Maybe it's just me..

 

Maybe it's just me..... but I just don't get this....

DENTISTS

(Just to make it clear this is probably just me & it is totally my opinion please bear with me.)

Dentists not only are they expensive, dang picky in their acceptance of insurance, and always full when you seem to need one or else on vacation but they seem to have a very devil may care attitude when it comes to mercury.

Mercury that funny fluid that used to be found in those glass thermometers that nurses, doctors, & parents insisted on shoving at or in you every time you sneezed. Mercury that funny fluid stuff that has a toxic hazard label with it. Mercury that everyone would caution you on how to clean up as it could cause problems when one of those thermometers broke.... Mercury that odd stuff that now they caution you to throw away any thermometers which have it & before you do that please check with the environmental people or your local haz mat agency (hazardous waste people) for the local regulations & rules. IF the above is what people are now saying about Mercury. IF we have to take special precautions with mercury as it can make you really sick & damage the environment. IF there is any hint of truth to it. Why then do dentists still use it & WHY do we allow them to subject our children to it? I am only asking this question because I have heard the dangers of mercury. I have been told that it is a hazard to the environment & people. I have been told by medical professionals to be careful what fish I feed my family do to its hazardous nature & how it can be found in fish. I have been advised by medical professionals to limit the amount of Tuna I feed my child (a favorite food) do to the risk of too much mercury being in the Tuna fish. I have heard pregnant women warned on the subject of mercury in fish & it's dangers to their health & the health of their unborn child. So why do we allow it to be put in the mouths of small children by dentists? Not to mention our own mouths. What's that you say? Putting mercury in the mouths of children? No way!!! you scream. That couldn't possibly be happening. Oh but my friends it is happening.. everyday to someone out there. You may even have some in your own mouth as we speak. How can that be? I would know it. Well, if you have ever been the victim of a cavity. If you have any silver fillings in your mouth then you probably have mercury in your mouth too. Mercury is in the amalgam (silver colored) fillings of both old & new. So now my story........
My child has special health needs & I have been advised not to ever get silver fillings that contain mercury in them as it could be detrimental to my child's health. I listened to my child's doctors about fish intake so why not this also.
I have been trying to find a dentist to fix a tooth that my child has a cavity in for the past 6 months. I have been judged an irresponsible parent as my child's 6 month old cavity has not yet been fixed. I have explained my dilemma about trying to find a dentist who would accept my dental insurance & not use amalgam (silver mercury containing) fillings.

I have been scoffed at. I have been told that I should lower my standards & accept amalgam fillings. That I should accept the fact that my insurance covers amalgam fillings & go with it. If my child develops problems from the fillings well that's a shame but that I haven't a right to expect better do to my insurance status. I have made them gasp when I said that my insurance would also cover non-amalgam fillings as well & insist that only they be used. Because of my apparent defiance I have been requested not to come back by the dentists.
I have also been told to prove it. And this is what I have found. The dentists that for the last 6 months have judged me as defiant & have refused treatment based on my insurance, & have informed me that I should accept their treatment with amalgam fillings because they have my child's best interest at heart... really don't.
I have spoken with the insurance company & was told that they do pay more for the amalgam fillings & encourage their use over the non-amalgam fillings. That they would gladly pay for the non-amalgam if I could prove that it was medically necessary. I have talked to the billing departments at the dentist offices. I have found out that the reason the dentists don't do non-amalgam fillings is that my insurance company will pay more for them. It all has to do with reimbursement costs. They get more $$$ with amalgam fillings than if they don't use them & do non-amalgam. When I went back with my information in hand. 3 out of the 15 admitted it. They said yes they get more $$$ for using amalgam fillings. When I asked if I paid for the fillings I wanted used with cash up front would they do them & they still said no way. I was shocked. I was floored that these 15 dentists all knew that mercury was in the fillings, that it might not be the safest type of filling to use, that mercury might leak out of the fillings into the body, & that in my child’s case they probably weren’t the best choice but because of the $$$ they weren't going to do any different.
I was also told by a medical professional that mercury leaches out of amalgam fillings every time you eat/drink, grind your teeth, etc. I couldn’t live with that for my child.
The moral to this story is stick to your guns. Don’t back down & ask questions. Get it in writing & be patient eventually you will get what you need. I am happy to say that I did find a dentist who fixed the cavity with out using amalgam fillings. He wasn’t really thrilled but he did honor my request. I also found a second dentist who not only agreed to use non-amalgam fillings on my other child & also advised me that amalgam fillings aren’t the best to use due to the mercury but because they have been used for so long people don’t see the hazards in them. Kind of like the car. It’s been around for a really long time & it didn’t have seatbelts to start with. Now seatbelts are standard equipment. Someday it could be like that with the non-amalgam fillings. Thank you for listening.