@lucybunyard Dental materials and metals in them can cause immune problems. I had this situation myself unknowingly for years. I had old silver amalgam fillings from the 70's and crowns and bridgework that were porcelain over metal jackets with stainless steel posts inside. Unfortunately, I determined a lot of my dental future when I broke my teeth as a kid.

I developed autoimmune Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which according to my environmental allergy doctor was being caused by the old silver fillings. After removal of all of these fillings, my blood work for the autoimmune response improved very significantly from being off the charts high to a low readable level. When root canals began to fail under the crowns and bridgework, I opted for dental implants made of Zirconium and new teeth also carved from Zirconium. For the first time since I was a kid, my body was metal free. I felt better immediately and my asthma improved a lot. Then 4 months later, I broke my ankle and got titanium plates internally. 6 months later I had chronic hives that kept me on antihistamines, discolored skin over the site of the plates, and I had throbbing pain all the time and my asthma got worse again. I had that hardware removed after a year and a half which resolved these problems. I used to have pierced ears, and had to give that up because of skin reactions to metals.

I know that my body reacts to foreign materials and metals. The doctor who advised me to have the silver fillings removed was an environmental allergy doctor in the American Academy of Environmental Medicine. (AAEM). There is a search for these providers at https://www.aaemonline.org/. He advised me to see a biological dentist who's practice was to use less toxic materials for restorations that are considered bio-compatible. The ceramic material of Zirconium achieves this without toxic substances or metals and it looks like real tooth enamel. Some restoration compounds contain metals for longevity of the material against the grinding action of the teeth.

Of course everyone is different in how they react to foreign materials in their body when it is subjected to body fluids. When you get to toxic overload, that is when there are symptoms related to the exposure.

Of note, is the practice of the Environmental Health Center Dallas, https://www.ehcd.com/ , that pioneered the field of Environmental Medicine. They have some treatments and information listed on their website. I didn't just jump to remove my dental work as that is quite expensive, but when the old root canals began failing, it was the logical choice and my health improved. I had another test for the Hashimoto's, and it shows I am borderline now, so not actuality having the diagnosis anymore after several years. This is a complete turnaround from the days when the levels were so high, the blood tests couldn't register how high.

Have you heard of biological dentistry before? I know pulling teeth is a big decision and is expensive, and painful. I have had 4 removed, and then bone grafts, and surgery to place the implants that screw in after a hole is drilled in the healed bone. This isn't the same thing that is advertised a lot where full mouth dentures are secured on several dental implants. The lab made the specific teeth off of impressions from my mouth. It's a very long process, but it was worth it. It does take extra care to keep things clean and avoid infections that could happen from trapped food. Dental implants can fail. Some are made of titanium, and that would have caused more problems for me. Luckily, I was able to have the ceramic Zirconium implants.

Jennifer