Where to Find Affordable, Safe Holistic Dentistry in Mexico

It is estimated that almost 1 million people in California use medical services across the border including dental. Often I get calls asking for information on this subject. I have been going to Mexico for 20 years and I have no Mexican family or roots there. When I lived in El Centro some years back, almost everyone went over the border to get their dental work done. It was easy to find people who could give you the name of a great dentist. I never had a problem getting work done. The dentists I went to in those days were not holistic dentists. I was not familiar with holistic dentistry concepts.

I moved back to San Diego in 2000. In 2002 I began having abscesses in both sides of my jaw and pain. At the time, I did have medical insurance but no dental insurance, so I went to emergency. Later when I went to see about getting the work done, I was given estimates of over $4000 from dentists here on this side. There was no way to afford the work.

I began to research TJ and ask friends where I could go that was reliable. During that time I also read several books by holistic dentists. They advised against implants and went into great length on the subject of mercury amalgams and mercury poisoning. When I called the Huggins Institute of Holistic Dentistry, they gave me a list of Holistic dentists which included one in Mexico, American Bio-Dental. I called them and after extensive questions, gave me an estimate of half that. They told me that my old fillings had Mercury in them and that it was possible I was sick from Mercury toxicity too. I remembered then that several times when I had lived in Imperial Valley, I had tasted a sharp, metal taste in my mouth. Along with that I experienced a nerve rash that came on suddenly causing swelling up my arm and into my face. It lasted two or three days each time. At the time I used high doses of Vitamin C and detoxifying herbs to bring the swelling down. Since I had no jaw pain at the time, I didn't relate the rash to my mouth or to Mercury toxicity. I was not versed on the subject at that time.

The American surgeon stressed when I came down to get the work done, they should first run lab work including a test for mercury poisoning. The problem was I still did not have money to get the work done. As time went by, my jaw got worse and I got sicker. Herbs like Goldenseal and Oregano did not work. Nothing was working on the infections. The base cause of my ill health were infected teeth that needed to be pulled. One of the problems was that dentists don't want to pull teeth when you have infection. I could not get the infection knocked out to get the work done. My husband who at the time was my boy friend, saw how sick I was getting. He took money from his savings to get me the dental work that I needed. He was not happy that I insisted on going to Mexico. He had a dentist here that he went to.

I did much research before I went to American Bio-dental. I chose their dental office because they were holistic and were on the Huggins referral list. They take the Mercury fillings out and replace them with fillings that are not toxic using the Huggins Institute guidelines.The doctor at the time who would perform the dental surgery was an older American doctor who had practiced in the US for some 30 years. He believed in nutrition and holistic medicine. In the first visit they took extensive lab tests. One of the tests was for Mercury poisoning. In the initial exam they found three cracked teeth with old fillings that had been put in when I was a child. I have a small mouth and the teeth were in the back. I had no idea they were cracked. The fillings laden with Mercury were infecting the surrounding gum tissue and my bloodstream. When the tests came back positive for Mercury poisoning, I knew why I had been sick for a year.

In the US today, American dentists are still telling people that Mercury fillings are safe. American dentists would never have even ordered the lab tests to determine the Mercury problem or compromised immune function. The mercury poisoning would have gone undiagnosed in this country. Since I could not get the infection stamped out, they reluctantly did the surgery to remove my upper teeth. The gum tissue had to be surgically cut open to both pull the teeth and release the infection. This area was then packed with antibiotics before being sewn up. I choose a plate rather than implants which is the subject for a future article.

I was impressed by American Bio-Dental's office staff and dentists, their professional treatment, their cleanliness, their holistic procedures done in accordance with the Huggins principles, and the holistic approach with lab tests and counseling. They assessed my whole physical state not just the state of my teeth. I had the greatest sense of relief when they pulled those teeth out. They had been a source of infection for over a year. I felt better within days after the surgery but it took a year to build up my immune system. I used immune boosting herbs to build it up. I went through several different kind of cleanses to get the Mercury out of my system. The mercury is still in your body after the teeth and fillings are removed. It must be removed by Oral Chelation. I have given the link at the bottom to American Bio-dental in TJ. My husband got work done there as well this year and was very impressed with their work. I have to say that he was not real sure about the idea of going there to begin with. His dentist wanted $1000 for the work. It was done by American Bio-Dental for one third of that cost. He has no doubts now about going back if he should need more dental work performed.

When going to Mexico for dental work get referrals from several people who go there. If possible, have a friend who speaks fluent Spanish go with you. Check the internet for reviews on that dentist. When you enter the dental office notice the cleanliness of both the personnel and equipment. Ask all the questions first and if you don't like the answers, leave. I personally have had excellent experiences from going to Mexico. The best policy is to use a dentist that is a referral. I can only give you my experience with getting work done in Mexico. I ask you to research the links below that will give you education and information on holistic dentistry. In TJ, I have only gone to American Bio-Dental so I cannot give personal insight into other dentists who might also be able to do the work.

References:

http://www.hugginsappliedhealing.com/

http://www.hugginsappliedhealing.com/alliancedentist.php

http://www.alternativesforhealing.com/cgi_bin/practitioner-holistic-dentistry.php

http://www.americanbiodental.com/huggins.html