when someone proclaims that they have a new miracle technique or cure for anything I’m always like to chime in to ensure no one throws out all their good habits in favor of an unproven technique.
I Heart Teeth 