Bitter Metalic Taste

[KristaleeJane]

I have noticed that I have a metal taste in my mouth pretty much all the time. I am starting to worry that I possibly have heavy metals in my system. I have read some information about that here about this topic and am not sure how to go about finding out what could be causing this.

I do have some silver(mercury fillings), four of them actually and I had a root canal done not that long ago and also had some fillings replaced and white ones put in. I never really put this together that that could be causing the taste in my mouth, or some of my other problems.

How do you go about getting tested for metal toxicity? What is the best way to go about getting your old fillings removed, or is it best to keep them, so you don't expose yourself to more mercury?

Any Info on this topic appreciated

Thanks

Krista

[Rachel--24]

I have noticed that I have a metal taste in my mouth pretty much all the time. I am starting to worry that I possibly have heavy metals in my system. I have read some information about that here about this topic and am not sure how to go about finding out what could be causing this.

I do have some silver(mercury fillings), four of them actually and I had a root canal done not that long ago and also had some fillings replaced and white ones put in. I never really put this together that that could be causing the taste in my mouth, or some of my other problems.

How do you go about getting tested for metal toxicity? What is the best way to go about getting your old fillings removed, or is it best to keep them, so you don't expose yourself to more mercury?

Any Info on this topic appreciated

Thanks

Krista

If you had some of the fillings removed and replaced this could have increased your mercury burden significantly. Most dentists do not use safety precautions to reduce exposure. This is actually how I lost my health....I did not have symptoms prior to the removal of two fillings (one was broken/the other deteriorating). The exposure was enough to tip the scales for me.

The fillings always leak mercury and eventually it can be too much for the immune system. Usually the body burden would already be high and then all it takes is one thing to push it too far.

Tasting metal is a symptom of mercury toxicity....if you think the metal taste is related to the fillings you probably should trust your instinct.

Getting more fillings out unsafely will only worsen the situation...you definately dont want to do that. Nobody should get fillings taken out unless they are working with a knowledgable dentist who understands mercury toxicity and who follows a safe protocol. Usually a biological dentist.

If the mercury burden is high...leaving the fillings in only adds to it.....its constant exposure. However, having them removed unsafely is an even greater hazard. I left my 2 remaining fillings in until I found a dentist who could remove them safely....otherwise I would have gotten much worse (and it was pretty bad to begin with).

Mercury (from amalgams) is not easy to test for. It doesnt usually show up in standard urine, blood or hair. There is only a short period of time that it remains in the blood...and then it gets stored in different areas of the body (kidneys, brain, etc).

There are tests that can help identify the problem.

These are some of the tests I've had (I think its pretty much every method available at this time).

Hair analysis:

Usually mercury doesnt show up...if it does you can be certain that its a problem....however, no mercury in the hair doesnt mean its not there. A person can be extremely mercury toxic and yet have very low levels in hair. Actually the most toxic people will not have anything showing up....this is because they have more difficulty excreting it.

A hair analysis will not only check toxic elements...but also the essential elements. This is where a knowledgeable Dr. (or patient) can get clues as to whether or not mercury is an issue. Mercury causes the essential minerals to be skewed...they are usually out of balance when mercury is a problem. Other toxic metals dont cause the minerals to be skewed....only mercury does that (as far as they know).

So if no mercury is showing up in the hair....but the minerals are not in balance....this indicates that mercury is probably an issue.

My own results showed very low levels of mercury, calcium was elevated and a few other minerals were either too high or too low. This indicates impaired mineral transport...and mercury causes that problem.

Mercury usually interferes with the body's ability to use, process, and store minerals. Regular minerals: stuff like calcium, magnesium and sodium. (On a hair test, these are called "essential elements".) While this is a very bad thing in terms of health effects, it is "helpful" for the purpose of determining mercury poisoning, because it is a pretty predictable result.

To be just slightly more technical about it, mercury poisoning usually causes impaired "mineral transport". Mineral transport is the ability of cells to pull minerals into themselves and pump minerals out of themselves selectively.

If mineral transport is normal then someone with too much mercury will have high hair mercury levels. This happens with about 1 person in 10 who have a mercury problem. This person will have a HIGH reading for mercury. In this case, it is easy to see they have a problem with mercury. These people have normal mineral transport, and can move mercury from the large pool in the body into the hair.

For the other 9 people who are mercury toxic, it is harder to figure out if they have a problem or not. The normal level of mercury present in their hair could mean they don't have much mercury in their body (they are okay), or it could mean they have impaired mineral transport due to mercury poisoning, and that is why there is little mercury in their hair.

Since mercury impairs mineral transport, examining hair for the level of many minerals lets us determine if mercury has left its signature in the hair's biochemistry even if the mercury itself doesn't show up.

Provoked Urine Challenge:

A chelator is taken prior to 6 hour collection of urine and the urine is then tested for toxic metals. This test is not always accurate as it sometimes takes several doses of a chelator in order for mercury to start showing up. It is also more difficult to excrete mercury when mineral transport is messed up.

A chelator is a drug which binds very tightly with heavy metals and pulls them out of the body. Detoxification of mercury is somewhat complicated...so I would not rule out mercury toxicity if low levels are in the urine. Sometimes mercury isnt showing up at all during chelation therapy....and it may be weeks or months into the therapy that suddenly large amounts of mercury start showing up.

I have done 3 urine challenges using IV DMPS as the provactive agent. 9 toxic metals were excreted in all 3 tests. So far I have not had significant levels of mercury showing up (although it is still showing up in normal ranges even after 5 months of chelation treatments) and one of my Dr.'s began to question whether or not mercury was the problem. It was then discovered that I have excessive copper levels which were preventing the chelator from reaching mercury and other metals....because the chelator has a strong preference for copper and will always pull that metal out first.

We had to confirm this with a red blood cell test to check copper levels...which were indeed high. I now have to avoid any supplemenation of copper (as well as high copper foods).

There are many things which can prevent mercury from showing up....this is just one scenario.

IV DMPS should NOT be given to anyone who still has filings in place. This can increase toxicity significantly. Chealtion can only be done after fillings are safely removed. Some Dr.'s will give a small dose of an oral chelator (only for the purpose of testing) while a person still has fillings. I think its best to wait until fillings are removed.

Porphyrin testing:

This test has been used alot recently to help determine heavy metal toxicity in autistic children.

Its a urine test which does not involve taking a chelator. This test does not look for mercury itself...but rather specific porphyrins naturally produced by the body. These porphyrins become elevated when the body is toxic from mercury and other heavy metals.

I was suppossed to take this test a couple weeks ago but I've been sidetracked by other things. I have the urine kit and will hopefully take it on Monday....should have the results within 2 weeks.

Alternative testing:

Aside from those tests I just mentioned I've also had quite a bit of alternative testing done and I continue to be tested throughout my treatment.

I've been tested by 4 different practitioners using different methods. I was tested for just about everything under the sun including many different pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites), hundreds of toxins and many other things that can cause chronic disease symptoms. Although I do have other issues the main issue has always been the same....no matter which method of testing...and no matter which practitioner was doing the testing. Mercury always shows up as the #1 problem.

My favorite method of testing has been something called autonomic response testing (ART) which is an advanced form of muscle testing. Its around 90% accurate (very reliable) and for me has been extremely valuable. The lab tests dont always tell the whole story...but with ART I feel as if we're getting a "peek" inside and a more clear picture. With this type of testing the accuracy does depend on the skills of the practitioner.

All methods of testing have identified mercury as a huge problem but ART is the only method that can actually locate mercury in the body...as in...specific body compartments which are storing toxic levels of mercury (or other metals).

[MDRB]

Hi,

I'm not sure if this is helpful or not but I also have a metallic taste in my mouth but have never had mercury fillings. I think that mine is caused by weak and eroded enamel. So in case the tests come back negative, be aware that there are other things that can cause metallic or bitter tastes.

Good Luck

[Rachel--24]

Hi,

I'm not sure if this is helpful or not but I also have a metallic taste in my mouth but have never had mercury fillings. I think that mine is caused by weak and eroded enamel.

Here are some other possible causes for a metallic taste in the mouth:

A metallic taste in the mouth can be caused by infections of the mouth or teeth, skin conditions that affect the mucous membranes in the mouth such as lichen planus, or other problems, such as Crohn's disease.

A metallic taste also may be caused by a substance present in the mouth. Medications that are chewed, rather than swallowed, may cause a temporary metallic taste at the back of the tongue. Other medications, such as Flagyl, tetracycline, penicillamine, Biaxin, ethambutol, biguanides, or allopurinol, can cause a metallic taste because they get into the mouth through salivary secretions or directly from the blood.

If you suspect a medication is the cause of the metallic taste, call the health professional who prescribed the medication to determine whether you should stop taking it or take a different one. An appointment may not be necessary. If you are taking a nonprescription medication, stop taking it. Call your health professional if you feel you need to continue the medication.

I know that root canals can also cause a metallic taste because they often harbor infections.

I had a metallic taste in my mouth after my fillings got drilled out....and then again while I was on Flagyl.

[Rachel--24]

Here are some other symptoms associated with mercury toxicity. The list of symptoms is actually endless but these are a few very common ones.

Symptoms found in a survey of 1320 patients with amalgam toxicity, listed in order of the most common first, reveal these findings. Most people had multiple symptoms:

72% Depression

67% Tingling of Hands & Feet

63% Fatigue

60% Digestive Problems

58% Faulty Memory

55% Constipation

39% Metallic Taste

36% Sleep Problems

32% Tachycardia (rapid heart beat)

I had all of these symptoms but the metallic taste was no longer an issue after I had all the metal removed...including 2 brand new gold crowns that had replaced two of my mercury fillings. I no longer have any metal in my mouth....and no root canals (I had one which was done after I was already sick...it was making me feel worse so I had the tooth extracted and felt better).

Sleep problems and rapid heart beat were only occassional symptoms for me. The other symptoms were severe.

Many cases of chronic headaches, chronic fatigue, neurological disorders, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimers, joint and muscle pain are now being traced back to metal toxicity and root canals.

[ravenwoodglass]

I may be an oddball but I get a metalic taste from barley. I do not know how, I do not know why, but when I get CC'd with barley it tastes like I am eating forks for days. The last time I had this was when I was drinking Rice Dream, which looks safe but isn't.

[Kathy B]

I have lots of mercury filling and am reasonably healthy on a gluten-free diet. I have had metallic kind of tastes in my mouth before. Once when I was pregnant and when I had tooth decay.

[chatycady]

A mettalic taste in your mouth could mean a strep infection in the tooth with the root canal. If you have a salty taste it could mean a staph infection - abcessed tooth.

I had the mettalic taste for some time and found out the tooth with the root canal had failed. I had it removed and got a nasty strep infection that took 3 rounds of antibiotics to get rid of. I was really sick.

During a web search I found the information about the tastes. It was right on.

[KristaleeJane]

A mettalic taste in your mouth could mean a strep infection in the tooth with the root canal. If you have a salty taste it could mean a staph infection - abcessed tooth.

I had the mettalic taste for some time and found out the tooth with the root canal had failed. I had it removed and got a nasty strep infection that took 3 rounds of antibiotics to get rid of. I was really sick.

During a web search I found the information about the tastes. It was right on.

Interesting, I am going to go back to the dentist and get my root canal checked, because it already fell apart once and she had to put some sort of a casing over it. I am thinking about just getting it pulled as it has only been giving me grief

thanks for the responces!

Krista

[chatycady]

If you decide to pull the tooth, I would ask the dentist to put you on antibiotics BEFORE she removes it.