Just wondering: Does anyone have these dental conditions too?

[John Cote]

Hi there! I was contemplating in my mind about the time when I developed my dry eye, and was remembering that around the same time, I also had some major dental work done!

I was around 13 years old (yes, 18 glorious years with dry eye), and my Dentist told me that I had 5 cavities, and needed to fill them all!! Well, needless to say, he filled them with Mercury (amalgam) fillings!

I now have about 8 Mercury fillings in my mouth, and just recently learned that these are very toxic and dangerous (yes, don't be fooled by the ADA telling you that they are safe!!) I have learned that these can cause all kinds of chronic conditions... even auto-immune disorders! I plan on having them replaced with porcelain fillings as soon as I can muster up some cash!

Interestingly, when the dentists use these Mercury fillings, and they have leftover metal, they are supposed to label and discard this as "hazardous materials..." yet we are all running around with this stuff in our mouths???

I would like to hear from others suffering from dry eye as well... How is your dentition? Do you have Mercury fillings like me? Lots of cavities? Have any of you heard anything bad about these fillings? I would also like to hear if you have absolutely no cavities too... just to get a gauge of what is occurring.

[Sammy B.]

A big ole 'yes'

John,

I have a few mercury fillings in my mouth, yes - been there since childhood. No new cavities that I know of...yet.

I've made an appointment to see a new dentist in about a week because just in the past month I feel like I've gotten my dry eye under control (combination of my regimen + lower dissolvable plugs. My silicone plugs fell out after two weeks), but now am suffering with dull aching behind the right eye and on the entire side of my face too. Two Motrins (otherwise known as ibuprofen) seem to nip the problem in the butt pretty quickly.

All of my teeth are very sensitive too at this point.

When I spoke to the dentist's office and described my condition, she said it sounded like either a split tooth or a LEAKING MERCURY FILLING. I guess these things can and do start to go bad.

I will post back after I see the dentist. Sometimes I think we are dealing with a myriad of things that can go wrong in the head versus outright dry eye.

- Rose

[John Cote]

Ok then.

So... judging from the low hits and low response number, I guess that mercury fillings and dry eye aren't an interrelated issue.

Anywho, I still plan on getting my Mercury fillings removed, because I don't think they are very healthy to have. Thanks for the response Rose!

-John.

[ringo]

Hi,

I have also removed my amalgam fillings but that did not help my dry eye, possibly because even if the fillings were a factor in causing the dry eye in the first place, once it has started and "settled" this condtion cannot be eradicated even if the initial causes were removed.

Secondly, it s good to remove amalgm fillings because they may caue a wide range of autoimmune problems whoch are not limited to the eye only.

However, one thing I noticed for sure is that recently when I had a root canal job done, the doctr closed the tooth while i was still painful, and he had to reopen the whole thing. During all this I was in extreme dental pain and the tooth was very inflamed. I noticed that at the same time my eyes became so painful, so dry, and so irritated, to an extent where no drops-- not even steroids or anything that otherwise provides relief, no drops were helping whatsoever.

I definitely think there is a link not only between the fillings and messy immune response; but also btween an active dental inflammation and eyes. Also, obviously, saliva secretions and tears ar regulated by the same neurotransmitters, so often people with dry eye will have a dry mouth as well, at least to some extent.