[Gill]

We got the results yesterday, Will get the check up done from the Specialist.The Doc we consulted was a family friend not a specialist as such, No treatment plan was prescribed by her.

[TheOne®]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Surprise, this is quite an old controversy now...

The main thing that you should be aware of is that, if you choose to have your mercury-based fillings removed, the removal will release more mercury into your system than years of leaving them undisturbed. My guess would be that, after such a long time, they are probably pretty stable by now, and best left as they are, until failure or some other treatment means they need replacing.

Originally Posted by Tejas@perioimpl

Answered perfectly by Thad:

Unless you fracture the filling or there is secondary decay below the filling, don't bother to remove it. Just don't get any new ones done.

Your dentist needs to have a high vac suction while drilling into amalgam which will suck the mercury vapor preventing harm to you but spilling all of it into the drainage and eventually into the sea. And so the cycle begins.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I am really not an expert, but think of a piece of wooden furniture that you have had for years. You don't expect to get new-wood smells, like sap and resin, from, it, do you? But take a saw to it, and expose the wood you never see, and it will look like it just came from the timber yard! This is not only part of the magic of wood as a material, but an analogy for our mercury fillings. The "loose" mercury near the surface has gone, and negligible amounts are being given off, but if you cut into it, fresh "metal" is exposed. The fact that the tools your dentist is using are drilling and grinding that material mean that dust is being released, some of which may be inhaled, some of which may be swallowed --- but I think that the greatest danger is thought to be from the vapour released bythe friction, which can be inhaled and absorbed into the blood.

Actually, someone once told me (hearsay warning!) that swallowing mercury is actually not that dangerous, as, in metal form, it is not much absorbed by the digestive tract. I'm not trying it!

Quite interesting to find all this here. Maybe a little too late for me

I too believe in the harm of mercury due to various discussions and debates with doctors etc. Unfortunately, when I was between 11 - 14 years old I didn't really take good care of my teeth and had to get quite a few fillings. At that time, most of the dentists opted for amalgam. So no surprise: I have quite a few grey-silver spots in the back of my mouth, still by today.

It is bothering me for years now, more so with the rise of public debates and upcoming doubts about amalgam. I brought the topic up with my German dentist quite a few times, asking him to replace the amalgam fillings with ceramic ones. He never full-heartedly agreed, saying that amalgam holds much better etc. and unless there are no damages I should just leave them.

However, about 2 years ago he found some cavity underneath one of these amalgam fillings. It had to be removed. As far as I could experience, no special care was taken, the process was the usual. I thought that maybe I fussed too much about all this (though I too had heard about special removal procedures), after all the dentists should know. In any case, I fell sick the same day and it took me about 3 days to recover. Coincidence? Maybe I thought. I brushed it off.

I now have just recently visited a dentist in Bombay, as I had trouble with one of my teeth and needed a cap (something I was aware of for some while already and which was foreseen by my German dentist already). I went for treatment - again, it hit one of those teeth with amalgam filling. Again, no special care, as described by Thad for example, was been taken as far as I could make out. Normal procedure in my opinion.

I felt ill in the evening and for the next two days. Nothing too serious that I couldn't leave the house but just some general state with muscles aching, headaches and so on. Coincidence? Not so much convinced anymore, on the contrary. Especially after reading these posts here.

In the course of the renewal of my cap, my dentist discovered a cracked old filling which I was not aware of. Amalgam again! While I am happy that I can get rid of it (these fillings are all from these long long times ago) I now begin to doubt normal removal procedures for amalgam fillings even more than before.

My question: how to actually find a dentist who specializes in removing amalgam fillings or what to tell your dentist when the need comes up?

[esteem_lover]

Add me to the ignorant list. My fillings dislodged a year back & I just got my filling done. All the amalgam was cleaned off inside my mouth.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

Originally Posted by TheOne®

My question: how to actually find a dentist who specializes in removing amalgam fillings or what to tell your dentist when the need comes up?

There is no dentist that actually "specializes" in removing amalgam. It's just common sense and following of certain protocols that's required.

Ask the dentist to keep you in sitting position while drilling, use a brand new bur, & position the high vac suction strategically. You should breathe through your nose while the procedure is being carried out and rinse very very very thoroughly many times after. The dentist should wash away the fine dust that coats the oral mucous membrane after drilling with a air-water jet.

[Thad E Ginathom]

By specialist, maybe I mean somebody who appreciates the risk.

The last time I looked, there are still plenty of dentists in UK happily using mercury and claiming it to be just fine.

[NK@Hyd]

Hi Guys,

Any general physicians here?

My left index finger was badly cut today by the edge
of a power rack at the gym.

The local doc. dropped some liquid onto the bleeding portion
(hydrogen peroxide?) and applied some lotion to it. He also
gave two injections: an antibiotic (if I remember correctly)
and an anti-inflammatory analgesic. When I asked about
anti-tetanus, he said that the two he injected would do the job
and asked me to come tomorrow and day after for administering
the two injections again.

Just wanted to confirm this with the docs here, since I thought just
an anti-tetanus alone would have been fine.

Also, he charged Rs. 100 for each injection, apart from his consultation charges. Are these injections so costly?

Thanks!

[abhishek_bmw]

NK@Hyd : As a Surgeon am giving you the answers:

1)The liquid was probably Betadine (if brown coloured) or was some disinfective or some solutions those used for stopping the active bleeding (if colourless or lightly coloured)
2)Whether Tetglob or Tetvac or both or none is/are requried is depending oupon your tetanus immunization status and nature of the wound.
3)If there is anticipated chance of infection,prophylactic antibiotics (more than one antibiotic may be requried) must be given apart from tetanus immunization.
4)IV/IM antibiotic injections are very costly.Rs.100 per vial is not very much costly if you compare with widely used antibiotics in Surgical ward.

Whether He did right or wrong I cant say here-it is unethical.But,its better for you to consult an M.S. General Surgeon as soon as possible to judge whether the cut need special attention (as you are taking IM antibiotics and IM analgesics) and take 1 amp. of tetvac NOW if YOU HAVE NOT TAKEN ANY TETVAC INJECTION WITHIN PAST 3 YEARS after previous complete tetanus immunization.

[shantyrocks]

guys...
silver amalgam is still the most preferred filling material.
dont worry about anything.Its just that the excess mercury which comes to the surface while carving after a filling is done should be carefully blotted away by the dentist using a cotton.
silver amalgam has better strength than any of the aesthetic fillings and better retentive characteristics.
post filling sensitivity is a common problem with aesthetic fiilings(composite)

My dad has a couple of silver fillings done whrn he was 12-13 yrs old.now he is 68 and absolutely no problems with those fillings.

@theOne : yours feeling sick after the removal of silver fillings is purely co-incidental and ha nothing to do with mercury

[Thad E Ginathom]

guys...
silver amalgam is still the most preferred filling material.
dont worry about anything

Sorry, but we do, will continue to do, and will continue to recommend people not to have new fillings of this material. In fact, I think you will find many dentists who now don't want to have anything to do with it.

You might just as well tell us that many survive long lives of smoking and drinking, which would be true, but...

[NK@Hyd]

Originally Posted by abhishek_bmw

NK@Hyd : As a Surgeon am giving you the answers:

1)The liquid was probably Betadine (if brown coloured) or was some disinfective or some solutions those used for stopping the active bleeding (if colourless or lightly coloured)
2)Whether Tetglob or Tetvac or both or none is/are requried is depending oupon your tetanus immunization status and nature of the wound.
3)If there is anticipated chance of infection,prophylactic antibiotics (more than one antibiotic may be requried) must be given apart from tetanus immunization.
4)IV/IM antibiotic injections are very costly.Rs.100 per vial is not very much costly if you compare with widely used antibiotics in Surgical ward.

Whether He did right or wrong I cant say here-it is unethical.But,its better for you to consult an M.S. General Surgeon as soon as possible to judge whether the cut need special attention (as you are taking IM antibiotics and IM analgesics) and take 1 amp. of tetvac NOW if YOU HAVE NOT TAKEN ANY TETVAC INJECTION WITHIN PAST 3 YEARS after previous complete tetanus immunization.

Thanks Abhishek. Really appreciate your response.

I don't remember undergoing a tetanus immunization
for a long time, so will consult a General Surgeon tomorrow.

[anandkumargb]

@ Tejas -

Would request your advice on my below problems

1) Had a RC done (2003) on Lower right penultimate molar, Probably was, it not done right, I was getting swelling like a bulb/ Pulp on the gum below. Later another doc told me that RC was not properly and extracted that molar and put in a 3 tooth coloured cap (in 2007) on 3 teeth namely 1) affected molar 2) last molar (was grinded) 3) tooth in front (was also grinded) of the affected one. Now I see that there is a big dot (or is it that tooth color has eroded and metal is seeing, not sure) on the last molar. There is no pain, but there is a nig dot. What do I do?

2) In upper right last molar, I had a silver filling done and on the edge it has chipped a bit. The problem is that there is gap between this tooth and the one front of it. Food particles get stuck there, other day the tooth in front of the last molar was paining a bit, the upper gum of this tooth has also shrunk a bit and it pains only in the shrunken part a bit when I use a strong tooth taste. What do I do?

Thanks

[shantyrocks]

Originally Posted by anandkumargb

@ Tejas -

Would request your advice on my below problems

1) Had a RC done (2003) on Lower right penultimate molar, Probably was, it not done right, I was getting swelling like a bulb/ Pulp on the gum below. Later another doc told me that RC was not properly and extracted that molar and put in a 3 tooth coloured cap (in 2007) on 3 teeth namely 1) affected molar 2) last molar (was grinded) 3) tooth in front (was also grinded) of the affected one. Now I see that there is a big dot (or is it that tooth color has eroded and metal is seeing, not sure) on the last molar. There is no pain, but there is a nig dot. What do I do?

2) In upper right last molar, I had a silver filling done and on the edge it has chipped a bit. The problem is that there is gap between this tooth and the one front of it. Food particles get stuck there, other day the tooth in front of the last molar was paining a bit, the upper gum of this tooth has also shrunk a bit and it pains only in the shrunken part a bit when I use a strong tooth taste. What do I do?

Thanks

hi anand

1) please do not worry about the dot.In all probability the ceramic is eroded a bit and the metal inside is showing.If at all the bridge comes out sometime just take it to youe dentist and he will repair it for you and fit it back.

2) you are suferring from gum recession and the exposed root surface is causing sensitivity.you can try any anti sensitivity tooth pastes like thermoseal-ra or sensikure-k etc. apply with finger on the exposed surface ,keep for 5 mins and rinse it off,twice daily for a month atleast.
If the sensitivity doesnt go away you might need a filling.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by TheOne®

...amalgam fillings. It had to be removed. ...no special care was taken
I fell sick the same day and it took me about 3 days to recover.

...amalgam filling. Again, no special care...
I felt ill in the evening and for the next two days. Nothing too serious that I couldn't leave the house but just some general state with muscles aching, headaches and so on.

As far back as 1991, WHO documented an increased accumulation of mercury in the bodies of people with silver amalgam restorations in their teeth; research on this has been in progress since the 1950s, but the findings have not been absolutely conclusive enough to ban the use of this material in dentistry.

Non-specific symptoms like you report have been found in many people after removal of amalgam fillings, and even soon after placement of fillings; and there are also reports of no problems in studies involving very large series of cases!

Since the results of a few hundred (thousand?) studies over the last 50 or more years do not coorelate each other as to the side-effects and toxic effects of mercury that a person acquires through the silver amalgam material used to do these restorations, we continue not to ban it, mainly because it is a highly cost-effective material, and great for really cheap fillings where the dentist's technical excellence and armentarium are not too great.

But we do know that mercury does accumulate in the body because of this, and any little bit of mercury stays back in the body for life, is never excreted out, and bit by bit the stock of mercury can add up, to lead to toxicity at some point of time. So most of us who can afford it, avoid it. My wife and I, for instance, haven't done a single silver amalgam filling in the last 12 years.

Originally Posted by shantyrocks

dont worry about anything.

You as a dentist would do well to worry more about the toxic effects of mercury since you handle it before amalgamation, day in and day out, as well as store the stuff in your workplace, where the vapours persist in the atmosphere after evaporation. As to the folks you and I treat, they have enough access to enough literature on the topic in all kinds of media, for them to genuinely worry. And as for us, if giving them the option of a mercury-free restoration reduces their worries, we will have done our duty towards them.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Sorry, but we do, will continue to do, and will continue to recommend people not to have new fillings of this material. In fact, I think you will find many dentists who now don't want to have anything to do with it.

You might just as well tell us that many survive long lives of smoking and drinking, which would be true, but...

[abhishek_bmw]

@ NK@Hyd :Welcome.
HAVE YOUR T.T AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.YOU ARE IN DANGER.GET THE T.T. BEFORE CONSULTING SURGEON (to save time).

[anandkumargb]

Originally Posted by shantyrocks

hi anand

1) please do not worry about the dot.In all probability the ceramic is eroded a bit and the metal inside is showing.If at all the bridge comes out sometime just take it to youe dentist and he will repair it for you and fit it back.

2) you are suferring from gum recession and the exposed root surface is causing sensitivity.you can try any anti sensitivity tooth pastes like thermoseal-ra or sensikure-k etc. apply with finger on the exposed surface ,keep for 5 mins and rinse it off,twice daily for a month atleast.
If the sensitivity doesnt go away you might need a filling.

1) Will do. Thanks a ton for your advice! Shantyrocks

2) The tooth paste thermoseal-ra or sensikure-k would be to reduce the sensitivity. Would I need to do something about the shrinking gum prob?
Should I live with the gap for some more time?

Thanks again! Really appreciate you guys for this valuable advice!!!