One of the key principles of holistic dentistry is material choice. For example, many materials a dentist uses contain a number of chemicals that can be harmful to health. In their dental form they are either benign or kept safe by the inclusion of a specific structure or form to keep them in check. That’s not something we want for you.
For example, certain composites used in fillings contain acrylate, aluminum, formaldehyde, hexane, hydroquinone, phenol, polyurethane, silane, strontium, toluene or xylene. Even the names aren’t pleasant! While aluminum is an amazingly useful metal, it doesn’t really belong in your mouth.
In dentistry, aluminum is used to prolong the life of the filling. It resists wear and allows the filling to last much longer than it might otherwise last. That’s a useful trait for a filling as you can imagine. However, in low quality fillings the aluminum can leak out over time and find its way into your bloodstream.
Some cheaper porcelain crowns can also contain aluminum or nickel. Nickel is linked to a number of debilitating conditions, so has no real place in your mouth. A metal base is fine as long as it is of sufficient quality. Cheap nickel is not.
Nickel can also be a main material in lower quality crowns, as can chrome, cobalt and molybdenum. They are often referred to as “non-precious.” This just means there is no gold or platinum used in them. They are cheap but they also contain toxic elements that we think have no place in dentistry.
You also have to be wary of porcelain crowns as they can also contain aluminum. Ask any manufacturer what their porcelain crowns are comprised of and they will inevitably say “porcelain” or “natural products.” Not all natural products are safe in the mouth. For example, some clay used in cheaper porcelain crowns can be up to 45 percent aluminum oxide.
Dentures aren’t guaranteed to be safe either. Some use mercury sulfate or cadmium sulfate to make the nice pink color in the gum part of the denture. Sometimes it’s a combination of both. Neither of which we would want in our own mouths.
Avoiding Toxic Materials in Dentistry
If you use a quality dentist, or a holistic dentist such as ourselves, you can be quite sure that the dental appliances we use won’t contain any of these toxic substances. If they do, they will be guaranteed the lowest possible amount we can get away with while still offering the highest quality.
There are lots of healthier and safer alternatives in dentistry if you want to avoid toxic materials. You just need to work with a dentist who knows and embraces them. We are such a dentist.
If you’re concerned about toxic materials used by dentists, contact Aesthetic Family Dentistry. We can help put you in the picture.
