Safe Mercury Removal

Although they’re often called “silver” fillings, the dental amalgam used to make them is roughly 50% mercury, one of the most toxic natural elements on Earth. It is especially harmful to the brain.

Because of this, we do not use mercury amalgam in our office. More, we follow strict safety protocols so when we need to remove amalgam fillings, our patients – and the Marin Dental Wellness team, not to mention anyone else who comes into our office – are protected as much as possible from mercury exposure.

The EPA actually designates amalgam as hazardous waste, so it’s no coincidence that so many patients experience overall health improvements after their old mercury fillings have been replaced with biocompatible restorations. Such improvements have been documented in the scientific literature, as well.

But if proper safety procedures aren’t followed, the additional mercury exposure during the removal process can actually make things worse.

Here are the procedures we follow here at Marin Dental Wellness:

Read the protocol with scientific documentation

Despite claims to the contrary, mercury is continually released from amalgam fillings. Some of it is inhaled. From your lungs, it enters the bloodstream, which then carries mercury throughout the body. A healthy person will clear at least some of the metal, but some also harbors in bodily tissues, such as the kidneys and brain. The mercury bioaccumulates, just as it does in fish.

This is why simply removing old fillings isn’t enough. That procedure merely removes the source of toxicity while doing nothing about the mercury that’s built up elsewhere in the body.

For that, detox is needed – and, in the case of individuals with chronic illness that’s been impacted by the presence of amalgam, “pretox” is also needed to ensure that the body is strong and capable enough to detox after the dental procedures.

If you’re in good health, you may be able to do this at home with a protocol we provide for your specific needs. In other cases, supervised detox may be needed, and we work closely with physicians to coordinate your care in this area. If you don’t already have a naturopathic or integrative physician who can provide detox services, we’re happy to refer you to one in the area.