Written by: M. Sorce | April 17, 2004

*Note: This is Marsha's second installment, a follow up to
Antibiotics from Nature.

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During the six months that I had to wait for the final appointment with the endodontist to get the verdict on the results of the surgery that was done to repair the cracked root of a crowned tooth, my regular dentist retired. Although I liked him very much, I was a little glad that he had done this because I had been considering a new dentist for a few months and was not looking forward to telling him that I would be going to someone else.

Why did I want a new dentist? Well, since I began my journey on the path to natural health and wellness I have learned a great deal about the dangerous chemicals and compounds that we are exposed to, both knowingly and unwittingly, and have made a sincere effort to eliminate as many of these harmful pollutants as I can from my life. The fact that silver amalgams contain high amounts of toxic mercury is finally being acknowledged and studied for its effects on the human body, and the results are not good. At my request, my regular dentist had begun to remove my silver amalgam fillings in August of 2001, but not before he told me that he did not feel it was necessary and he did not agree that those types of fillings are bad. In fact, he was still using silver amalgams on his patients unless they specifically requested the new filling material! I should have known then that this was not the right person for the job, but I went ahead and had him replace two of the six fillings. Unfortunately, that decision caused health problems for me for about a year. The procedure of removing silver amalgam fillings should always be done using a rubber dam to isolate the material as it is removed, and the patient should be given direct oxygen so they do not inhale the smoke and particles. I suffered from mercury poisoning because the fillings were not removed properly. While I was detoxifying my body from the mercury, the cracked tooth incident occurred in May of 2002. Needless to say, between that and needing to find a new dentist, the filling replacement project had come to a screeching halt.

As scheduled, I returned to the endodontist in December of 2002 for the final check up and x-ray to see how the root had healed. The digital x-rays showed that it had healed completely, and the endodontist noted that the gum had healed very nicely, too - even without taking the antibiotics he insisted I needed. Great, now I can get back to removing the silver amalgams! But I still needed a dentist who was aware of the hazards of mercury poisoning and was equipped to remove them using the proper procedures. I started looking around using references such as the Holistic Dental Association, The Environmental Dental Association, and the Foundation for Toxic Free Dentistry. I found a dentist nearby in Studio City and after meeting with her for a consultation in early January of 2003, I knew that she would be a good choice because she was very specific about how the silver amalgam removal process should be done. Not only was she aware of the health issues associated with this type of filling, she informed me that she does not use them in her practice! We went ahead and made a list of the work that I needed done, and then she told me that I also needed to have my teeth cleaned - not just a regular cleaning but a root planing and scaling to help the gingivitis, followed by a year of periodontal cleanings every three months. The what? What? Not that I didn't know what that was, I was shocked! There had been no mention of gingivitis from my former dentist, and this is not something that happens overnight - it takes years. Apparently almost every adult over 30 has a certain degree of gingivitis, mostly due to improper and/or irregular flossing during their lifetime. Contrary to popular belief, brushing your teeth does not clean the areas that are the most important for gum health. Only proper flossing can get rid of the small particles of food that are around and below the gum line, where they decay and create the perfect environment for bacteria growth which causes plaque, root decay, and halitosis (bad breath).

I also learned that brushing your teeth with a standard tooth brush may wreak more havoc on your gums due to their very abrasive bristles that can cause gum recession from brushing too hard over an extended period of time, like 20 or so years. You may be surprised to find out that if you're using more pressure than is required to hold a pencil, it's too much even with a "soft" tooth brush (which by the way is the only type you should use if you are still using a standard tooth brush). The dentist told me that there is a 1 - 10 rating scale for the abrasiveness of tooth brushes, 1 being least abrasive and 10 most abrasive. She stated that a standard tooth brush with a "soft" head is rated a 7, and that was what I was using. The dentist suggested that I switch to the Rota-Dent tooth brush, a professionally designed power tooth brush that has interchangeable heads in different shapes for individual needs. What their brush heads have in common is that their bristles are all rated either 1 or 2! The Rota-Dent comes with a round, flat head that's shaped like the rubber one they use when they polish your teeth, and a cone shaped, slightly pointed head that cleans between teeth and around the gum line. The dentist explained that because the bristles are so soft and pliable, they actually go slightly below the gum line for more effective cleaning. While it was impressive, so was the $150 price tag.

If that wasn't enough, the dentist then began to discuss tooth pastes with me. I had already told her that I do not use any tooth pastes that contain fluoride or sodium laurel sulfate, so she asked what I was using. When I told her I used a tooth paste that was made with essential oils in a baking soda and vegetable glycerin base she promptly informed me that baking soda is very abrasive and contributes to the erosion of dental enamel in adults! Since baking soda tooth pastes have been on the market, the number of adults with tooth sensitivity due to enamel erosion has risen dramatically, and she feels that there is a direct connection between the two. I believe that she is probably right; however her suggestion to find another tooth paste was disheartening because I had already gone through this once. The product I was using was the only one I had been able to find that did not contain any of the harmful chemicals that I refuse to put in my mouth now that I know the amount of damage they can do. At that point, between the bad news and more bad news, I had had enough. She had just laid out a year and half or so of dental work that was going to cost about $5,000, not including the $150 Rota-Dent tooth brush. It was time to go home, mull everything over, and come up with a game plan.

It took me a few days to get over the fear of the task at hand and come to terms with the amount of time (and money) that I would be spending in the dentists' office over the next 16 - 18 months. I managed to alleviate my concerns and justify the expense with the fact that if this work was not done the chances of being a toothless old lady were pretty damned good. That was a very scary thought for someone who has had nice teeth up until now, but it was all that I needed to get me to call and schedule the first few appointments which would include the root planing and scaling and the removal of the remaining four silver amalgams over the next six months. I had also done my own research on the Rota-Dent tooth brush and decided to purchase it when I went in for the root planing and scaling, which was scheduled for late-February, 2003. All I had to do now was to find a tooth paste that did not contain baking soda, calcium carbonate, sodium laurel sulfate, fluoride, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors…

After spending a lot of time reading the ingredients on every tooth paste tube in every health food and whole food store in my area, I did not find one product that fit the stringent requirements I had set for myself. So, it was back to the think tank for a new strategy on how to resolve the tooth paste dilemma. I started reading through the posts at a couple of aromatherapy groups that I belong to looking for threads about gingivitis. I happened upon a post by one user that included an essential oil blend with the comment that it had improved her gums so much that she did not have to have the gum surgery her dentist had recommended six months ago, and she noted that her dentist was "astonished" at the improvement in her gums! It was particularly interesting to discover that the oils in this blend (which includes tea tree, myrrh, and cardamom) have properties that also addressed plaque buildup and the elimination of harmful bacteria. Armed with this information, I decided to mix up a batch and begin using this essential oil blend in place of tooth paste during the next few months.

The root planing and scaling was done as scheduled in late-February of 2003, and I also purchased the Rota-Dent tooth brush which I began using with the tooth oil blend. Thankfully the planing and scaling procedure was not as bad as some had made it out to be. These days a local anesthetic is given before the procedure to minimize pain and they have a new power scraping tool that makes the process much faster. The worst part about it is that it is a two part process, with a minimum of two weeks of healing time in between. Just when you are over the discomfort and are able to eat again, it's time to go back to do the other half! I was fortunate that the gums healed in time to keep me on schedule for the two amalgam removal sessions that were scheduled for May and July of 2003, and three more periodontal cleanings scheduled over the next 10 months.

Fast forward to January of 2004. I am completely free of silver amalgams and go in for another cleaning. It's been about 10 months since I started using the Rota-Dent tooth brush and the essential oil tooth blend, and, according to the hygienist, I have made big improvements in my overall gum health! The hygienist said that I still need to practice flossing (more "hugging" of the floss around the bottom of each tooth, not just up and down in between teeth), but there was definitely a noticeable improvement in the color of the gums and tightness around the teeth. I've also figured out that the tooth oil blend makes a great bacteria killing mouthwash when mixed with water, thereby eliminating yet one more product from my ever-shrinking shopping list!

Oh, and by the way, the Rota-Dent tooth brush was worth every penny I paid for it. While it does not eliminate the need to floss, it does make flossing a lot easier and less time consuming for me since it is quite effective at removing most of the food that collects around and below the gum line. I can't express how much cleaner my teeth and gums feel since I've been using the Rota-Dent brush with the tooth oil instead of a regular tooth brush and paste, but the hygienists' positive reviews over the past few months says it all!