When it comes to your dental health and your overall systemic health, here are some other things to consider.Your dentist is meant to be the practitioner on your health team who is an advocate for preventive care. It use to be quite common practice for the family dentist to take blood pressure. Now this is rarely the case.
However, for as much research and focus that is put on right use and application of dental materials, there is a noticeable void of attention put on the health issues and possible toxicological effects of dental materials used in your teeth.
Part of this has to do with the separation that has been created between medicine and dentistry in terms of diagnosing systemic diseases. Dentists are extremely altruistic, dedicated and concerned about the welfare of their patients. They just have not been trained to think of the possible systemic effects of what they are doing and implanting into the mouth and bodies of their patients.
Consider this:
Every time dentists or hygienists do a cleaning done, bacteria is being pushed into your bloodstream. This is called a bacteremia, which is usually temporary. However, if you have a heart condition or heart murmur, it could result in an infection in the lining of your heart.
Every time you have local anesthesia for a procedure related to dental health, your system needs to work overtime to break down and eliminate it from your body. Metals used in dentistry for strength are sometimes suspect from a toxicological point of view. Some metals like gold, platinum and titanium have been shown to be safe in the vast majority of cases. Nickel on the other hand has been shown to be toxic and often causes sensitivity. Nickel is used in children’s crowns and orthodontics.
Silver amalgam fillings are made up of about 50% mercury and 50% other metals. Mercury is a known neurotoxin in small quantities and there have been claims that it may be a cause of birth defects. The question is whether mercury is released in large enough quantities from your fillings to cause a health concern or problem. This is a question that each person needs to decide for themselves with the help of their health care practitioners. With the advances made in the field of dental materials over the years there are suitable substitutes available today that were not viable in the past.
Carey O’Rielly DDS has been a practicing dentist for 35 years. He went to USC Dental School and Duke University for his undergraduate degree. He grew up in Laguna Beach and now lives in La Costa with his wife Victoria, who runs his office.
He began his career by owning and operating a network of six offices in the San Francisco Bay Area. Presently he owns a private holistic practice in North County San Diego’s Encinitas.
Dr. O started looking for solutions to his health challenges that resulted from the stress and environmental toxicity that built up over a ten year period running his dental network. He has dedicated himself to learning about oral systemic problems and how dentistry can affect your health. He has applied what he has learned over the last twenty years to ensure he, his staff and his patients are protected from the chemicals and toxic materials found in most dental offices. He has produced an environmentally friendly office that is also peaceful and calm.
He is an expert on dental materials having looked at hundreds of biocompatibility lab tests over the years. He has identified the most bio-friendly materials to use in his practice and which dental materials can be used to replace metal fillings and crowns, including BPA free and fluoride free ‘white’ fillings. He also uses metal-free Zirconia or ceramic implants and PRF (platelet-rich fibrin) grafting materials which come from the patient’s own blood.
Dr. O’Rielly teaches C.E. courses on the systemic effects of gum disease. He is an expert in using phase contrast microscopy for analyzing dental infections, where he shows patients what kind of microbes, i.e. bacteria, amoeba, and yeasts like candida are populating the mouth and affecting the body as a whole.
He has an educational blog and is writing a book on dental health called ‘Hidden Dental Infections: Healing Root Canals and Infected Teeth with the Erbium Laser’ where he discusses dental nutrition, toxic dental materials and the effects of old root canals on inflammation and overall health.
