No one EVER told me.... - Dental Health Message Board

Merrida · 02-22-2003, 11:41 AM

In all my years, no professional, dental or medical, ever told me about the connection between the health of my mouth and my heart health, or full body health.

Not one dentist ever explained to me that effects of bacterial, or dental decay, or possible negative effects of novocaine injections, nerve damage, TMJ,... no one ever explained the connection between my top teeth, my sinuses and my brain, and how all of this stuff is connected!

They leave us in the dark, they invade our bodies and they never explain the long term ramifications or connections!

kvanrijn · 02-22-2003, 04:16 PM

Hi Merrida

I'm used to seeing your posts on the back problems board! You are so right about this dental thing, no one ever told me. In fact, I'm not sure a dentist has mentioned it to me yet! I learned about the connections between dental problems and other health problems on my own.

But I must say, in some slight defense of dentists, that I think the connection between dental problems and other health problems is something they have discovered only fairly recently (last 10 or 15 years maybe). So older dentists may not have been taught about this.

Still I think they (the dental profession) needs to do a better job of informing the public about these issues

And I think we need a system in this country that allows everyone access to affordable medical, dental and eye care and treatment

God bless

Kim

rhody · 02-22-2003, 09:25 PM

Of course a lot of people know how I feel about dental amalgams also, as it affected me so deeply. Very few dentists tell us that 50% of these dental amalgams contain mercury and that they constantly leak and accumulate in our bodies either. Calling them "safe" and "silver fillings" further hides us from the truth. I believe in California, a law has changed that somewhat, but I don't remember the details.

Other issues such as root canals, seem to affect severely the health of others. I'm glad to have read about this here, and other places so that I now know....

Why the silence from the dental community (speaking so in general) of the poisons like mercury that we receive? What warnings are we given about possible infections or problems that can develop from some dental work, so that we can make informed choices? Have any of you been warned from your dentist of some of these consequences? I've only learned this on my own (outside the dental community), by reading books, the internet, and from personal experience.

RubyD · 02-22-2003, 09:56 PM

I think warning means admitting, and admitting can lead to law suits.

I have a facial nerve disorder called trigeminal neuralgia. It started after my last batch of dental work, about when the novocaine wore off. Many people I know with this disorder had it start either the day of or within a few weeks of dental treatment. Yet doctors and dentists say there is no connection. I believe it is due to potential law suits.

Merrida, this has always bothered me to. And if you ask questions, you often receive a condescending attitude. Another thing that bothers me is that they never tell you that teeth with big fillings would need crowns in the future. Not only would this information probably have made me take better care of my teeth when I was younger, it would have left me better prepared for the situation I am in now. And it would have allowed me to make an informed decision when a tooth needed a second or third filling, or needed a broken filling replaced, to get a crown instead of shelling out $300 for a temporary fix.

Ugh!

Piperdreams · 02-24-2003, 08:42 AM

No dentist of mine mentioned dental sealants as a way of protecting teeth against bacteria and teeth decay. But they are really big on putting crowns which cost the patient big $$$.

Piper