You're welcome compcoll <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Believe me, your situation is really common. I've heard the same from others on here about dentists as well and I breathed a sigh of relief to know I wasn't the only one experiencing this. It seems so many of us have experienced the same kind of arrogance and you reach a point where you're almost scared to annoy them or afraid to ask them this or that, like walking on broken glass around them. It's ludicrous. I hate to colour all dentists with the same brush because I know there are wonderful ones out there and I am not directing this at them. But the other ones? I have to wonder where the attitude comes from ...they work with teeth <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shiftyeyes.gif" alt="" /> It's not brain surgery. I'm not putting down their profession, but I just have issues with why some seem to have a big problem providing any information for free....yes its their time, but it's OUR money! And a few minutes to state an idea of cost or the name of a few dental materials, or what they provide during amalgam removal is not going to kill them either.

Anyway, I went about it like this. I typed up a letter/email online of what exactly I wanted to ask the dentist and then emailed the same email (or printed it out to send as a letter) to all the dentists I wanted to enquire about and simply altered the name. I just waited to see which ones answered and the answers I was happy with and from there I went further.

Two dentists out of those I emailed were responsive and helpful. One of those was a mainstream dentist believe it or not, but he undestood my situation and gave me straight answers on what materials he used and at my request, sent me a hardened sample of each so I could test them! and though he did use amalgam in his surgery, he understood the needs and wishes of those who reacted to it. He also was very sympathetic to my sickness. Perhaps oneday he himself may rid his surgery of amalgam (I sure hope so).

From there, over a few months of waiting and saving money, I finally went to see him and don't regret it one bit. Though I did not have my amaglams removed by him (they were done many years ago), he removed my white ageing composites and replaced them with cerec porcelain.