{"id":7886,"date":"2021-09-26T16:33:18","date_gmt":"2021-09-26T16:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myholisticdentist.com\/?p=7886"},"modified":"2022-09-07T23:57:41","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T23:57:41","slug":"holistic-approach-to-amalgam-fillings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myholisticdentist.com\/2021\/09\/26\/holistic-approach-to-amalgam-fillings\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Not Get Exposed to Mercury During Amalgam Removal"},"content":{"rendered":"
Amalgams are silver-colored metal fillings. 50% mercury by volume. It has been estimated that up to 14% of the metal waste in the oceans is from dental amalgam. Its use has been banned entirely in Norway, Denmark and Sweden. In September 2020 an article published in the Journal of Environmental and Public Health stated that mercury pollution has become an issue of global concern, citing the UN sponsored Minamata Convention in 2013. 128 countries, including the United States, have said \u2018yes\u2019 to the Treaty guidelines for mercury emissions. <\/span><\/p>\n Mercury has been identified as a neurotoxin that can cross the blood brain barrier, and it is the second most toxic metal after plutonium. <\/span>The State of California listed mercury as a toxic element under Proposition 65, because it can cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. Here is the actual link to the Prop 65 website listing the mercury warning. <\/a>Prop 65 recommends limiting exposure to mercury and mercury compounds during pregnancy, because it can affect brain development and cause learning and behavior problems in a child. <\/span><\/p>\n These days less and less dentists are recommending amalgams as the filling of choice, offering more choices for composites (white fillings) and porcelain caps\/crowns. However, every week it seems a patient comes in who tells me that their previous dentist is still offering amalgams as being durable, safe and effective for filling cavities. Granted amalgams are easy to place, inexpensive and long lasting. However and unfortunately, amalgam fillings usually outlast the teeth they are placed in. They will microscopically contract and expand with temperature over time, weakening, staining and sometimes breaking the tooth.<\/span><\/p>\n If you look at the picture to the right, you will see what I’m talking about. This tooth just had the silver amalgam removed. As you can see the tooth is cracked and stained dark. This is due to the fact that amalgams are metal and the tooth still flexes during chewing. In essence the tooth cracks around the metal filling until these stress cracks cause the tooth to break. If the tooth breaks due to these cracks, it will need to be crowned or capped. Some dentists will also recommend that a root canal be done. And in severe cases of breakage the tooth may even need to be removed or extracted. Certainly after 30 or 40 years, these old amalgam\/metal fillings should be removed and replaced with more biofriendly composites or porcelain. Nothing lasts forever, including metal fillings!<\/span><\/p>\nAmalgams Crack Teeth, if Left in Too Long<\/h2>\n
Safe amalgam removal is imperative because you don’t want to swallow it or breathe it into your body.<\/strong><\/h2>\n