Natural Dentistry

Saundra Sage

Here I sit, having just become a newly installed member of the “Amalgam-Free” society.  WOW!!! is the immediate feeling I get when I look at my gigantic smile, I can now see my lips framing all white, metal-free teeth.   Some of my toxic mercury filings were close to 50 years old.

For me it has been a 3-year’s research to determine “why,” “how” and “who.”   The “why” on getting my mouth fixed was that every meal brought discomfort, as my cheek, gums and tongue were receiving almost as many strikes as the food I was attempting to eat.  Sometimes I would swallow long before the food was chewed just to avoid the pain.

Braces, implants and crowns had been recommended to me some 3 years prior. After consulting with several orthodontists and oral surgeons, I decided no to those approaches.  My common sense knew not to remove metal and replace it with another metal.  So I decided “how” I wanted the work done.

Once that was done, I began the decision of finding a doctor who could design a totally metal-free partial plate.  The right doctor for me would need to operate from extensive knowledge, along with highly developed expertise and skill.  Next, his office would maintain current state of the art equipment, a spotlessly clean environment, as well as an organized and efficient staff.  I would need him to respect and honor my final decisions.  I would need his office staff to extend patience and willingness to understand me as a patient.

Enter Dr. Behm!!! and his magnificent staff that runs with him and for him so that the patient receives all and more care necessary for their procedures.  By now, I had established the ‘who” I wanted to do my work, even though he was a substantial drive away from where I live.

To all good stories, there must be a good ending.  This story is no exception.  First and foremost is the fact that my jawline aligns, I chew and swallow without pain during meals.

Second, the “hidden” surprise from that one bodily alignment has resulted in much less pain in my shoulder and neck area.

Third, I seem to be able to have a greater range of motion when I turn my head left and right.

Fourth, I have had bursitis in my right hip, and had not been able to go dancing for almost a year.  Of course, I cannot prove nor substantiate what I am about to say, but during the removal of amalgam from four teeth on the upper right, I felt HEAT leave my hip.  For whatever reason, or by whatever miracle, I never had bursitis after that day.  And more important for a dancer like me is the fact that I began dancing again that week, and have been ever since.   Hallelujah!!! and Hurrah!!!

Lastly, and yet extremely significant is my smile.  I am a 60-year old woman who has been told all my life how beautiful my smile was.  “A smile that bubbles over with happiness” were the words under my yearbook photo.  Over the years, I always prided myself in my smile because I felt it radiated the essence of who I was.  Yet, for the past several years I would make it a point not to smile broadly. I became self-conscious about the ‘mining cave” (abundance of metal) that peeked out.  Keep in mind that in addition to a mouthful of amalgams, I also had a metal-type partial with the metal clips.

Currently, I have allowed myself to smile broadly, extensively and laugh heartily again. Truly, it has made a difference in the way I am enjoying my social times.

I hope that I have been able to enlighten another other person to take the path necessary and be as happy as I am on the “other” side of the process.  Hopefully, you will write your won hallelujah and hurrah story!!!