I've been reading some old threads and came across some from people getting their mercury fillings taken out. I think Erin said she had many of these and was in the process? If you get your fillings taken out please go to a dentist that practices biological dentistry.

I tried to include a link but I've only posted twice in the past so the system wouldn't let me. Go the website of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology. Under featured articles click on "safe removal of amalgam fillings."

I am having fillings taken out right now as a matter of fact in a way that prevents more mercury exposure. Even if we are not sure there is a connection between mercury fillings and MS we should get them taken out safely. Even if we think they can just be drilled out normally, better safe than sorry, don't you think? If you read the above article you will see there are numerous special steps to take--not all dentists follow this protocol. I had to wear an oxgygen mask/hose to prevent me from breathing in the fumes as they drilled the filling. They also put a rubber "dam" over the tooth to protect the skin from soaking up mercury fumes and did other things as well.

Natalie

yep, I'm in the process. I had 3 of my fillings removed and replaced with composite filling about a week and a half ago.

She didnt use a dental dam (they were upper teeth...) but she had this big suction thing I think got most of the crap they were digging out. (there were also two of the handheld suction things going in my mouth too...felt like I was being Hoovered.)

I have been sick since about that day, but I was already having symptoms of an infection before I had the work done, so I think it may be coincidental that I was so sick after having those amalgams removed.

I'm having the teeth that were in the worst shape fixed first. Those upper teeth were seriously infected, and one was in imminent danger of totally falling apart. The amalgam had actually probably cracked my teeth the day(s) they were filled all those years ago. (amalgam cracks teeth as it's being put into the teeth, and it expands and contracts with hot and cold temperatures, so it's been damaging my teeth for years)

The next set of teeth, three lower teeth on the same side of my mouth as the last batch (the right side) are probably going to get the amalgam removed sometime this summer. I'm not really all that eager to experience the dental work again, much less 3 more times.

I had such a bad infection that I think I was probably in more danger from that infection that I would have been from any mercury accidentally getting into my system from the removal...and I think the infection was probably what was making me feverish for the past several weeks. It definately was the cause of the psuedo-ex that I've been recovering from the past two weeks.

The next time (and probably forever after this) I'll be asking for antibiotics to take BEFORE I go for any dental work. My mom has to do this because she'd had a knee replacement, and now has to have abx's before any dental work or surgery she may have in the future. My dad needs to do it too because of his heart problem.

I'm guessing after this experience, I wont have a problem getting some abx's before any future dental work. My regular doctor is the one who actually gave me the Omnicef this time. My dentist didnt give me a very strong Rx (Keflex, low dosage) and I could tell my fever and infection was getting worse before I got the Omnicef from my regular doctor. (went to see him just in case it wasnt a dental infection...I also had something infected in my lymph nodes in my throat)

I really do think that my avoiding dentists for the past four years might be what triggered my MS a few years ago. My teeth had gotten to a point where I think they were making me sick and lowering my immune system.

I'm not sure I'd suggest anyone having their amalgams removed if their teeth were healthy and not all crappy like mine are (born with soft teeth, no matter what I do, I get cavities really easy) It's a big job to have three teeth drilled into all at once. It's kind of traumatic...It sucked a lot of energy out of me that day, and then I started getting the fever either the next day or day after that. I think some of the infection in my teeth had somehow gotten into my system. My regular doctor told me that he thought I had some sort of systemic infection going on.

Hopefully once all my teeth are fixed up and are more healthy than they are now, I wont be having so many colds and weird infections so often. I just hope I dont end up like my uncle did in the mid 90s. He had the same soft teeth, and his had gotten so bad that he went in and had all of his teeth removed and got dentures. That was about the time he got some sort of infection that attacked his heart and left him with 6% of his heart function. He died waiting for a transplant. My aunt (a heart transplant nurse and his wife) thinks that it's all connected to the health of his teeth, and that they probably released a nasty infection into his system when he had his dental work done.

What scared me after my dental work, was that my new dentist told me that she could tell they were really high mercury fillings by the way the amalgams looked as she was drilling them out of my mouth, and also by way that my teeth looked when the fillings were still in the tooth. (dark and discolored)

Once I got the composite in those three teeth, they were white and shiny again. (too bad they're back teeth and people cant see them, dentist said they were beautiful)

My concern is more about the nickel found in caps, crowns, bridges, etc. That's supposed to be more dangerous then the mercury found in fillings.

Cherie