I’m having philosophical differences with my dentist. First, I told him I didn’t want silver fillings because of the mercury content. He thought I was being paranoid, but humored me. Now I need a crown on a back tooth and told him I didn’t want a metal based one. He insists that all-porcelain crowns are impossible because they’re not strong enough. I keep explaining to him I have metal allergies but he insists people do fine with these crowns.

Missy

Dear Missy,

I’m going to be blunt and just say you need to get a different dentist. You and this particular dentist have very different outlooks on the effects of metal on some patients.

Metal sensitivities are serious. For some patients, they can even be life-threatening. But, even if your allergies are mild, introducing a metal can jump start your histamine levels, causing you to feel run down all the time.

Some dentists are stuck in a rut and just used to things they way they have always been done. It’s their comfort zone and they don’t want to leave it.

I’d prefer you have a dentist who’s willing to keep up the with the developing changes in their field and listen to a patient’s health concerns, not just the concerns about their teeth.

Go To a Metal-Free Dentist

You can find metal-free dentists these days. Instead of the traditional porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns, they offer either E-max or Zirconia crowns. Both are metal free and significantly stronger than porcelain, making them ideal for people in your position who need a crown for a back tooth.

They’re also mercury-free dentists and holistic dentists who are much more willing to work with patient’s health concerns.

This blog is brought to you by Decatur Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.