Observations placeholder

 Dr Tom Nyerges of the Luton Dental Practice : 
The relationship of the teeth and oral tissues to general health is an important one, and the potential for general health problems to originate from the oral cavity is often due to the following factors:-

"1. Chronic Mercury exposure from amalgam fillings

Mercury is extremely toxic, and as a 'heavy metal', is also highly accumulative and retentive in body tissues, particularly the central nervous system and major organs.  Mercury can also be a major adverse factor with regard to a healthy balance of gut flora, and a healthy digestive system, which are absolutely fundamental to good health and immunity.

Mercury is scientifically proven to leak out of amalgam fillings, and there is also no scientifically stated 'safe' level of mercury in the body, and of course, 'sensitivity' to such a highly toxic material can vary dramatically between individual people.  Mercury is released much more readily and in much greater amounts from poor quality, low grade amalgam, which is totally predominanty in NHS dentistry, and huge numbers of people have large quantities of this toxic cocktail in their mouths (Dental Amalgam is a mixture of mercury, silver, tin, copper and zinc).

2. The presence of multiple metals in the mouth
Of most concern is the presence of multiple different metals in the mouth in close proximity to each other.  This is a very common situation which can create continuous electro-magnetic circuits, which being in the oral cavity, are in very close proximity to the brain.

Dental Implants, which are now widely considered in modern dentistry to be the 'best way forward' for replacing missing teeth, are increasingly common, and can also be problematic with regard to electro-magnetism.  Implants are a brilliant solution to a difficult dental problem, no doubt about that, but at what potential cost to overall health and wellbeing?

3. Chronic infections in the mouth and jaw bones - Root Canals
These constitute a 'focus of infection' in the body.  Toxins from the infected area get into the bloodstream and are continuously spread around the body.  Even mainstream medicine now acknowledges (with scientific proof) the role of Periodontal Disease (gum disease) and the resultant tissue inflammation in relation to heart disease.  And, of course there can be many other health consequences of chronic infections in the body.  The mouth is the easiest and most common place for these to occur, due to gum infections and chronic tooth abcesses etc. of which people often have no obvious symptoms.

Root Canal treatments and their potential consequences also fall into this category and have the potential to create or exacerbate systemic health problems.  Root Canal treatments are a very common dental procedure, and due to their technical difficulty, are often very poorly carried out in general NHS practice, and often result in chronic infections inside the jaw bones.  Again, these are extremely common and widespread amongst the population, and people have no awareness of the problem because they have no (obvious) symptoms.

There can be potential problems in this regard even with the very best executed Root Canal Treatments done by specialists (Endodontists), and the mainstream dental community does not acknowledge these potential problems.  In simplicity, a Root Canal treated tooth is a dead, 'lifeless' part of the body.  Is it the best thing to keep a 'dead' part of the body in place?  If you had a dead finger or toe after it had become gangrenous, would you want to keep it there?  Of course, it is never good to loose teeth, but to keep dead teeth, at what potential cost?  Even removing such teeth can still leave potential problems if not done in a specific and careful fashion that mainstream dentists don't do, and consider un-necessary.

Any of these three things can:-
a. be the primary cause of health problems
b. exacerbate existing health problems
c. be a significant impediment to treatment for chronic health conditions that so many peole are increasingly suffering from.

It is alarmingly common for people to have all three of these factors in place, very often to a major degree, particularly for people over 30 years of age.  Again, individual susceptibility to these factors can vary greatly amongst people.  We simply cannot know or predict the effects of these things, and that is why, in my opinion, they are best avoided and things kept as close to natural as possible.  After all, the most basic principle in medicine is 'do no harm'.  Mainstream dentists mostly have no awareness of these issues, and usually refute them even when presented with them.

This is why a 'holistic' approach to dentistry is not only beneficial and complimentary in relation to other health treatments, but is integral to prevenative medicine and health.  The oral cavity is a very important, very neglected and massively abused area with respect to health".

Dr Tom Nyerges BDS,
Luton Dental Practice
12a King Street
Luton, Bedfordshire LU1 2DP