Mercury amalgams are increasingly in the news, and people are becoming better educated about the insidious dangers posed by this toxic kind of dentistry. Here at the Wellness Club we are receiving on an almost daily basis questions from readers who want to have mercury-containing amalgams removed from their mouths, but who want to do so safely.
RJ’s letter to us is typical:
Dear Dr, Myatt,
Thank you for the informative article on amalgam fillings!
Is there a list of dentists around the Country who know how to remove them safely? No one I know seems to be able to recommend a good dentist in the area where I live (the Treasure Valley of Idaho); let alone one who is knowledgeable regarding the above.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
R J
As we have said before, having amalgam removal done safely is the problem.
Many things need to be done to ensure safety from exposure to mercury liberated during the removal procedure, and further, the dentist needs to carefully consider and understand the electrical disturbances that partial removal of mercury amalgams can create.
Many dentists will suggest a regimen of repeat visits where the patient can have one quadrant of the mouth worked on during each of 4 or more sessions – this can be convenient for the dentist and will be promoted to the patient as allowing them to “rest up and recover” during sessions, but it can actually make matters worse as the patient is sent home with very altered galvanic current flows now happening.
This can result in some very serious health problems. The approach we favor, though it sometimes results in tiring marathon sessions for dentist and patient alike, is that all mercury-containing material be removed at the same sitting, or at most in two sittings on consecutive days. Few dentists are willing to do this.
We at the Wellness Club work closely with a local dentist whom we consider to be one of the very best in performing this sensitive work.
Here is what Del Nichols DDS has to say about amalgam removal in his office:
Most materials in the mouth have a current that is either positive (+) or negative (-) but, the natural tooth does not have a charge. The unique principal we have incorporated into our program is that the currents do not come out when they [the amalgams] are removed. The standard for normal removals is to remove one quadrant (upper right, upper left, lower right, or lower left) at a time. The problem with this is the current will reattach to the existing metals in the mouth which can create a meridian overload and an electrical short circuiting. We use an electro current analyzer to determine the currents of the filings. We then remove the highest cumulative current quadrant first, the next highest second and so forth. We will remove the amalgam filings two quadrants at a time and then replace them with the compatible material. Then we remove and replace the next two quadrants. The complete removal is accomplished in either one or two days depending on the number of filings.
Recognizing the potential risks from mercury liberated during the removal process, Dr. Del goes on to say:
We take many precautions to protect the patient during the removal. We use a rubber dam to keep as much debris as we can out of the patients mouth. We use special ionizers and a Swiss filtering system to pull any debris from the air. All of our patients are on oxygen during the entire procedure with gas also available. All staff in the room also have masks on for their protection.
You can see more information about Dr. Nichols’ procedures and safety precautions here.
Though Dr. Del Nichols is not associated with The Wellness Club otherwise, we feel strongly enough about his skills that we have given him space on The Wellness Club website. Interested persons may contact Dr. Del from that page.
We can confidently recommend Dr. Nichols’ work – Dr. Myatt was sufficiently impressed with his knowledge and understanding of the problem that she entrusted the removal of all her mercury amalgam fillings and the follow-up restorations to him. She is very pleased with the results, and with his skills – and when one doctor is enthusiastic about the skills of another doctor, you know you’re on to something good! Dr. Myatt reports that her health is improved following the removal: some small lymph nodes that had been chronically enlarged promptly returned to a normal size within days.
There may be other dentists who are also capable of safely performing this critical work – but we do not have personal experience with them. As Dr. Myatt mentioned in her article Three Hidden Causes of Disease Lurking in Your Mouth “Remember, there is currently no such thing as an holistic dental school (as there are holistic medical schools), so all holistic dentists are self-taught. A very few of them may understand all of the above-listed principals, but in my experience, most do not. The majority are only concerned with amalgam filling removal, and even then, their lack of understanding of the galvanic current phenomena means that they cause more harm than good by failing to remove ALL the offending materials at one time. Further, incautious removal can release mercury into the environment – and the patient – potentially making matters worse!”
There is a resource on the Consumers For Dental Choice website which will allow a person to search for Mercury Free Dentists/Doctors/Health Care Practitioners by State – but again, we urge caution. Question any prospective amalgam removal dentist carefully, and be sure that he or she follows the very best practices to ensure your safety.
