Why you must DEMAND made-in-the-USA dental crowns from your dentist

When we go to the dentist to repair or replace missing or cracked teeth, we usually don’t ask questions about what they put in our mouths. Because of this, tens of thousands of Americans could have dental fixtures in their mouths that contain toxic chemicals.

These metal and ceramic inserts, bought on the cheap, are imported from China and other Asian countries. According to dental experts, these cheaper products are often made in unregulated laboratories and can contain dangerous levels of lead and other chemicals — such as beryllium and cadmium — that could harm the human nervous system.

Due to their low price and quick service, many American dentists now favor these Chinese, toxic dental fixtures without passing the savings to the client. U.S. dentists have admitted using Chinese labs that charge about one-fifth of what local labs typically charge. As reported by the Daily Mail Online, dentists can take an impression of a client’s tooth, send it by express mail to China and receive a crown within four days.

“In the end, the whole system is profiteering. Any savings made by outsourcing the work to China are never passed on to the patient,” said David Smith, a board member of the Association of Dental Laboratories.

Lead poisoning linked to Chinese dental fixtures

Given China’s notoriety for cheap, fake, and toxic food and building materials, it doesn’t come as a big surprise that their dental fixtures can’t be trusted either.

At least four known cases of lead poisoning caused by Chinese dental fixtures have been reported in the United States. When these fixtures were tested in a laboratory, data revealed that some of them contained 210 times the acceptable amount of the heavy metal.

The toxic dental practice came to light when a 73-year-old Ohio woman became sick after a U.S. dentist installed a dental crown made in China. When the crown, among other crowns from Chinese labs, were tested, lead concentrations of nearly 500 parts per million were found. This is five times more lead than the limit set for toys sold in America.

While it is easy to pull lead-tainted toys off the shelves when a problem arises, it’s nowhere near as easy if the contaminated product is a dental fixture in someone’s mouth, noted David Smith.

Once inhaled or ingested, lead can harm the body in several ways. Symptoms of lead poisoning include high blood pressure, abdominal pain, headaches, memory loss, mood disorders, infertility, miscarriages, mental decline, and joint or muscles pain.

China’s quality control leaves something to be desired

Though the import of medical devices is strictly regulated, the supply of dental components is harder to control. While they all should carry a safety mark, it is often hard to check if the manufacturer used safe materials. Unlike the loose safety standards in China, laboratories in Europe or the U.S. get routine, unannounced inspections. They must follow strict laws to make sure crowns, bridges, and dentures are safe and toxin-free.

For the sake of your health, the next time you visit your dentist, be sure to ask where that set of dentures, bridges, or crowns came from. If your dental office offers steep discounts on dental work, chances are high the fixtures are imported from China.

Know that as a customer, you have the right to inquire about where dental materials have been made. If your dentist tries to dodge the question or he doesn’t want to give you a straight answer, then find another dentist who uses safe materials from trusted U.S.-based labs.

To be sure that no questionable chemicals end up in your body, opt for a holistic dentist instead. Is this term new to you? Click here to learn more about the benefits of holistic dentistry.

Sources include:

NaturalHealth365.com

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com

Is pine tree bark the key to healthier, stronger teeth?

 Good news for the 80 percent of us who have resin tooth fillings: a new extract can delay our dentist trips by years. Pine tree bark extract is shown to alter the chemical structure of our teeth, strengthening them, and allowing our fillings to bind to them better. This is achieved due to the compounds in the extract that strengthen dentine, the tissue layer beneath the enamel of the teeth.

Dr. Guido Pauli of the University of Illinois at Chicago says the “weak link in the chain of bonding is the interface between the resin and the dentine. We have clear evidence that our intervention materials change this interface much to the better.” Dr. Pauli is referring to his recent tests that suggest the tree bark extracts can strengthen dentine by as much as ten times. Considering the current lifespan of a resin tooth filling, these new findings suggest a ten-year extension.

Dr. Pauli, and his colleague Dr. Ana Bedran Russo, reached this conclusion after testing the extracts of the Chinese red pine, otherwise known as pinus massoniana. The extract was applied to human molars before examining how they deformed when introduced to various heavy forces. Dr. Pauli and Dr. Russo saw that pine bark extracts strengthened the dentine in teeth, which remained coated on the molars even a year after application. The authors also found that the dentine structure changed after being exposed to pine bark extract. Dentine was more compatible with the resin fillings, binding to them more tightly. “Extract-treated dentine show superior binding to resin fillings,” says Dr. Pauli.

Dr. Pauli is currently working on producing a refined extract that dentists can use on teeth after drilling, to strengthen bonding to the filling. However, he quickly adds, “we are not envisioning a pure compound; the chemistry is too complex.”

The results of this study are published in the Journal of Organic Chemistry.

The implication of these findings

Old dental practices saw people filling cracks in their teeth with metal. This led to the laughable but entirely factual phrase of “metal mouth.” Advancing technologies developed resin-type fillings, which were able to mimic the teeth’s natural color, and were generally safer than their metal counterparts. Still, resin tends to deteriorate after a few years. Replacing these dental fillings would need more drilling, costing healthy dental tissue.

Dentine is the calcified extracellular tissue of the teeth located just below the hard external enamel. “Resins have to bind to the dentin, and that interface is the weak point. This is why the restorations don’t last,” warns Dr. Pauli. By developing this natural preventive measure, it is hoped that people will be able to reduce the number of trips they make to the dentist. Furthermore, the pine bark extract would strengthen tooth tissue, promoting overall health.

Head of the Oral Health Foundation, Dr. Nigel Carter supplements this by saying that “fillings are susceptible to wear-and-tear and can occasionally be in need of repair and replacement. Having fillings which have a longer lifespan could be more comforting to the patient, as the procedure will have to be carried out less often.”

Dannel Ferrira of the University of Mississippi says that Dr. Pauli’s research is “a totally unexpected and novel application. It is really an important breakthrough.” (RELATED: Follow more news on holistic dentistry at HolisticDentistry.news.)

Some other facts to consider

It is estimated that 80 percent of the American population has dental fillings. These are standard restorative dentistry treatments meant to repair minimal tooth decay or fractures. These dental fillings can even improve bite.

Enamel loss is the main reason for tooth decay, leading to an increased sensitivity. This can cause relatively painful sensations. Tooth sensitivity caused by enamel loss is typically treated with a dental filling.

Sources:

DailyMail.co.uk

CEN.ACS.org