The Institute for Systemic Dentistry says: “Mercury, even in small amounts, is known to be toxic. Its use in dental amalgam fillings has been linked to various health concerns, ranging from minor to severe systemic effects. The concern primarily lies in mercury vapor, which can be released from amalgam fillings during chewing or grinding of teeth, potentially leading to accumulation in the body over time. This exposure has been associated with neurological issues, autoimmune diseases, and other chronic health problems, making the case for safe amalgam removal compelling.”
This part was originally written on 4-17-13
Have you ever had to have an amalgam (silver, mercury) filling removed? Did you give it a second thought at all? Did your dentist make it sound like it was a regular and safe procedure? Was there no discussion at all about how to safely remove your amalgam fillings?
I wrote, "Should I Be Concerned About the Removal of Amalgam Fillings," a few months ago. Since then, I have done some research and talked to the IAOMT, International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, to find out more about locating a holistic dentist (meaning the dentist is taking into account the effects of what he/she does on the whole person) to safely remove the amalgam fillings in my mouth. I have also read all of the information that Leo Cashman, President of DAMS, (this website no longer exists) Dental Amalgam Mercury Solutions, sent to me.
Let me first start by saying that I was very correct to be very concerned about the safe removal of my amalgam fillings. I am not saying this to scare you, but to once again, inform you of something that is often taken with a grain of salt. Having amalgam or silver fillings removed is a big deal! If not done properly, you could develop even further mercury poisoning and it could affect you for the rest of your life! When I spoke to Leo Cashman, he said, "removing amalgam fillings can be one of the most dangerous things you do in your lifetime if not done properly!"
I chose one of the nearby holistic dentists from the list that Leo Cashman sent to me. I called and asked them pointed questions (the packet I received from Leo Cashman had a list of questions that I should ask a holistic dentist before having them remove amalgam fillings) about the procedures they follow to remove amalgam fillings. Then I set up an appointment to go and interview the dentist to ask him questions about how he safely removes amalgam fillings.
After my consultation, I felt confident that the dentist I had chosen was going to follow the IAOMT standards and safely remove the amalgam fillings from my teeth.
Yesterday was the day of my first appointment to have two of the four amalgam fillings removed from my teeth and I was very nervous. I was very nervous about the procedure, since I did not know what to expect, other than what I had read on paper and talked to the dentist about. I was also nervous about the possibility of getting further poisoned by mercury during the procedure. I should have known that all of the precautions a holistic dentist takes avoids any further mercury poisoning. That is why I chose a holistic dentist to do this procedure in the first place, right?
Before I left home yesterday for my appointment, I took 2 teaspoons of activated charcoal dissolved in water. This was one of the precautions I read about on the information from Leo Cashmand at DAMS. The activated charcoal helps bind any amalgam particles that will be accidentally swallowed during amalgam removal.
My new holistic or "biological" (some of the dentists prefer to call themselves "biological," meaning that they pay attention to the health effects of what they are doing) dentist really helped put me at ease when I sat in his chair to start the procedure.
I, being the inquisitive (and nervous) type, asked the doctor to quickly run through (again) what he was going to do. Information, for me, is vital and key to my comfort (if you follow my blog, you probably know that by now about me).
When having amalgam fillings removed, a holistic or biological dentist will remove the fillings by quadrants (your mouth is made up of four quadrants, upper right, upper left, lower right, lower left). So, yesterday, the two amalgam fillings (teeth numbers 2 and 3) in the upper right quadrant were the target.
Steps My Dentist Took to Safely Remove the Amalgam Fillings:
1. When we started, the doctor put a topical anesthetic on the inside of my cheek before giving me the shot to numb the area he was working on.
2. Then he gave me the shot (by the way, I hate shots in my mouth but did not feel this one at all because of the topical) to numb the entire area so I would not feel a thing (side note - I did not feel anything but if I did during the procedure, he said to just raise my hand).
3. After my upper right quadrant was numb, he put a clean-up suction tip, an enclosure that fits around the tooth being worked on. A suction arm on the clean-up draws amalgam particles and mercury vapor away from the tooth.
4. A dam (like a curtain) was draped over my face in order to provide a physical barrier to prevent amalgam particles from going down into my mouth and throat. A nitriel dam blocks passage of mercury vapor much better than latex rubber does.
5. A high volume air vacuum system that drew air away from my mouth (I held the end of the vacuum host under my chin) was used.
6. A surgical drape was used as a barrier.
7. Clean air was delivered through a nose mask that I wore since mercury vapor and fine amalgam particles can build up in the room.
I do not have an actual picture of me getting this work done yesterday but this one gives you an idea of what all of this looks like:
The IAOMT safe amalgam removal protocol recommendations were most recently updated on July 19, 2019. You can read about that here. And here is a list of biological dentists on the IAOMT website.
To YOUR Health!
Jen
The information presented on this blog is not intended to take the place of your personal physician’s advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. It is for informational purposes only.
