I have some cavaties! advice, please

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SueKrum

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I was at the dentest yesterday to have a crown put back in my mouth after it fell off. my left front tooth of all places! Anyway, they did an oral exam and it seems that I have some cavaties. They do some kind of fancy shmancy white filling that, of course, my insurance does not pay for. It’s appairently the only filling they do. and of course, my dentel insurance is an HMO, so I’m stuck with this one, at least until January if I want to switch. so I get a whopping 25% discount, so each filling will only cost me $112 a pop:eek:

so here’s my delima. I can afford to get one of them done right now, but I’ll have to wait ont he others. there are four total. Any advice, besides the typical daily brushing and flossing that I can do to maybe help keep them from getting bad? I’m looking for some kind of natural remody. I realize that I can’t fix the cavaties, but I want to try and do damage controle because it may be at least six months before I can afford to get the other ones done.

Also, I heard that some fillings have heavy metels in them. is that true? what questions should I ask my dentest before I let him stuff my teeth with strainge elements from the pereodic table?
 
I think if you just make sure to brush after you eat or drink anything other than plain water, you’ll be fine for a few months. I’d also start using a fluoride rinse like ACT to strengthen the enamel surrounding the cavity. Especially at night.

I was advised to stay away from tartar control and whitening toothpastes as they’re a bit harsh on your tooth enamel. My dental hygienist told me to find plain old Crest toothpaste. This was after I had complained of some temperature sensitivity, and she explained to me about the tartar control and whitening products causing some people’s enamel to wear.

Cavities are small holes in the enamel that eventually erode through the tooth to reach the nerve. That’s when they cause a toothache. I think if you strengthen the enamel surrounding the cavity, and keep your teeth really clean, you should survive till you can afford having it filled. I’ll say a little prayer for you that you do!

Oh, and I’ve heard the heavy metal concerns are nothing to worry about. My dentist said the worst thing about them is that they’re somewhat soft, and that after years of chewing on top of them, eventually they get pressed down into the tooth and can crack the tooth open. That’s what happened to one of mine, and they replaced it with the pretty white filling they use now. The white porcelain they use now is much more durable.
 
thanks.

the white fillings are what they use at this office, so I guess there’s no heavy metal in them anyway, so I don’t have to worry about it at all.

I know what you mean about the whitening stuff. I use a fairly plain tooth paste.
 
IMO, dentists usually give bad advice IMO. Brushing and flossing don’t prevent cavities. If the enamel is already decayed, then bacteria can make matters worse, but cavities do not get started because of bacteria in the mouth. They get started from a diet that is too high in sugar, caffeine and phosphoric acid. The sugar and such cause problems from the inside out, not the outside in. So the first thing to do is to stay away from soda pop and sugary things completely. Don’t create new cavities. The second thing to do is to get the non-metal crowns as you are planning to do. The third thing to do is to get some nutrient dense foods in your diet, especially whole milk, homemade bone broths and dark leafy greens. Fluoride only makes the problem worse. And we have plenty of fluoride----more than we need anyway because it’s in our drinking water and every food that is given water to drink, whether of plant or animal origin. Everyone has bacteria in their mouths and in their gut. This is the way it must be in order for us to digest our food properly. The question is, who is in the majority? Good bacteria? Or bad bacteria? If there is too much bad bacteria (created by eating too many highly processed foods and such) then you will have problems, but if you have plenty of good bacteria in your mouth, the good bacteria will fight off the bad. It’s all just about what you put into your mouth.

True enough, I’m not a dentist, I don’t have a degree, but I have anecdotal evidence. 🙂 I have never had a cavity, but x-rays show that I’ve experienced some bone loss in my jaw over the years, and I’ve had some gingivitis and bleeding gums (due to too much sugar and especially soda, which I was hooked on for a while). Flossing exacerbates the bleeding. It does not make it stop bleeding, which is what my dentist said would happen. I flossed religiously for a long time and it never improved. Finally I stopped flossing and it healed. Go figger. Same goes for brushing. I have always brushed at least once a day, sometimes twice, yet I had bone loss and gingivitis…hmmm…I think that’s the case for most people too. Most people DO brush, and yet how many people do you know that have cavities? You’d think with all these fancy tooth care products we have now, we’d be almost completely rid of tooth decay, but in fact it has increased. Dental hygiene doesn’t solve the problem. Changing your diet does. George Washington has a very famous story about his teeth. He did everything that he possibly could for his teeth at the time, used the very best toothpastes and brushed very faithfully, yet everyone of his teeth fell out and he eventually had to have artificial teeth put in. He didn’t have access to all the junk we do nowadays, but there was enough to cause a problem. At the same time there are folks who live in remote parts of the world who have never eaten sugar or highly processed foods, but live totally off the land (they are very few in number now), and they don’t get cavities. Take a look here:

ppnf.org/catalog/ppnf/
 
I disagree with AnnaTherese.

Dentists have many years of school and know a lot. Why is it that so many people are willing to dis those who are educated? Anecdotal knowledge cannot take the place of 8 years of post high-school education. Listen to the professionals on this one. It could be a matter of life and death. (Endocarditis is caused by bacteria that get to the heart through the mouth.)

I have flossed faithfully since I was 20 (I’m 50 now). The dentist tells me my gums are in fantastic shape. I never bleed during cleanings, which I get every six months.

Good gums are incredibly important to keeping your teeth, and a good way to get good gums is flossing and massage.

I have a lot of problems with cavities, though. What my dentist says is that it’s probably heredity. I agree that staying away from soda helps, but many other foods that you eat, including milk, bread (whole grain, too), fruits, etc. contain sugars once they are broken down, and these sugars can hurt your teeth. You just can’t win if your genes are stacked against you. But you can put up a good fight.

Brushing and flossing are the best way to take care of your mouth. Just be consistent.
 
Just to clarify, one of the main contributors to that link I posted was a very famous dentist by the name of Weston A Price. I highly recommend you read a little of what he has to say before you dismiss everything I said. It’s not my advice. It’s his. It totally changed the way I look at toothbrushing and health in general. No more battles over toddler toothbrushing in our home. I still brush her teeth, but now if she puts up a huge fight, I don’t fight back. It just isn’t worth it. I make sure I offer her good foods and limit the bad stuff and brush daily if possible, but I don’t sweat it anymore.

Your genes aren’t stacked against you. If that were true, it would be a hopeless situation that you can’t do anything about. That’s basically putting the blame on God, isn’t it? He made you that way so you just have to suffer? Does that really make sense? Genes play a role in everything, but it is a very minor role. Our personal everyday choices, most especially what we choose to put into our bodies, play a much bigger role. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was discovered that our diet affects our genes, if we can damage chromosomes!! If we believe that, then there is hope for healing. We may have to make some difficult changes in our lives, but there is hope for healing. Isn’t that what God is all about? Changing our spirits to bring about healing? I firmly believe that it is God’s will for his people to be in good health. Yet we have free will and we can choose otherwise if we want to.
 
Have you checked into filing with the HMO to go out of network? If they do not have a provider who will provide normal service, if you read the small print and are ready to fight through the red tape - you might be able to go to another dentist who gives normal fillings.
 
Cat said:
I disagree with AnnaTherese.

Dentists have many years of school and know a lot. Why is it that so many people are willing to dis those who are educated? Anecdotal knowledge cannot take the place of 8 years of post high-school education. Listen to the professionals on this one. It could be a matter of life and death. (Endocarditis is caused by bacteria that get to the heart through the mouth.)

I have flossed faithfully since I was 20 (I’m 50 now). The dentist tells me my gums are in fantastic shape. I never bleed during cleanings, which I get every six months.

Good gums are incredibly important to keeping your teeth, and a good way to get good gums is flossing and massage.

I have a lot of problems with cavities, though. What my dentist says is that it’s probably heredity. I agree that staying away from soda helps, but many other foods that you eat, including milk, bread (whole grain, too), fruits, etc. contain sugars once they are broken down, and these sugars can hurt your teeth. You just can’t win if your genes are stacked against you. But you can put up a good fight.

Brushing and flossing are the best way to take care of your mouth. Just be consistent.
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I agree with you. Some people have softer enamel than others and all the brushing and proper eating is not going to change that. Call it heredity or whatever you like, but it happens. Plenty of foods contain sugar that do not even advertise to do so. Every dentist I ever went to, and I probably have been going longer than most of you, have told me that brushing and at least daily, but preferably twice, flossing, is essential to keep ones teeth. And the diseases that can be caused by bad teeth are not ones I want to fool around with.
 
AnnaTherese said:
Your genes aren’t stacked against you. If that were true, it would be a hopeless situation that you can’t do anything about. That’s basically putting the blame on God, isn’t it? He made you that way so you just have to suffer? Does that really make sense? Genes play a role in everything, but it is a very minor role. Our personal everyday choices, most especially what we choose to put into our bodies, play a much bigger role. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was discovered that our diet affects our genes, if we can damage chromosomes!! If we believe that, then there is hope for healing. We may have to make some difficult changes in our lives, but there is hope for healing. Isn’t that what God is all about? Changing our spirits to bring about healing? I firmly believe that it is God’s will for his people to be in good health. Yet we have free will and we can choose otherwise if we want to.
Click to expand...
Wow, I hope you’ve never said that to someone with a genetically inherited disease that’s beyond their control. Certainly there are certain diseases that each of us is more prone to due to genetics (diabetes, heart disease, cavaties, etc) that diet and exercise and even medicines can help control. However, even with excellent diet and exercise and meds, some people’s bodies cease to work properly–through no fault of their own or through no fault of God’s. Your attitude is a bit troubling. The best way to a healthy body is a healthy mouth and that includes brushing and flossing–nearly every dentist on the planet agrees with this and, no, it’s not a vast right wing (or left wing?) conspiracy. It’s called research.
merck.com/mmhe/sec08/ch114/ch114b.html

God bless,
Jennifer

PS to the OP, perhaps the dentist will let you make payments over time, I know ours does. Ask the billing dept if they can help you out…
 
I think this webstie will help! cleanwhiteteeth.com/
This is a dentist from our area, and her advice is aimed at keeping you out of the dentist’s chair. She gives regular lectures about her reccomendations, but her info is all there on the site.

Here reccommendation of xylitol products is backed up by mercola.com, my personal favorite alternative health website. Sounds like an ingrediant I would avoid, but its natural, and it corrects and improves the ph balance of your mouth, which is the key to cavity growth and all that other bad mouth stuff.

Dr. Phillips has a whole protocol, besides the xylitol, she reccomends. I do mean to follow the whole protocol myself eventually because it seems wise. But I do not have anything pressing so I haven’t started it yet. I know I would make sure I was doing all she said if I were in your shoes.

I think keeping the ph right in your mouth is really key. I confirms what I have read elsewhere, and it sure works for me. I never expected to have the least plaque ever after the longest break from a cleaning, just this year. I credit it to the xylitaol gum and mints I have been using the past year, after reading on Phillips site.

She sells the stuff on the site but you can likely get it locally if you prefer. I get my gum and mints from the local health food store.

Also I drink Miracle Greens regularly - that helps your ph. You might want to look into that. It helps my energy a lot. Other companies make a similar product which also probably is good (see what your local health food store sells).

My friend wrote this dentist (Dr. Ellie Phillips) with her dental questions and she wrote right back with detailed answers. So I reccommend emailing her your situation, and you’ll probaly get free personal professional advice!

Also here in Rochester we have a dental school, and people can go there for free, or almost free dental work. So maybe find out where the nearest dental school is to you, and that might be an option for you.

Here is some nice dental work (not sure what products were used):

…Apostolicnetwork.com is for sale - PerfectDomain.com
 
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