How does a dentist decide on what materials to use? 

Allergies are among the most common but overlooked diseases. It has been reported that over 50 million Americans suffer from allergies each year, that’s almost 1/7^th of the total US population. Usually, those allergies are environmental, like pollen, grass, or dust. They can also be allergic to foods or drinks like milk, peanuts, or wheat. If you have an allergy, it is because your immune system is recognizing something in the body as an allergen or “NOT-SELF” and must prepare to eliminate that allergen. What is not known by most people is that their immune system is constantly working, 24/7, and every nanosecond surveying EVERYTHING. This fabulous immune system of ours is constantly deciding if every cell or particle will go into one of two categories. Everything surveyed will be recognized as SELF or labeled as NOT-SELF. Once it is categorized as NOT-SELF, the immune system is obligated to eliminate the intruder.   

Any substance that is placed in the mouth as a filling material, a crown, a veneer, or a bridge is also absorbed by the soft tissue on the inside of our cheeks, the floor of the mouth, and even our palate. From there, these materials go into the bloodstream and the immune system must deal with it. Some dental materials are absorbed readily while others are not absorbed so readily. So, when a dentist makes the decision to place a certain dental material in the mouth of the patient, that decision must be based on all the properties required for a good restoration, like strength, color, flexibility, etc. A “Biological Dentist” also takes into consideration the effects of the dental material on the patients’ immune system.   

There is, however, yet another consideration that must be discussed and that is the energetic effects produced by the material. Every meridian of the body runs through and exchanges energy with one or more of our teeth. For example, the large intestine meridian runs through the first molar and the breast meridian runs through the second bicuspid and upper first molar. When the tooth is restored with a metal filling, the meridian running through that tooth is greatly affected. The reverse is also true. If there is a problem with the large intestine, it cannot provide a good exchange of energy to the first molar on that side.  

I have had some patients say to me that the crown on their first molar should not be a problem because the dentist told them it was a gold crown. I guess the assumption made by the patient is that it is therefore pure gold. Nothing could be further from the truth. Gold crowns in dentistry are NEVER pure gold, they are made of various different metals. You may remember from high school chemistry that whenever you place metal in a saline or salt solution with a different metal, you will have a battery. That is the very definition of a battery. Two different metals in a salt solution is a battery.  Why is that?  High school chemistry and physics will teach you that every metal has a very specific number of electrons in the outer ring of its atom. Those electrons will either be given up to the other metal or the metal will “steal” an electron. This continuous flow of electrons from a higher valence (that’s the power of the outer ring) to a lower valence creates an electron flow or electrical current. This is called “ORAL GALVANISM”. Therefore, any time you insert a filling, or a crown made up of metal, you are creating an electron flow or mini-current in the mouth. At first glance, it doesn’t seem that a little bit of electricity in the mouth would be a big deal but when you think about how close the brain is to the mouth and how the brain is constantly producing its own electrical field, then perhaps it is something to take a second look at.   

So, we have two very important issues to consider when placing a foreign dental material into the mouth. The first is the allergenic tendency of some materials for certain people and the second, is the electrical phenomenon created by metals in the mouth.

Biocomp Laboratories deal primarily with the first issue. We look at a drop of the person’s serum mixed in a test tube with various dental components. The serum is loaded with the immune cells or white blood cells belonging to the person. If the immune cells recognize the material as non-self and something that could potentially kill the body, then the cells will clump around the material in an effort to wall it off.  If the immune cells recognize it as non-self but not something that could kill the body, then very little clumping takes place. The amount of clumping is measured very accurately with a light meter. The numbers produced by the light meter get organized by a computer algorithm and a list of highly reactive, moderately reactive, or least reactive materials is able to be produced.   

The second issue which should be taken under consideration is the electrical phenomenon has to be measured by a health practitioner well trained in energy testing. There are numerous systems for testing the meridians of the body. EAV testing (Electro-acupuncture by Voll), ART muscle testing (Autonomic Response Testing), or Cyberscan testing are just a few. Most of these kinds of testing procedures are done by a Chiropractor or a Naturopath. Ideally, both types of testing should be done prior to having new dental material placed in your mouth. Your board-certified biological dentist or Huggins-Grube Institute-trained dentist will know just how to get these tests done for you.

Your whole-body health starts in your mouth and there is no one size fits all when it comes to dental materials, which is why we recommend that before your next dental visit, “Don’t guess. Get the test.”