Mercury filling replacement therapy
   

Would you like to have your mercury amalgam fillings replaced with tooth coloured alternatives?

Do you have concerns about the possible effects to your health caused by the mercury content of these fillings?

Both of these are issues which have arisen from time to time over the last 100 years or so. The issue of toxicity of mercury in fillings is almost as old as the filling material itself and there has yet to be agreement about it. I hope that the information below will provide you with sufficient information to make an informed decision if you are considering the replacement of your mercury amalgam filings for medical reasons.
Tooth coloured filling materials have been available for about 30 years, but have only relatively recently been of sufficient strength and durability to be used effectively in back teeth. You should be aware that mercury amalgam fillings, despite their visual shortcomings are durable, relatively inexpensive and can be used in a wider range of size of cavity than the more modern tooth coloured filling materials. In consequence, larger amalgam fillings may need to be replaced by a laboratory-made ceramic inlay or crown if a tooth coloured alternative is required.

Mercury filling replacement therapy for medical reasons.

The medical necessity for such treatment is still a matter for debate. There is agreement that mercury vapor is continuously released from amalgam fillings throughout their life and that mercury is a highly toxic material. The disputed matter is the significance and the effect on the health of this amount of free mercury in the body (bearing in mind that we ingest mercury from other sources also). Here are some facts:
One side of
the argument		   And the other   My view
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Mercury filling replacement therapy -The Protocol

Background

This protocol has been developed by the IAOMT (International Association of Oral Medicine and Toxicology – see Mission statement of IAOMT below).

The protocol has been developed to optimize the benefit of removal of mercury amalgam fillings by minimizing the exposure of the patient to mercury vapour released during removal of such fillings.

Patients who undertake this treatment should also consider adjunctive therapy with minerals, vitamins and/or homeopathic preparations (selenium, vitamin C and merc. Sol in particular) both before during and after the removal of the fillings, in order to inhibit the uptake of mercury vapour into organs and to promote the release of mercury from these organs and excretion from the body. The specific requirements should be discussed with your homeopath, naturopath or dentist prior to the treatment being undertaken.

Precautions for Patients

If there are a large number of fillings to be removed the patient should be treated one quarter of the mouth at a time. The first quadrant should be that which contains the largest filling and so on so that the least “affected” quadrant is treated last.

Wherever possible, rubber dam should be placed during the removal of the fillings and this should be changed regularly so that amalgam vapour does not concentrate underneath the dam. (Mercury vapour can permeate through the dam). The patient should have eye-protection as per usual and this may be supplemented by the patient having damp gauze placed over closed eyes. The patient should be provided with a nose piece and an suitable length of tubing so that they are not breathing in the aerosol created during the removal of the fillings.

The surgery should be well ventilated and a fan placed so as to disperse the aerosol immediately around the patient’s mouth.

Even if amalgams fillings are to be replaced with either gold inlays or metal framework crowns, these should not be placed while there are still amalgam fillings in the mouth.