Some of you know I had my 3 amalgam teeth pulled throughout the last month , as drilling it out was not an option for me since there are no biological denstists in Poland. For the same reason the doc (she's an oral surgeon) didn't remove the periodontal ligament, when I tried to inquire her about it she didn't know what I was saying, plus the whole procedure was free of charge as she was a friend of my mothers so pushing it further wasn't an option either.

So I need to ask, is it a sure thing I'll get cavitations? I really needed to get the damn amalgams out, I'm just afraid I exchanged one problem for another. I'm actually quite bloated in the face since the extractions, but it could be because things haven't healed there yet.

need opinions please.

Jinx please read Dr claire weeks self help for nerves. I really think this will help you cope with what your going through or buy the CD dvds..

It wille explain everything thats happening to you and why and once you understand you will be shocked. You seem to keep holding onto fears of health based issues without realising and not knowing why you get symptoms or whats causing them or what can happen or has happenned to others. This fear can make more problems and even just accepting the problem wont make the symptoms go...its complicated but very helpful for me.. not sure if it may be of help but please look into it as any thing I will beleive it may help you even the slightest.

don't take offence anonymous , I know you wish me well, but I'm really puking my guts out with all this 'psychological approach'.

I've heard it from many doctors and it doesn't any get less ofennsive with each next remark (I know you don't mean offence), given the torture I'm going through everyday. Try to 'analyze' yourself when you absoluetely have no recollection of your past days OR LIFE, can't function on daily basis and you're basically vegetable. Oh yeah, but since my communication hasn't been affected (so much) and I *seem* to be understanding everything, everyone automatically assumes, againts as detailed as I can to my current ability explanation, that I must be 'ok' and can 'get a grip'.

Really, I would really LOVE to get my thoughts focused on sthg else, like Dr claiers advice, or a damn book, or movie, or a damn anything else IF ONLY I had a bit of **clarity** I had before I got seriously poisoned at the dental's office 7 months ago.

Geez, you know, I know I'm freaking out, but try to get a man over a cliff's edge and tell him to think of sthg other than 'how NOT TO fall'.

So, given my health situation is pretty dreadful, and I want to get out of this cage ASAP, I just wanted to inquire:

What are a person's chances of developing cavitations if the periodntal ligament hasn't been removed?

thanx

hi jinx, no not everyone will develop cavitations, the most common ones are where wisdom teeth have been pulled. Think about all those people with false teeth. Anyway dont worry about it now, at least your getting the mercury out. God bless Dawn.

thanx , that's the answer I needed.

Hi anonymous, I hear you and I know you're well meaning and maybe these things do help some people whilst they deal to the condition itself (be it mercury or something else).

But for me? The psychological approach actually never did squat for me. No matter what was done or said or how much I tried, I found myself hitting a brick wall and in the end it was better for me to simply focus on the physical and to and deal with that. In fact, once that was done and I found improvements physically the psychological side fixed itself.

In fact, if doctors had not wasted my time and money by constantly trying to get me on some psychological plan or anxiety group or watching or listening to this or that, I may have had relief far sooner, instead of going year after year listening to this and getting nowhere. It was interesting that all my fears, panic disorders, worrying, symptoms were all actually caused by toxicity affecting my brain and were not actually "me" at all.

It's a great pity that so many of us have already been down these roads and made to feel worse because we were not responding to it. Healthy people in actual fact most of the time dont worry and dont think about their health because their minds are not a toxic mess.

Sick people with this kind of toxicity are inwardly focussed because mercury can do this. It can turn the thoughts inward and it is not the person at all. Once they are detoxed, it's amazing how their minds cannot HELP but go outwards and the positivity that comes with healing is incredible. It just naturally happens as their minds are freed up of mercury (or whatever other toxin).

We have to remember that mercury is neurotoxic and it works on the mind in such an insidious way as to actually CAUSE suicidal thoughts directly and indirectly and is in no way the person's fault. Hal Huggins is well aware of this and in fact thinks it is digusting the way it works on the person's mind as to change their entire outlook and can cause a positive person to become extremely depressed, unmotivated and suicidal. Not because they sit and sulk, but because they are have a neurotoxin working on them 24/7.

In fact, the most amazing thing as that those I have met with this toxin are constantly trying to help themselves and find ways to heal. They are on this forum, they get up each day and if they have a good day, you see a very happy person. This is amazing considering that most days are garbage for them and how many years have been lost.

Healthy people? I hear them whinging and moaning because "I had a boring weekend". So I think positivity is not about outlook with this illness because mercury distorts that, but is the person literally fighting to get through eachday.

For years I thought something was wrong with me mentally, emotionally, with all the inappropriate crying, anger and then finally the memory loss and impulsivness and knowing I was getting weirder by the month.

I am a devout christian and prayed and prayed and prayed and I got peace during those times, but it was the praying that led me to the doctor that led me to the diagnosis, that led me to the treatment, which led me to the alleviation of all the mental anxiety, depression, etc.

I don't downplay talking to someone and even Andy suggests medications to help with the mental issues, but ultimately, its a physcial thing, get that mercury out, get those hormones regulated and clean up the diet, and the other things...are the only thing that helped me.

Your face should not be swollen for more than 3-5 days at most after having a tooth pulled.

Salt water is a good rinse to keep infection away, use it heavy duty, and gargle too with it every few hours for about a week at least. I haven't ever had a problem with pulled teeth, 4 wisdom teeth pulled over 20 years ago, and two molars several months ago. It's doubtful any of them had the ligament scraped out proper either

Vitamin C helps you heal quicker.

Mercury has profound emotional effects on people. Here is an example of my experience as it relates to emotional & psychological issues. I hope this helps someone.

I had:

Depression
OCD-like symptoms
Suicidal thoughts
Moodiness
Critical of self and others
Hopeless and helpless feelings constantly
Plagued by thoughts of catastrophe
Apathetic about personal issues
Inability to multi-task
Fear of authority, driving (speed), dark, heights, commitments, emotional intimacy, rejection, conflict, etc. etc.

All were gone soon after amalgam removal except the fear of heights, although it's not nearly as bad as it used to be.

According to Mark Briener DDS and others, the main cause of cavitations (aka osteonecrosis) is ischemia (lack of blood flow) caused by the use of anesthetics containing vasoconstrictors. I think one should demand anesthetics without vasoconstrictors for all dental work,not just extractions . It's interesting that many dentists deny that cavitations occur considering that no one denies that osteonecrosis (death of bone ) can occur in the hip ,femur and other bones so why not the jaw?Trauma to tha jaw can result in cavitations and use of high speed drillis is traumatic to the jaw.I had three fillings done on the lower right side over a decade ago and have been in pain ever since. I then had a root canal but the pain continued.One dentist said the pain was TMJ but this does'nt make sense since the pain is in the jaw not the TMJ joint or facial muscles . I now believe I have a cavitation .I think the chance of cavitation is increased if one has multiple dental procedures done on the same day.A man I know got cavitations after hitting his jaw in a car accident. Swelling and fever are not typically present in cavitations. Another leading cause of cavitations is the use of cortisone and other steroids since they destroy bone.
If doctors or dentists can't find a physical explanation for your symtoms , they resort to saying it's all in your head because they're arrogant and don't want to admit they are clueless re diagnosis and treatment.The last time I complained about the pain onmy lower right jaw the dentist said I just liked to come in and see him.

This is true and sadly cavitations are very very tough to diagnose. Hidden cavitations are the worst and yes so often cause no external signs, but sadly can cause systemic toxicity and are often FAR worse than mercury toxicity. In fact Hal Huggins said that cavitation patients are sicker than mercury.

Interestingly enough, even after a bad viral infection that never left me, and still being mercury toxic, I had a wisdom tooth removed in 2004. Since that time I have been even sicker, so much so as to almost come to halt in being able to heal at all. Yet nothing has shown up on xray or even the cavitat scan. But a doctor here detected what he thought was wet gangrene (dead pulp) right in that area of my jaw from the extraction.

But nobody will help me. Most dentists here do not do cavitation surgery and the one that does won't go near me because I am so sick, he also does not believe that I have cavitation in that area because the tests he did detected them elsewhere.

So to me this is "it". I am also very tired and dont even think I can handle any further dental work. Everything seems to be going around in a vicious cycle and one I can't break free from. And yes Jill is correct, vaso constrictors contribute or even cause cavitations (and if you can believe this, can kill teeth). All due to deadening the area so much that healthy blood flow is all but shut off and for far too long.

With that in mind, the fact most dentists do not remove the periodontal ligament when they remove the tooth, the area really does not have much hope of healing. Leaving that ligament prevents the bone from knitting over that area and simply leaves the ligament to basically ROT.

And people wonder why I have such a cynical and angry view of dentists... Why are they the cause of so much misery and financially sucking people dry at the sametime? On top of this, we pay out more to try and amend THEIR mistakes.

I'll stop there because I am getting angry right now just typing about it. But I will say this, since the dental work in 2004, my symptoms have been the following:

Exhaustion like I have never known, bed ridden most of the time or only being able to sit in a chair, inability to heal properly, not responding anymore to detox programmes, far worse yeast issues and unable to get that under control like I once did, making big efforts with little or not results, horrible vivid dreams, severe depression and anxiety, feelings of hate and anger, the worst gut problems I have known to the point that any toxin movement or "removal" often results in severe gut pains for no apparant reason and having to wait till the toxins finally move away from that area (taking many months). This is pretty much going on all the time now since the dental work.

So yeah anybody should avoid wisdom tooth removal if they can, it is not worth the risk of ending up like this.

Dear Bex, I know you said in a previous post that it would be hard for you to accept monies to go somewhere and get some help, but....I have an idea to share wondered if you might consider it?

What about emailing Dr. Huggins with your problems and ask him if he would be willing to treat you as a special case, I hate using this word, but as a "test case" or "hard case". Sometimes people are willing to do this because of circumstances like yours. It's worth a try and you have nothing to lose.

Best to you,
Gabriella

Hi Glancia, I dont have the money to do that and Huggins charges like the light brigade. Also the problems I have are known to him in respect to cavitations and all that, but again even if he was to say "get them out", I am already trying to do that.

I was already detoxing the mercury and healing until a viral infection hit me and the possible cavitations, so hal huggins would not be of much use to me in this area.

He would simply charge me a lot of money for his time and suggestions, and i have been arleady through the mill with so many different people and suggestions, when the answer is not known even to the top expert in my own country.

But thanks for the concern and advice. I just dont see the point. Hal Huggins really cannot help me, he's not here, i'm overseas, and i have already been tested anyway.

I see what you mean, I don't think I was clear, I meant ask him to treat you for free, as a sympathy case. Like getting a team of specialists to help you. Him pay for you coming over here and he and his team treat you. You think that its worth a shot to try?

Best to you,
Gabriella

Hi Gabriella, I dont think I would do that anyway but to be honest I dont even think that's possible for Dr Huggins to even offer such a thing, much less pay for the trip itself on top of treating me for free. I would not leave my country because I am truly that tired and sick. There are multiple issues that are wrong with me also, not just the dental aspects, but viral.

I also need to get my existing composites redone, but I am that tired and unwell, I cannot even go and do that, much less travel overseas etc. I very much doubt they would pay for my trip, accommodation and treat me for free, as they already have many other people to deal with.

And again, I'd be overwhelmed to go to the US in my state. I'd also need someone to come with me, there is no way I'd go alone with how I am into a country I have never been to and travelling alone in such a condition.

Thanks for your help though, but I really have to try and sort myself out where I am. I have already travelled before and spent a lot of money and time and in the end I could not continue becuase I got so sick. I cannot even enter a dental office without becoming poisoned by mercury vapor, so you see the problem there too. Once I go in, I'm poisoned and I suffer for months afterwards.

This is why I am attempting to prepare myself for a visit to get the composites redone with another material, but I know what I'm in for, so it scares me.

I also need to find an oral surgeon or someone to do my cavitations and even the ones that haven't shown up, trying to convince someone to open up each area regardless and clean it out, even if there happens not to be one there.

All these things are right now not even possible to me. I find it hard to even get up out of bed most of the time.

Dear Bex,

My heart goes out to you. I wish I could solve all of your issues right now. I will pray for you to find the right people to help you and prepare for the work you need done.

Hugs,
Gabriella <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks Gabriella. I really appreciate your concern and prayers, means a lot to me. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

God bless you.

Aw Bex, your prollems just nag at me ,too.I'm goin for cavitation surgery next week an I'm hopin it will be the missin pieice for my recovery, cuz I've done the other main thangs, could say I'm lucky cuz I got the real jaw pain to show me where it's comin from, too.Plus I got the scan. Looks to me like the scans are only as accurate as the skill a the person usin the big gizmo.
I'm hopin an prayin for someone to help ya cuz ya sure do give a lot a your time an attention to lots a folks here an elsewhere by the sound a it.
I'm really thinkin the cavitation is whats got ya in this badass place.

Thanks a lot Elvis. yeah these problems nag at me too and I am thinking it's a hidden cavitation too and possibly the one that isn't showing up!

Like yourself, it seems there is a missing piece of the puzzle, something is halting recovery and improvements somewhere and this was not the case before the dental work for me...so yes I feel it maybe the problem. Easy said, but not easy done!

I hope that if you get yours dealt with, you'll recover from your symptoms! I mean when you make big efforts and get barely anywhere, you know something is badly wrong. i never even had this with mercury!!!! So it's a different issue I am dealing with for sure. Viral infection is part of it, but I think the dental work capped it off as well.

Thanks again for your kind words though!!! take care.

Elvis, where did you get the scan done, if you dont mind me asking? I cant get any treatment at at the moment due to lack of funds, maybe one day! When i get the jaw pain i take a bit of colloidal silver and the pain goes, but then comes back in a week or so.
Bex, its not fair you have to go through this, if i ever win the lottery, your first on my list!

Hugs Dawn.

Re: Cavitat:

My bio dentist claims they're no good, and that her dentist friends who bought these expensive machines no longer use them.

Can't verify the truth of the statement, but that's her claim.

Welp, I knew I had me one cuz I got that psychic side to ma nature, (yup, that an the pain...) sos first I got a vega test which looked good (or bad I spose,) an then I went to John Ahearne an he confirmed it.
Sure I said this somewheres else, but the dang machine is only as good as the operater, an he's the man in England.
Anaways, I'm gonna have Dr. El-Essawy do the honors, both cuz he's closer an also cuz Dr. Ahearne said he was more'n sure Dr. E-E was up to the job.
Kinda lookin forward to it.
But I agree, there's a lot more could be done for Bex an I'm thinkin on it for later.I do hate a needless dental casualty.Riles me up some.
Bex, is it out a the question findin someone good in Oz? Would ya consider commin to the soggy isle a England if there was a good oportunity?

Hi, thanks alot guys (girls) for your kindness and concerns about my situation. Problem is, no matter where I go, the point is I am too ill to travel and I know that I dont have the money to do it anyway.

I am saving right now to get cerec in my teeth and can only hope/pray that the dentist here does that right at least. I could not find a biologic dentist for that, which is sad, so I am really relying on this guy. I have not got amalgams, I have composites that need redoing and I think some of them are incompatible also.

As for cavitations? Not sure what to do about that. Iam contemplating getting in touch with some oral surgeons here or periodontists and seeing if one of them will help me and do the procedure in the way I ask (after finding out the best method). Like using a NON vaso constrictor anaesthetic, and not packing the site itself, as I hear that can cause problems too.

But really I dont think it'll matter where I go or where I am, the point is that a dentist (bio) still tests to see the cavitations and if they dont show up, simple as that, they won't do them. The one here saw them in the upper jaws, but nothing in the lower jaw. yet a top doctor here detected gangrene in the lower left jaw, so this really scares me.

My situation is very annoying to say the least!!! I keep trying to prepare myself by keeping to this diet, but not sure if I am seeing results this time, so that's not helping. I was going to see a biologic dentist in Aussie to do the cavitations, plus replacement of composites, but he went back on what he had stated on his website about cavitations and ummed and ahhed over the whole thing, plus he did not lower his costs at all even for me coming from overseas, or doing a lot at once. So that put me off too.

So I'm trying to get stuff done where I am. Even travelling to another city in my own country was hard going. I tried to save on costs and go by car, which meant 9 hours of driving there and 9 hours back. Spending a few thousand in the process, only to have it all fall apart. So I'm not keen anymore on travel or getting myself worked up over a dentist far away who can apparently fix all my woes, been there and been disappointed.

but again thanks a lot all of you!! I am appreciative of your help and suggestions. Im just not sure what to do, because nothing is clear cut.

Mercury contributes to cavitation formation since it interferes with bone homeostasis.Hg levels in the jaw are very high if one has amalgam especially if they also have gold so it's probably best to have cavitation work done after amalgam removal.Anything that weakens bone such as steroids makes you more succeptible to cavitations.According to Frank Jerome,
20% of teeth die immediately when prepared far a crown and
if they don't die that day they likely will die in several years.Drilling teeth down to stubs is very traumatic to the jaw and causes death of bone-cavitation . Once the jaw is dead the tooth gets little or no blood and eventually dies. Any dental procedure can cause osteonecrosis, not just extraction.Fillings are much less likely to cause bone death than crowns.

Oh I don't know. I have an aunt age 76 who has had crown/bridge work on a couple front teeth for over 50 years, same set, never redone, no problems.

of course that work was done in a day and age when the words quality and care meant something. These days I think dentists are more focused on $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$/hr.

Ma dentist ain't even chargin me for the cavitation operation, found out through a few other folks he's been quietly givin his help away to people in need for a long time.
An he's good, too.
An, no, I ain't advertisin for him, neither.
Just want to say, after a lifetime a mainly misguided dentistry, I met this (an last )year, 3 highly skilled an extremely honorable dentists with great integrity.
Theres a lot a different dentists out there an sadly, we need to find the good ones to get better, I wouldn't dream a leaving the metal ( an other crapola) in this mouth.

I know a man whose grandfather is a 105 yr old WWi vet who smokes a pack of lucky strikes every day .This does'nt prove smoking does'nt cause health problems.Many people who get osteonecrosis have genes that code for blood clotting anomolies such as prothrombin(profactor II ) mutation,antithrombinIII mutation etc.
Most people with TMJ have had their wisdom teeth removed so perhaps their jaw pain is from cavitations and not psychological tension as many of us are told by dentists treating us for TMJ including mine who is the dean of a dental school.
Dr Breiner and others will not treat cavitations in asymtomatic people which makes sense in a cost benefit analysis because you can get infected by the surgery.
Dr Breiner says to avoid ice after dental procedures since it impairs circulation making bone death more likely.

Thanks Jill. No ice.
How's L.A.? My brother lives there. just curious, what do ya do for a livin?Or for fun?Sorry, nosey me, off topic,too.
An when did the old geezer ( no disrespect) start smokin?
Thinkin a takin it up, just wish it didn't make me puke. Think I'll go herbal.Is Dr. Brainer all he's cracked up to be?

,Elvis,if you did'nt have so much mercury in your brain, you might remember that I said I'm a lawyer.I'll ask my friend when the 105 yr old started smoking.My point was that just because sosick's aunt does'nt have cavitations does'nt mean they are imaginary.Maybe his aunts work is gold..Speaking of smoking,it's supposed to have antidepressant effects.

Bicero's dentist said that the cavitat screening devise is inaccurate. If so, there are other screening devices used to scan bones. What does your dentist use to detact cavitations Bicero ?

It's better to replace your mercury fillings with some other poison than to pull teeth. If you pull a tooth the bone under the tooth weakens as does the bone under adjacent teeth which can cause the adjacent teeth to loosen and fall out.It's similar to what happens when somone is paralyzed. There is no longer any stress on a paralyzed person's bones so they deteriorate.

Jill for me smoking is a disaster. Twice now when I tried to smoke, I have completely ruined any improvements I had managed to finally make with dietry efforts and the rest.

I have no amalgam, haven't had them for 10 years now, but have possible cavitations (hidden obviously and contradictory diagnosis), plus a persistant viral infection.

Now, smoking seems to cause such a devastating reaction that months after it I can still be a mess. Why this is? I dont know. I assume my body cannot handle any concentrated toxic exposure and tends to hold onto toxins, rather than readily eliminate them. This may also explain my exaggerated reactions to being in a dental office and why after I've been there, I have to actually chelate !!! Which to me sounds ludicrous and somethign that NEVER used to occur. Has only started happening since the viral infection.

I do believe that yes there are smokers that can be incredible and live to great ages, but I do feel they maybe the exceptions rather than the rule. Both my parents smoked and had to stop due to deteriorating health and other problems, which coincidentally cleared from ceasing smoking. Both took it up again (foolishly) and the same problems occured. Now they have quit for good and those particular issues did not return. Issues of coughing almost continually, clearing the throat constantly, pains in chest, etc.

Maybe it really depends on the person, everyone is different. I had 4 wisdom teeth pulled 27 years ago without a hitch, 2 about 6 months ago, without a hitch, a slight tad of something in one of them maybe but that tooth had a major infection/abcess when it was pulled (caused by dentist's negligence of course), but still not sure because it really doesn't bother me... I think I will probably just go and get the molar that sits below that now empty space pulled also... rear molars, I never missed them as a child, surely won't miss them now. That one tooth has a major amalgam filling, huge, biggest one in my mouth, I am sure by now it's leaking and the source of my ongoing sore neck.

Tooth loosening after having one pulled, that's a new one on me... I know lots of people who have teeth pulled and never heard any complain about that. Maybe in case of peridontitus but I don't have peridontitus or any gum problems at all.

I know you are right about removal Elvis but I got entirely worn out searching for a decent dentist around here about 3-4 months ago.

I have a funny feeling that one tooth has been causing me some issues for some time, though I never put two and two together concerning the mercury until recently. I don't see the sense of spending any sum of money fixing it since I won't be fixing the space above it. They'd probably want to do a crown anyway, no crowns allowed here, I am allergic to the resin crown adhesives far as I know, and don't really want to experiment.

Aw Jill, I am the original pro-throbbin mutation in person so ya got me real spooked on the cavitation excavatiion, cost benefit analysis be danged..
Still, there's some music to ma ears, SS, y'all callin ol' Elvis right.Near to fell off my stoop.Here's hopin ya find someone real soon to do the clean up.

My aunt's fake tooth/bridge work is not gold, white something or other, done in the early 1950's.

I don't think anyone would argue that mercury contributes to jaw problems of all sorts. can even cause fake toothaches from my experience... make the gum tissue hurt, chelation of all things has me me a lot there... but I don't know where Jill gets the idea that pulling teeth cause bone detoriation... maybe if the tooth had an abcess but pulling the tooth didn't cause the deterioration in those cases the abcess did...

Jill, maybe you should take a survey like I did... go around and ask people over age 50-60 if they have lost any teeth (most have given up a few), then ask if they miss those teeth, and then compare their health to the health of someone in the same age bracket with root canals or lots of crowns/bridgework.

The only problem with that survey is that you won't find many past age 65 with root canals or lots of other types of dental work, they are all either too sick to be up and about or dead.

So you are left with the happy and mainly healthy ones who have gievn up a few teeth... and who don't even know what the words cavitation or TMJ mean.

I actually did that for a while, that little personal survey of older folks, it's how I found out about my aunt's fake tooth, I had never previously noticed they weren't real. Her front teeth btw.

The sickest part is that what should have cost me a mere few hundred bucks to fill a cavity, pull a tooth, has ended costing me over several thousand dollars in just the past 7 months because of dentists' prancing around, the money paid to them for absolutely nothing and the subsequent doctor bills that followed their ineptness.

Now I sit here trying to figure out how to scrape up a couple hundred bucks to get this other tooth, that is the biggest part of my problem, pulled.

It's an established fact that pulling a tooth will cause jawbone deterioration and also supereruption of the opposing tooth.If spaces are left when teeth are pulled , remaining teeth move and this exacerbates TMJ problems .Ofcourse people who take cortisone as if it was candy don't care much about bone health .
One can pull al lof their teeth and get dentures if they want to avoid the toxins in dental materials but dentures are probably full of toxins .
I don't think that asking a few senior citizens if they are healthy despite missing teeth is very scientific. Do you think TMJ and cavitations don't exist . X-rays of people in their twenties often show extensive damage from TMJ.

If a tooth is dead and you don't want a root canal, what is the best option?

jill, i hope your not refering to some of us here about taking H.C likecandy,weve told you time and time again that we are taking phsycological doses, basically to keep us alive.
I have children and a home to look after apart from being poisoned by mercury and have hardly no thyroid left, i need H.C to keep me alive, i took supplements for adrenals for years but did not an ounce of good so had to go on very small dose of H.C., now you would do the same thing wouldnt you,or dont you care!
you really dont know everything, in fact alot of people here who have had the experience of being poisoned have greater knowledge.

i find jill's comments very negative.

Just 5 short days ago I had a tooth pulled... really couldn't do much else with it, had cracks all over and it was bothering me, the dentist said even he would pull that tooth if it were his own. At any rate, in the process, they took xrays and the dental assistant remarked point blank, 'Very clean healthy gums, no jawbone deterioration... and again, I will repeat, my wisdom teeth were pulled over 27 years ago. If jawbone deterioration or TMJ were to result it surely would have happend by now.

90-95% of people over age 50-55 have had some teeth pulled and they most certainly are not all suffering. In fact, the sufferers are a minority not a majority, but we don't hear from people without problems do we? Jill will probably reconsider her position after she herself loses her first tooth, which, is probably as inevitable for her as it is for the rest of us. Of course she may choose to suffer with a dental bandaid instead for a while...

BTW, I have two siblings, one age 43, the other age 48, who have taken cortisone/hydrocortisone since they were infants... they have a birth defect which luckily missed me... adrenal problems, they would die without the cortisone... but neither of them has lost any teeth to date so where Jill gets her information on that is questionable also.

She may call it science but it certainly isn't reality.

Also, though teeth may shift slightly after one is missing, I have seen no evidence of them 'caving in' on each other either in my own mouth or the mouths of others.

Obviously that might occur in some situations but again it doesn't seem to be a certain event in all cases.

Many dentists warn of these things because it is good business for them in my opinion, and nothing more. Dentists should warn equally about the dangers involved in dentistry, eg; amalgam, root canals, dental adhesives, dental materials-crowns etc, but few do because it is not good business for them.

If lawyers told you that most legal matters could be handled without them they would be in the same place as dentists would be if they told you that every time you sit in their chair your teeth and your health are in imminent danger because their work is never absolutely perfect or without risk of complications. Neither profession would survive if they warned you of their true ability ahead of time, and no one would pay them $300/hour if they knew the truth either. So, instead of warning you about what could happen because of their work, they will instead generally warn you what could happen without it. Just because someone is licensed does not mean they are ethical. It means only they graduated from some college somewhere with enough credits and a D or greater average.

People always hope for the best, unfortunately the 'best' in any profession is always a very small fraction of so-called professionals ready to take their cash and run.

I mean... gee whiz... with the exception of my wisdom teeth... every single other tooth I have lost (3 1/2, 1/2 because of an unfinished crown due to plastics/dissimilar metals sensitivity) has been lost not because of my poor oral health (my oral health is top notch) but BECAUSE OF BAD DENTISTRY!

If that isn't a wakeup call I don't know what is.