Cavities and children

[daddycat]

We went to one dentist yesterday for a consult. The dentist wanted x-rays of the entire mouth, not just the sides with cavities, so that was a red flag for me. She also assumed she was going to use sedation like gas, oral, or IV, so that was another flag for me. She recommended fluoride, but I've come to expect that from all dentists.

We are going to another dentist tomorrow for a consult. But yesterday's visit was discouraging. It made it seem dentists must have x-rays of cavity areas before they do the work.

Does anyone know a good pediatric dentist in southern California? Thanks.

 

[mcb]

We went to one dentist yesterday for a consult. The dentist wanted x-rays of the entire mouth, not just the sides with cavities, so that was a red flag for me. She also assumed she was going to use sedation like gas, oral, or IV, so that was another flag for me. She recommended fluoride, but I've come to expect that from all dentists.

We are going to another dentist tomorrow for a consult. But yesterday's visit was discouraging. It made it seem dentists must have x-rays of cavity areas before they do the work.

Does anyone know a good pediatric dentist in southern California? Thanks.

There has GOT to be one somewhere in that area although no, I don't know of one. If by "good" you mean one with extended training beyond the standard dental school view of the world, there is an organization that certifies "biological" dentists ("certified" does not always mean that they practice accordingly) that I can dig out if you would like. It has come up in several podcasts and online conference presentations (in audio, that is), but I have not seen the name in writing and I therefore don't remember it.

What is best, I think, is to try to be attuned yourself to whatever information is available that might apply to your specific situation.

If I haven't mentioned it already, there's a podcast or two about dentistry at http://www.dramymyers.com/ that might prove informative (and they're free!). Of course it's important to weigh everything against the available information, and I can't point to any one source as "good."

 

[Gaby]

If by "good" you mean one with extended training beyond the standard dental school view of the world, there is an organization that certifies "biological" dentists ("certified" does not always mean that they practice accordingly) that I can dig out if you would like. It has come up in several podcasts and online conference presentations (in audio, that is), but I have not seen the name in writing and I therefore don't remember it.

This one comes to mind:

_http://iaomt.org/

the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology has grown to over 700 active members in North America, with affiliated chapters in fourteen other countries. The years have been very fruitful, as the Academy and its members have chronicled and promoted the research that has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that dental amalgam is a source of significant mercury exposure, and a hazard to health. It has taken the lead in educating dentists and allied professionals in the methods of safely dealing with amalgam fillings, and safely disposing the waste. It has also led the way in developing more biocompatible approaches in other areas of dentistry, including endodontics, periodontics, and disease prevention. All this while maintaining the motto, “Show me the science!”

Well, at least they are the ones who promote biological techniques and safe removal of mercury fillings. There might be other holistic organizations.

 

[Olesya]

Here is the list of biological dentists _http://www.talkinternational.com/holistic-dentists/biological-dentist-california.html. Not all of them will take children as patients. You need to call to make sure. We chose this doctor _http://www.sarkissiandds.com/ You might also google for "holistic dentists'. Good luck :)

 

[daddycat]

Thank you, thank you, I wish I had asked for a dentist recommendation right at the beginning. I looked at talkinternational and iaomt, and I will be making consultation appointments with 2 accredited dentists to choose between them, not only for my child but also for myself to remove mercury fillings.

I listened to the podcast at Dr. Myers site. http://www.dramymyers.com/2013/07/08/tmw-episode-12-biological-dentistry-with-stuart-nunnally-dds/
Very good information, I recommend listening to it for basic must know dental information.

There is the general pattern out there, that conventional wisdom has it dangerously wrong, while small, hard-to-locate groups methodically discovered the truth.

 

[mcb]

Even the biological dentists differ among themselves about details, and I am not certain how important some of the issues are. They back their statements with with evidence, however, which is hard to ignore.

Much about biological dentistry seems to trace back to Hal Huggins. That's OK, but if anything turns out to be "off" about what he says, it could impact the entire movement. So, as always, a certain level of caution is in order.

Given that anything your local conventional dentist says is likely to be heavily influenced by the American Dental Association, and much is "off" about what they say, I think taking a chance on biological dentistry is worth the risk. Do be careful, however, about the individual providers. Fraud is a very definite risk, along with incompetence, and it is a good idea to learn about it yourself first and to quiz them to learn about their approach.

 

[daddycat]

One biological dentist that I want to make an appointment with is the director of talkinternational, accredited by iaomt, and a professor, so I hope the risk of fraud or incompetence is low. The other that I've just made an appointment with is accredited by iaomt, and the consultation is free. Neither are pediatric specialists, so I'll have to see how they are with my child.

So I will need to find out their positions on x-rays, fluoride, and silver removal procedures.

 

[daddycat]

The biological dentist that I really wanted my child to see doesn't see young children. We consulted the other biological dentist, and I was unimpressed that he uses film x-rays which have a much higher radiation dose. So we settled on the pediatric specialist we had previously seen, who respects our position of no fluoride and does not use mercury fillings in the office. However, it was still good that I was present and vigilant, as the assistant who did one digital xray on each side wanted to redo one that may not have gotten as much as she would have liked. I put a stop to that, and the dentist didn't see a problem with the xray that was taken.

I made an appointment myself with the biological dentist who is director of talkinternational, and I was blown away. Within a few seconds of meeting face to face, he could see the stress in me and pressure points in the neck and shoulders that were holding the stress. He was surprised that the stress released quickly, and asked if I was doing yoga. I said no, and simply said I am supposed to do breathing exercises twice a week. He said I was releasing stress much more than the initial immediate impression.

It was really interesting that he said I was programmed before birth to have a certain tooth condition (that he had never seen in decades of practice) that serves as a block on my creativity and a source of stress that radiates from my head to the rest of my body. The condition is on one side of my body, and after he made the observation, I commented that I sometimes have back pain on that side of the body. I only wish he performed the work himself. Instead he has an associate dentist and assistants do all the work. I overheard the associate dentist present treatment options to a patient that included root canal, and I was unimpressed that she did not explain that a root canal results in a dead tooth that harbors bacteria and viruses. It seems he does the initial evaluation and develops the course of treatment. I am having all my mercury fillings removed with this office.