I went to see a dentist for a cleaning and checkup in Japan since the medical cost here is very inexpensive. There are many dentists in my neighborhood, but not any good ones . So, I went to the one my mother goes to across town, but was so disappointed. I believe that the way they clean teeth might be different depending on the clinic. At this dentist, the hygienist didn’t do an X-ray and instead took photos of my teeth. Rather than using a scaler (aka metal pick) to remove the plaque and tartar, the hygienist used only a water jet. Many people don’t like the scaler, but I love the scraping noises because I feel my teeth are getting clean. Also the dentist recommended that I come back to fix a filling since the tooth filling is a bit darker. The dentist said it may or may not be a cavity but it is good to fix it. I wasn’t happy about what the dentist said. Why did the dentist recommend fixing a filling requiring dental anesthesia even if they don’t know if I have cavity or not? So, I decided to cancel the appointment a few days later.
Because of the type of insurance I had or for some other reason, I felt this clinic was just focusing on making money instead of dental health. I checked an online review site to see what other people have said about this dentist. Many say that the clinic is clean and the staff is kind. They don’t talk anything about the treatment. I don’t know why people think that cleanliness and kindness are important features of dentist office. Maybe they should also focus on treatment.
I believe that Japanese conception about teeth is very low compared to people in the US. Including my parents, many Japanese have poor tooth aliment, and their teeth are covered with many silver and/or gold fillings. Silver fillings are normally used with amalgam, which contains 50 % mercury, the most toxic metal known to humans. However, what you may not know is that mercury continuously bleeds from these fillings, and as time goes on, will poison your system. One FDA report states: “The average filling has 1 gram of mercury and leaks mercury vapor continuously due to mercury’s low vapor pressure along with loss due to galvanic action of mercury with dissimilar metals in the mouth, resulting in significant exposure for most [people] with amalgam fillings.” Then what happens after having amalgam fillings? Some of the many possible symptoms of mercury poisoning from amalgam fillings include:
- Emotional instability
- Loss of appetite
- General weakness
- Fatigue
- Skin changes
- Cardiovascular problems
- Endocrine disruptions
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Immune system impairment
- Hearing loss
- Psychological issues and mood changes like depression and nervousness
- Respiratory problems
- Tremors
- Weight loss
As you can see, the amalgam fillings affect different parts of your body, but mercury poison is known as a neurotoxin. Children, the fetuses of pregnant women, hypersensitive individuals, and people with kidney impairments – are known to be particularly susceptible to the neurotoxic effects of dental mercury. If you have a mouth full of (or even just a few) amalgam fillings, I urge you to look into having them safely removed. However, you need to see a dentist who can properly remove amalgam fillings, ideally a holistic dentist who understands safe removal, nutritional support and detoxification from mercury exposure.
Sources:
https://eiyouryouhou.jp/treatment-plan/symptom
https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/big-fat-fix-review-must-watch-movie/#
http://www.toxicteeth.org/mercuryFillings.aspx
Your Body, Your Health, Your Life 