Dental Restorations and Fillings

Pregnancy and Natural Dentistry

By Dr. Alan Green

The single most valuable information I can offer comes from the experiences of my wife and myself during our first pregnancy. Pregnancy and childbirth are states of health, not illness. If you should find yourself feeling or being treated as if pregnancy is a disease, it might be best to seek support from people who have a more positive outlook on pregnancy, or prior experience with healthy childbirth.

A Few Basic Facts

It is best not to have any dental treatment during your pregnancy, just preventive care. X-rays, anesthetics, and the removal of silver-amalgam fillings which contain toxic mercury, should all be avoided during pregnancy. Therefore, it is best to have a comprehensive dental exam before conception, to identify all dental infections (decay, root canal abscesses and periodontal infections). If problems are identified, it is best to be treated before the pregnancy. If treatment during pregnancy is necessary, it should be done during the second trimester. The unborn child is least susceptible to the stress of drugs and dental treatment during this period.

The old adage that you will "lose a tooth for every child" may have some truth. There is significant need for increased calcium and other dietary minerals to nourish the infant's growth. However, they do not come from your teeth. Hormonal changes during pregnancy are the cause for gum problems. The gum tissue around your teeth becomes hypersensitive to the toxins and irritants from plaque, causing bleeding gums. If you have an existing gum problem, it can get significantly worse during pregnancy. For some women there is a rapid overgrowth of gum tissue, which is called a pregnancy tumor. This is not a true cancer, but must be treated. What you can do is really very simple: have a dental cleaning during each trimester. Good home care, brushing and flossing are all helpful. For those who don't floss, there are alternative cleaning techniques.

Unfortunately, brushing and flossing can be difficult during pregnancy. During the first trimester, you may experience nausea and a hypersensitive gag reflex. It may be difficult or impossible to clean your back molar teeth. The good news is that this subsides during the second trimester.

Additional support to help with periodontal gum bleeding during pregnancy comes from nutrition and dietary supplements. Folic acid, one of the most important prenatal supplements (it prevents neural tube defects), is very effective in helping spongy looking bleeding gums. It is best to consult with your ob/gyn, physician, nurse midwife or health care provider for proper dosage and administration. Dietary sources of folic acid are organ meats, molasses and fermented soy tempeh.

Mercury and Pregnancy

Mercury is a known toxic material. There is a substantial amount of research linking its effect to birth defects and infertility. Dental silver-amalgam fillings are at least 50% mercury. If you are now pregnant, it is important that you do not have any of your old mercury-silver-amalgam fillings removed and certainly do not have any placed at this time. It is during the removal that a significant amount of mercury is released, and can be absorbed by your system. If it is absolutely necessary to have an existing filling removed, hygienic procedures can minimize the possibility of absorption. If you are planning a pregnancy, or if infertility is a concern, you then have some choices to make. If you need more information in this regard please contact me.

Regarding the controversy about mercury and dental fillings, I can summarize my understanding and feeling about the subject:

There is no controversy that mercury is a highly toxic substance.
There is no controversy that the mercury comes out of everyone's fillings.
The entire controversy is: What is a tolerable amount of mercury?

I believe that, less toxic material is better than more, and none is better than some. When teeth need to be restored, it is better to use materials that do not contain mercury.

There are other sources of mercury that you should avoid during pregnancy. Certain fish, particularly tuna and swordfish, hemorrhoid medications like Preparation H and some contact lens solutions, all contain mercury compounds. There are three foods that help to remove mercury from the body: beans, garlic, and asparagus. More information: Mercury-Free Restorations

Breast-Feeding and Natural Dentistry

Breast-feeding has many benefits for both the mother and the child. Nutritionally, breast milk is far superior to any formulation. Breast-feeding may benefit your child's future dental health. The absorption and utilization of iron is much better from breast milk. There is dental research that correlates sub clinical iron deficiency of infants with an increased dental decay throughout childhood. Therefore, breast-feeding may impart protection against later decay.

While breast-feeding you should continue to avoid exposure to mercury. Recent studies indicate that mercury from dietary and other sources concentrates in breast milk and infants appear unequipped to eliminate this toxin from their bodies.

The other benefit to breast-feeding is how it influences the growth and development of the face. Breast-feeding may prevent the need for orthodontic braces later. The infant must suckle differently when using a bottle as compared with a breast. With a bottle, because of the shape and position of the nipple, there is usually an exaggerated forward thrusting of the tongue in order to get nourishment. This positioning of the tongue tends to influence facial development towards narrow dental arches and front teeth that do not meet. Later thumb sucking and mouth breathing reinforces this malformation. This tongue thrusting pattern, when retained as an adult goes along with a hypersensitive gag reflex, which can make swallowing pills and tooth brushing difficult.