Here is How to Find Out + How to (Safely) Remove Them
“Dental amalgam” is a term you may have come across if you’ve ever had a filling put in your tooth, at the dentists. In fact, dentists have used these fillings for more than 150 years, but it may be time to consider them as outdated and ask ourselves whether they were a good choice in the first place.
It might come as a surprise to you, but dental amalgams are made up of 50% mercury, 35% silver, 15% tin and other metals.
Back in the days, liquid silver mercury was the hardest substance available, and it was highly durable. But when the mercury was delivered into the dentists office, staff were not allowed to touch it and had to use protective equipment to handle it.
So, you may wonder, why would you want to keep a dangerous materials like this in your mouth? The answer is: you shouldn’t.
Mercury is linked to a lot of health issues.
In fact, some countries in Europe, like Germany, Sweden and Denmark, have even banned mercury fillings because of its toxicity… that says a lot!
If you’ve had silver fillings sometime in the past, it means you’ve had long exposure to mercury toxicity.
Mercury can be released into your body every time you chew your food, or when you drink a hot drink, like tea or coffee and especially if you are a ‘teeth grinder’ when you sleep.
According to a recent study with 20,000 participants, people with amalgam fillings have higher levels of mercury in their saliva. For 30% of these people, the levels are so high that they go over the tolerable limits set by the World Health Organisation.
Such numbers are alarming. However, this issue is still not discussed enough, so we need to bring awareness to the dangers of mercury fillings.
The Dangers of Mercury
Having poisonous metals in your body can cause health problems, such as nerve destruction, kidney and skin disease, headaches, and even problems as serious as respiratory failure and brain damage.
The range of ailments that have been linked, directly or indirectly, to low-level mercury poisoning include chronic fatigue syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Eczema, Parkinson’s, and Alopecia.
How to Know if You Have Mercury Poisoning
There are a couple of ways poisoning from mercury or other dangerous metals reveals itself.
Some symptoms of mercury poisoning are psychological.
For example, if you feel depressed, have recently started feeling more anxious or have experienced panic attacks, this could be the impact of mercury on your brain.
Other symptoms may include memory loss, numbness, tingling, sharp shooting pain, hair loss, skin eruptions and a deterioration of vision.
If you have one (or a few) amalgam fillings, it would be worthwhile monitoring yourself to see if you are experiencing any of these symptoms to rule out the possibility of dangerous heavy metal poisoning.
The sooner you notice these issues, the sooner you can get the fillings removed and gain your health back.
Should you Remove Mercury Fillings? I think so!
Where Else Does Mercury Enter the Body?
Mercury is also found in many vaccines/immunisations (sometimes under the disguised names as Thiomerosal/Merthiolate – used as a preservative) as well as large ocean fish (e.g. swordfish, tuna, marlin, etc.).
However, a report published by the World Health Organisation in 1991 claimed that dental amalgam is the primary source of mercury exposure in humans (unless of course an individual has had multiple vaccines).
Despite this, most dental practices do not recommend amalgam removal and many of the ones that remove fillings don’t adhere to adequate protocols to reduce mercury exposure during the removal process.
Unfortunately, this was my own personal experience with having my mercury fillings removed:
“Many years ago, I performed the “Hair Mineral/Heavy Metal Test” and my levels of mercury were very high. So in order to rid myself of any traces of mercury, I decided to have my silver fillings removed. I approached a ‘holistic dentist’ in Sydney, to have my 3 fillings removed in one session. The Dentist was very hesitant to remove them, saying that nothing was as strong as mercury and would not last.
I requested a rubber dam for safety measures and he refused, claiming that there was no such thing as mercury poisoning and there was no science to prove it. So feeling very pressured, I went ahead anyway and he removed the 3 fillings.
Guess what? The day after the removal, I suffered from mercury poisoning!
I experienced diarrhoea, vomiting, headaches, and skin eruptions for one week. I felt so bad I thought I might die.”
Mercury poisoning is a very real thing and this is not an isolated case.
Studies show that if amalgam fillings are removed using standard methods, there can be a 300-400% increase in mercury poisoning.
So the answer is: YES, you should get your dental amalgams removed… safely.
The Procedures recommended by dentists who know how to safely remove amalgams include:
- Supplementation with a broad-range of antioxidants and chelating nutrients before, during and after the removal.
- Gradual removal of amalgams, usually one quadrant (one side, upper or lower jaw) at a time, to avoid overloading the system with the mercury that is released during removal.
- Using a rubber dam, which prevents particles of amalgam from being swallowed.
- A separate air supply fixed to the nose, so that mercury vapour is not inhaled through the mouth.
- Keeping the amalgam wet at all times while drilled, to prevent vaporisation.
- Use of high suction to capture vapours as they are released from the filling.
- Sequential removal of fillings in order of highest negative current down to the lowest positive current.
- In some cases of suspected severe exposure, or with a large symptom response, chelation therapy with EDTA (a medical procedure) is recommended.
Benefits of Amalgam Removal
Having your teeth and mouth metal-free comes with many benefits, ones that your body will thank you for long into the future.
Clear skin
If you have been doing everything right in terms of skin care but still can’t seem to get rid of acne, (or dermatitis) it may be because of your mercury fillings. Removing your dental amalgams may be the key to finally seeing improvements in your skin eruptions!
Brain health
Mercury and other heavy metals like aluminium, can seriously affect your brain tissue. As mentioned earlier, amalgam fillings can cause problems as serious as brain deterioration and damage, along with nerve damage.
Removing your mercury fillings will reduce the metal build-up in your body and improve your brain health.
Liver health
Mercury negatively affects the liver, which in turn impacts your overall health. Liver abnormalities may occur due to high levels of mercury in the body, but liver detoxification can be achieved by having your amalgam fillings removed, then clearing the liver with herbal medicines and target nutrients.
Photo by Alexander Krivitskiy on Unsplash
Heavy Metal Detoxification & The Heavy Metal & Mineral TEST
If you have decided that removing your amalgam fillings is the best option for your health, make sure that your dentist uses the correct procedures to reduce the risk of mercury poisoning. Otherwise fragments and minute mercury particles can be absorbed through the saliva glands and straight into your cervical glands/lymph nodes.
Consider having a discussion with your dentist prior to the removal. You want to make sure everything will be done up to your safety standards and that you will feel as comfortable as possible.
Don’t be afraid to “shop around” for the right dentist, who will listen to your concerns. Use the procedure list above to ensure they will follow each step rigorously.
Looking for a SMART-certified dentist is a good place to start.
You can do a “Heavy Metal Test” (from home or in-clinic) before or after your amalgam filling removal or both!
Here is a Sample Test below for you to look at:
Heavy Metal Testing
Hair metal and mineral analysis measures nutrient and toxic metal content of hair. As the constituents of the hair are determined by the entry of substances from external sources and from substances that enter it from the blood stream, hair makes an ideal medium for analysis.
Hair can contain minerals and metals and can accumulate over long periods of time. A wide range of metals and minerals can be measured in one sample to provide status of cellular activity and nutrient metabolism. Every physiological function in the body is catalysed by minerals.
Since the structure of hair remains unchanged, the minerals are fixed in the hair and levels in hair do not significantly change once that portion of hair has grown. The analysis accurately provides concentrations of minerals that have accumulated in the hair tissue over the hair growth period, approximately one to three months.
Heavy metals toxicity can be caused by exposure to pollution, chemicals and poisons (such as mercury and aluminium). It is a growing threat to the population as metals deposit in body tissues leading significant developmental and neurological damage. Heavy metal toxicities can also lead to numerous health conditions including those affecting the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, muscle, skeletal, skin and nervous systems.
Common Conditions of Heavy Metal Poisoning:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Immune dysfunction
- Toxicity
- Muscular skeletal conditions
- Metabolic syndrome
- Skin conditions
- Immune and inflammatory condition
- Mental health disorders
- Allergies
A 6-Week, Naturopath-prescribed, Heavy Metal Detox Program can be a good start and solution to your health issues and a metal-free health journey. This is a great option for someone who wants to ensure their body is safely returned to a clean and healthy state, without the fear of the possible long-term adverse reactions and side effects of poisonous heavy metals.
The 6-week Heavy Metal Detox Program gives you a detailed plan on how to cleanse your body through foods, target vitamins, minerals and amino acids, herbal extracts and more.
It includes some healthy and tasty recipes and a shopping list to get you started.
This quick and easy Test above, provides a reading of your mineral status along with the heavy metal status over the last 2-3 months.
This will put your mind at ease that all the toxins from mercury and other dangerous metals have been removed from your body.
To find out about (or book) a Hair Mineral/Heavy Metal Test – Click Here
If you are interested in the Revitalising 6-Week Heavy Metal Detox Program, please send me an email to let me know when you’d like to start: lindpark@bigpond.net.au
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