Is there Hazardous Waste in your Mouth?

A 2006 survey revealed that 72% of the respondents were not aware that mercury was a main component of dental amalgam fillings. Here are some facts you should know:

-The content of what we in the dental profession call “silver amalgam” is approximately 50% mercury.

-All amalgam fillings emit mercury vapor throughout their life. The amount of vapor is related to the size and number of amalgam fillings plus chewing habits.

-Mercury vapor from amalgam fillings is absorbed by the body and accumulates in various organs.

-Dental amalgam is the most common form of exposure to elemental mercury in the general population.

-Mercury in the body of a pregnant woman will cross the placental barrier and enter the fetus .

-Each individual has their own threshold at which mercury contamination becomes a health problem. This threshold can change due to aging and other immune system challenges.

-The Oregon DEQ requires dentists to handle scrap amalgam left over from fillings as hazardous waste.

-An FDA news release dated July 28, 2009, stated that the levels of elemental mercury released by dental amalgam fillings are not high enough to cause harm in patients.

-There are good studies published in peer reviewed journals supporting both sides of the question about whether dental amalgam fillings pose a health hazard to the general population.

So are amalgam fillings safe? Should you get all of your amalgam fillings replaced right away? Maybe, maybe not. First educate yourself. I would be glad to consult with you. Also Jeff Clark, ND, is an excellent local resource (drjeffclark@truehealthmedicine.com) as is the IAOMT (iaomt.org)

I will cover more on this subject next time. I welcome your opinions and stories, so please use my email address to contact me.

Yours for excellent dental health,
Dr. S

Conquering Dental Anxiety

Last time I discussed the prevalence of dental phobia and reassured you that if you have dental anxiety you are not alone. I pointed out that avoiding the dentist just leads to greater problems and more anxiety. So what is a more productive way to deal with your fear of the dentist?

1. Don’t wait till it hurts. Deal with the problem before you have acute pain. You need to take it slow and when you have severe pain, that’s not possible.

2. Find a dental office that understands your situation. It takes a lot of courage to pick up the phone and call a dentist so don’t give up at this point just because the first person you called was impatient with you.

3. Schedule a get acquainted visit. Many offices will do this free of charge. Find out if there is a non-clinical area to talk with the dentist and the staff to see if it is a good fit.

4. Make sure that the doctor offers different kinds of sedation. Oregon requires an additional endorsement on the dental license specific to the type of sedation offered.

5. Discuss your fears with the dentist and staff and work out a plan to get back into optimum dental health at a rate you are comfortable with.
Dentistry is different than it was 10 years ago. And you will be surprised at how well you can overcome your fear by taking it slowly before you have pain and using modern methods of sedation.

Yours for excellent dental health,
Dr. S

In-ci-DENTAL-ly

Welcome and thanks for checking out this new column about dental health. I am looking forward to providing useful answers to common questions that I have heard from my patients. I will be writing every other week and plan to cover a wide variety of topics that will be helpful. I will discuss:

Dental care: pregnancy through the senior years

Fluoride: children only?

Mercury in dental fillings: are they safe?

Dental implants: are they right for you?

Teeth whitening: how do I get the best results?

New technologies in dentistry

Painless & anxiety-free dentistry: it IS possible!

Lifesaver: a dental solution to a little understood, but major health risk


I hope this creates a little curiosity about what is to come. We begin the next week answering the question, “What are dental implants, and what can they do for me?”

I’d love to create a dialogue, so please send your comments or questions to me at doctor@staffordsmiles.net or post to our blog (StaffordSmiles.blogspot.com) All of the columns will be archived through our web page for a reference or to share with others.

Yours for better dental health,
Dr. S

Relay for Life Wrap Up 2010

Just a little reminder of our 2010 Relay for Life experience.

Implant Seminar

Last month we held our first in-office seminar for our patients and the public on the subject of dental implants.

No longer considered experimental, the success rate for dental implants is so high that they are now the treatment choice for replacing teeth. To insure the very highest rate of success for our patients, Stafford Smiles works with a team of professionals involving an implant manufacturer, dental surgeon, lab technician, and Dr. Stafford. Dr. Stafford acts as the quarterback for the team, developing the plan and taking responsibility for the final outcome.



Each part of this team shared information regarding their particular step in the implant process. The remainder of time was spent answering questions. Those who attended felt like the information was valuable and that they acquired a much better understanding and appreciation for the entire process.



Here is a summary of the event:

Stafford Smiles - Dental Implant Seminar from Matrix Video on Vimeo.

If you have questions, please let us know in the comments below or email doctor@staffordsmiles.net.

Inspiring Power

I sing with the Oregon Adventist Men's Chorus and had the opportunity to travel to Romania to sing with them last spring. We joined with a men's chorus from that country and toured together singing sacred choral music in churches, cathedrals, and concert halls. It was truly an amazing experience. You can see some video clips from that trip at oamc.org/romania.asp.

This spring the chorus from Romania has come to the United States to sing with us here. We begin our NW concert tour on Wednesday night in Salem and end with a concert in Vancouver on Sunday, June 20. We will be accompanied by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. I am excited to renew friendships with men from Romania that I met last year and to have the opportunity once more to join them in sharing the gospel through music. If you are interested in attending the Vancouver concert, tickets are available through oamc.org.hh.

Ironman . . .Almost

A couple of weekends ago I completed a triathlon at Blue Lake Park. This was an accomplishment for me and consisted of an 800 meter swim, a 20K bike ride and a 5K run. Don't confuse it with the Ironman in Kona. That is about 8 times these distances.

For me it is all about having the motivation to train. Knowing I have a triathlon coming up motivates me to run when it is raining, to bike when it is cold, and to go to the pool when I am tired. My ultimate goal is improved health, particularly cardiac health, as I have a family history for cardiovascular disease. However, that goal is harder to get my arms around. Sure I can measure my triglycerides, blood lipids, and blood pressure, but that doesn't motivate me like knowing that on a certain morning in the near future I will be standing in the water with a bunch of others getting ready to swim, bike, and run as fast as I can.

Greg, the husband of our hygienist, Deon, completed the Olympic distance which is twice as long. I now have a new goal for August. I'd better go train--I only have two months to go.