Holistic Dentistry NJ

Many patients have heard the term “ mercury toxicity ” associated with fillings but still have many questions about it: what is it, am I affected by it, and what can be done to remediate it? Fillings are made of a substance called dental amalgam. This is a mixture of metals, consisting primarily of mercury. Mercury amalgam has been used as a dental filling material around the world since ancient times and in the United States for nearly 200 years. Mercury toxicity , also called mercury poisoning, is caused by a high level of mercury in the body. The presence of mercury has been shown to cause wide range of chronic and acute health problems affecting all major systems in the body; neurological, gastrointestinal, immune, and cardiovascular problems have been attributed to mercury toxicity, as has damage to major organs such as the liver, kidneys, and lungs. The question of whether or not mercury amalgam fillings contribute to mercury exposure is hotly debated. Many dentists bel...

Childhood, when permanent (“adult”) teeth began to grow, is the best time to teach youngsters good oral hygiene habits and how to make wise nutritional choices. By learning how to prevent compromising the enamel, the hard substance that covers teeth, children can minimize and perhaps prevent the dental problems that plague many adults. To this day, there is disagreement in the dental community about the precise cause of tooth decay. The most widely accepted theory is that decay is a local phenomenon caused when mouth bacteria consume sugar and excrete acid, which begins to decay enamel. Some studies have demonstrated that certain foods, medical conditions, and bacteria can initiate decay; other studies assert that, although those factors may start the decay process, they do not contribute the formation of cavities. Pediatric tooth decay is on the rise. Some research suggests that systemic causes—including radiation exposure, hormonal abnormalities, and foreign proteins in food—ar...