In one of the other blog posts, the health risks of amalgam dental restorations was discussed. At Dr. Saylor’s office, there is a very strict amalgam removal protocol that was developed and implemented to prevent mercury exposure to the patient and the dental providers. Below is a pictorial guide to the extensive precautions taken in our office and some of the things you should look for when researching a provider to remove your amalgam fillings.  

 The picture above is a typical amalgam removal set-up for Dr. Saylor.

From a different angle, (photo above) you can see the precautions that are taken to protect the patient and provider alike. The Horton Vacuum is on during removal to reduce mercury vapor and amalgam particles from the ambient air. The patient also has an Isolite Suction Barrier in place. This acts as a safety net in the back of the mouth. It has a continuous flow of high volume evacuation (suction) and protects the patient from swallowing amalgam particulates or mercury vapors. Because mercury can be ingested through the soft tissues, we also have to rinse the oral cavity frequently with cold dental water. The Isolite barrier has a light built into it so that the whole oral cavity is illuminated, allowing Dr. Saylor to identify any stray debris that needs to be removed. 

The photo above illustrates more precautionary measures including Dr. Saylor’s  super filtration mask and the patient’s mask with a constant flow of oxygen to prevent the inhalation of mercury vapors. 

Dr. Saylor, along with many other of today’s leading dentists, is convinced that the mercury alloy, amalgam, is very toxic and does not belong in your mouth. Silver fillings are 50% mercury and this toxin is released when chewing, grinding the teeth, brushing, etc. Any stimulation that heats amalgam releases mercury vapor.  This vapor is tasteless and odorless, so a person has no idea that they are constantly ingesting this toxin.  One of the scariest characteristics of mercury is that it can be ingested orally, inhaled, or absorbed through soft tissues. 80% of inhaled mercury is absorbed, passing quickly from the lungs to the bloodstream and circulating throughout the entire body. Amalgam has been commonly utilized for many years as a dental restorative material with ignorance to its ill effects on our bodies. Better materials have been developed, especially over the last decade, and amalgam fillings are no longer the top choice in dentistry. Now, most providers are leaning towards an amalgam-free practice and primarily utilizing composite resin, a non-metallic, tooth-colored filling material.

Millions of people have silver fillings in their mouths and are under the impression they have “never had any problems” or side effects from these restorations. Increasingly, dentists and patients alike are realizing that symptoms like the ones listed below could be attributed to long-term mercury exposure from amalgam fillings: 

- Anxiety — Confusion — Depression — Lack of Concentration -

- Memory Loss — Slurred Speech — Lethargy -

Mercury is an extraordinarily powerful and cumulative poison that can deplete the body of essential antioxidants, rapidly diminishing a person’s health. Diseases related to chronic mercury poisoning include:

- ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis a.k.a. Lou Gehrig”s Disease) -

- Alzheimer’s Disease — Autism — Chronic Fatigue Syndrome -

- Dementia — Lupus — MS (Multiple Sclerosis) — Parkinson’s Disease -

- Thyroid Disease -

The best way to prevent or combat mercury exposure is to have your amalgam restorations removed and upgraded to a composite resin material. Removal of the filling generates heat, releasing mercury vapor and other alloy dusts into the oral cavity and ambient air supply, so extreme precautions  in the dental office must be taken when amalgam restorations are removed. 

Protection from mercury exposure is important for everyone, but is especially essential for:

• Pregnant or nursing mothers                                                                                           
• Patients who know, or suspect, that they are sensitive to mercury                               
•  Anyone who has experienced an adverse effect after having amalgams placed or removed                                                                                                                
• Anyone with serious immune system disorders, multiple allergies, or serious health problems

The possible mercury exposure is but one of the many reasons to have your amalgam restorations replaced. For more information on how Dr. Saylor safely removes amalgam restorations, see the neighboring blog article titled, “Safe Amalgam Removal”, or reply to this blog post.   

This is a patient that we have seen recently.  He thought that he had broken a filling, but, in reality what we found was that his tooth was broken below the gum line.

*Note the dark line at the back part of tooth.

This entire cusp is separated from the rest of the tooth.  One of  the problems with silver or mercury fillings (besides the obvious health risks) is that they create a wedge effect as they start to age.  If  we had replaced the silver filling with a white or composite filling 2 months ago…an expensive crown would have been prevented!