A Mouthful of Mercury No More

He stopped in his tracks and turned to address me. "A new grad dentist would know this tooth needs a filling!" exclaimed Dr. N as he crossed his arms and leaned up against the wall. I sat there reclined in the examination chair dumbfounded by this answer to a question I had not even asked. The man was agitated, perhaps tired of his clients asking about alternative dental practices such as biological dentistry or maybe even suffering from a long career of mercury rich amalgam exposure. Dental amalgam fillings are a filling comprised of 50% mercury and then a mix of other metals such as tin, silver, copper, or zinc. The question I had asked him was to find out if there were any methods/products to help my tooth so it did not worsen while I was waiting 60 days for the appointment to get the filling. After he blew off my question and yelled at me, he lost the title of being my dentist. At that moment I was astounded how those angry hands, now coiled into fists, were gently manipulating the gumline inside my mouth moments before. I felt pain from his behavior and could not find any words of use. I bit the tongue of my mercury-filled mouth and paid for the cleaning, having refused the fluoride treatments, and returned back to Strand Farm.

Initially I felt quite bummed on the beautiful long drive back to Strand Farm. Ashley, six months pregnant at the time, and I had driven nearly two hours from the homestead to visit our dentist that day. This was not the furthest we've traveled for this dentist. When we were travel nurses, exploring the United States, we would still come back across the country to his office for our annual cleanings. We enjoyed his care so much. Now that chapter was over. Our lifelong health needed it to be. Upon reaching the driveway, the beauty of our homestead cheered me up and inspired me. If I could transform and improve land there must be a way to do the same for my teeth.

If our favorite dentist was not going to step into that arena with us, we must enter into it without him and find a practitioner whose values align with ours. Nothing creates resolve to do things such as this more than when being in a crisis. I certainly had a cavity. I could see and feel the hole on the side of one of my rear molars. I determined to find a provider that would guide me toward a safer solution for my mouth. As Ashley and I had become more health conscious the last several years, alternative methods toward oral care frequently entered into our considerations. It just so happened Ashley was already following a biologic dentist on social media. There are no coincidences. It was obvious to begin the journey there.

Living Well with Dr. Michelle

Ashley does not recall exactly how she came across Dr. Michelle Jorgensen but it occurred sometime after I cured a tooth pain I was experiencing years back with my Seven Day Homesteader Water Fast. There was a good period of time during the first three years of our homesteading in which we did not carry any dental insurance. During that time Ashley was looking for the best alternative oral hygiene practices. Ashley had acquired a tongue scraper and some dental hygienist tools based on her research and worked hard to keep her teeth happy. This was evident in her exam with Dr. N . Ashley's oral hygiene was solid. One of Ashley's main sources for oral health came from Dr. Michelle Jorgensen's Instagram account. As I searched Amazon for cavity treatments, Ashley visited Living Well with Dr. Michelle.

Dr. Michelle is not only a practicing biologic dentist but she also runs a homestead. Her blog is entertaining and informative on the topics of holistic family life not limited to gardening, canning, and oral health. Naturally, we gravitated toward her for guidance. When you cross paths with another professional that is also passionate about running a holistic homestead ,an enhanced level of trust is established at the onset. We learned a great deal about biological dentistry from her content. We also encountered a synchronicity when we discovered that a remineralizing tooth powder that Dr. Michelle makes and sells contains plantain. Plantain is a highly valuable, yet common, wild medicinal herb that grows all over the place at Strand Farm. We use it frequently for skin irritations such as burns, bug bites, and splinters! Unfortunately Dr. Michelle does not practice near us so there was no way to hire her as our dentist. However, her tooth powder felt like the right thing to do in the meantime; the search for a biological dentist appointment near our homestead continued.

The dental education we received from Living Well with Dr. Michelle enabled us to find a biological dentist that would help treat my cavity and rid these toxic amalgams from my mouth. The dentist that matched our needs was in Yadkinville, NC. Ashley called and scheduled me an appointment at Virtue Dental Care.

Establishing Care at the Biological Dentist

Equipped with a new tooth-powder and plan to take care of my noxious amalgams, I hustled through autumn with a smile on my face straight into winter. I closely monitored my oral health during this time and concluded that while my teeth felt stronger, cleaner and whiter my cavity was unchanged if not slightly worsened since discovery back in August. I had hoped for improvement but knew that the depth and state of a cavity plays a major role in the success of recovery regimens. Mine was too far along for me to cure it. Fortunately, my Virtue Dental appointment had arrived.

On the drive to the appointment, I pulled up my podcast app and found that the latest Crrow777 podcast episode was about conventional and biological dentistry. The odds of this happening were so small but this type of thing happens frequently at Strand Farm. Here is a link the the episode at Mr. Crrow's website. To me, this incident was a nod from God that I was on the right track in my dental journey.

Have you ever walked into a room and it just had "good vibes?" This is exactly how I felt when I walked into this dentist. In the entranceway of the office was positioned a giant informational flowsheet from IAOMT.org showing the Mercury Pathway in dentistry.

I would soon be face to face with a dental provider that values my oral health concerns. Indeed, Dr. Mark Shircliffe of Virtue Dental was approachable and educated me on their amalgam removal process. He came up with an agreeable action plan for my care at that very first appointment. He even identified a cavity that was established underneath one of my old amalgams that my previous dentist failed to observe. My appointment to have all the amalgams removed from the right half of my mouth and replaced with BPA-free composites, including the treatment of the current cavity, was on the books for 3 days later.

My 3-hour Dental Chair Ride with Nitrous Oxide

The amalgam removal experience was hardly different than getting a regular filling completed as far as physical sensation is concerned. The difference did lie in the duration of time and the extra protective equipment required for the job. Since this procedure was to be a long one (5 amalgams removed) I was treated to nitrous oxide.

My biological dentist followed the Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique: SMART Recommendations and I felt they adhered well to it.

At the end of the procedure, I was given goo packets of Vitamin C and left with a happy, although temporarily numb, asymmetric smile.

A Different Drive Back to Strand Farm

While the numbness in my face wore off on the drive home, my smile grew larger and larger. This dentist had not only lifted the old mercury-laden amalgams out of my mouth but also lifted my spirits. With no more worry about those amalgams lingering in my body, I felt significant mental bandwidth return to me. By advocating for myself, I was able to find a health-provider that aligned with my new health values. Half of my mouth is now mercury free and I am absolutely excited for the final appointment. I will certainly be celebrating my liberation from a mouthful of mercury soon!

Would you like to learn more about our oral care journey? I am heading back to Virtue Dental this week do remove the mercury from the other side of my mouth. Write back and let us know. We can ask the dentist your questions!