How to Remove Mercury Amalgam Dental Filings

Silver fillings are made of more than 50 percent mercury, a heavy metal. The Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration have set safety limits for its use. Dentists who give mercury-free fillings use composite materials made from porcelain. These dentists remove mercury amalgam fillings using specific protocol to ensure the mercury vapor and pieces do not enter the body.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Consult with your holistic dentist on steps you can take with nutrition before the day of the removal of the amalgams. She may recommend you undergo a whole-foods, high- fiber vegan diet for a full week before your appointment to cleanse the body of accumulated heavy metals.

2. Ask your dentist about what other nutritional support you can take before the mercury amalgam removal. She may ask you take a specific amount of Vitamins A, B complex, C, E, selenium, zinc picolinate, magnesium and CoEnzyme Q-10. These are antioxidants. She may recommend you take charcoal tablets found in health foods stores. Many holistic dentists will also advise patients to take glutathione, methionine, garlic extract, probiotics, flax seed oil, lecithin and chlorella. Chelation therapy uses EDTA synthetic amino acid that helps the body detoxify the blood of heavy metals, including mercury and can only be performed by medical staff.

3. Ask you holistic dentist before removal what protocols she will be using. The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) recommends that fillings are kept cool during removal. This is done by keeping a cool water spray actively running in the corner of the mouth during the procedure. Using a dental dam is optional according to the IAOMT but greatly reduces the likelihood of small mercury amalgam pieces from being accidentally swallowed.

4. Ask your dentist what you should do during the procedure. She may ask you to breathe through your nose and not your mouth to reduce the risk of mercury vapor being inhaled. Once the mercury amalgams are removed, air suction and water spray should be applied, and your dental bib and any other dental apparel should be changed.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not be surprised if you broach this subject with a mainstream dentist that you will told that mercury amalgams are safe. The American Dental Association has approved the use of mercury amalgams but groups, such as the World Health Organization, acknowledge, "dental amalgams provide the greatest degree of exposure" to mercury. The EPA states, "Women chronically exposed to mercury vapor experienced increased frequencies of menstrual disturbances and spontaneous abortions; also, a high mortality rate was observed among infants born to women who displayed symptoms of mercury poisoning." (EPA, "Mercury Health Effects Update." pg. 103, Elements of Danger, Morton Walker, DPM, Charlottesville, Hampton Roads, 2000.)
• The American Academy of Biological Dentistry, Holistic Dental Association, International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology and Environmental Dental Association, are all professional dental associations of licensed dentists who do not use mercury amalgams for the purpose of dental safety.
• Just as the FDA and EPA have warnings posted to women who are pregnant to reduce or eliminate their consumption of fish that are known to contain higher levels of mercury, women who are pregnant or intending to become pregnant can consult a holistic dentist to determine if she currently has mercury amalgam fillings and if she is at risk if she does.

Resources

• Mercury Free Dentists Database for U.S., Canada, International
• International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT)
• Protocol for Removing Mercury/Silver Fillings (IAOMT)

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