Beware the Wholistic/Holistic Dentists Here
Dentists, believe it or not are humans. The variety is the same in all professions, trades and religions. They are not all the same. Just as we are attracted to some people and not others, will be reflected in who you choose to work with. Most dentists are good people who are trying to do the best for their patients. Most are honest. Most are mercury poisoned to some degree. Most are indoctrinated to KNOW that what the dental associations and the old professors are saying is correct. If you find an open minded one there is an opportunity to educate them. So how do you make the choice?
First and foremost, you need to become informed. You need some understanding of issues that are critical for your health. Read as much as you can. Visit their websites and read about their information, treatments offered and an idea of their philosophy. “Treatments’ that are completely unacceptable and should be rejected are Amalgam Fillings, Root Canal Procedures, Fluoride Poisoning on your teeth, and Implants.
Then go shopping. It is time to interview and get a variety of treatment options before making the decision. There are many questions to ask and many answers to WRITE DOWN. Take a list of questions and ask for a one hour appointment. As mentioned on other pages, I used to send all my new patients a small information booklet as well as a medical history questionnaire. explore these documents and even if just for your own sake fill out the medical history questionnaire. This will be a great place to start a consultation with a new dentist. Informed consent is a process not an expectation. Make life easier for yourself and let your fingers do the walking. If you can get a recommendation from people you trust, that will be the best place to start.
Question 1- “Do You Use Amalgam?”
Always ring the proposed new dental practice and ask the receptionist one simple question – does the dentist use amalgam? The only acceptable answer is ‘NEVER’. Often you will get an answer like ‘only when it is absolutely necessary’. You should know straight away that the dentist hasn’t got a clue about the dangers of mercury, nor the knowledge and expertise to do a basic composite filling. It isn’t rocket science. It is never necessary to use amalgam. Many dentists hate amalgam because it is unaesthetic. Usually, their fillings do not fall out. They have learnt how to do them properly.
Read through the Amalgam Removal Protocols.
If a dentist uses amalgam, you can guarantee that there will be some ‘waste amalgam’ lurking in the machine which mixes it. There will likely be specs in the corners, on the floors, in and around the autoclave and garbage areas and on many of the instruments which will be used in your mouth. There will have to be an area somewhere on the premises, where waste amalgam is stored. Even if the dentist is really conscientious and stores the amalgam waste under photographic fixer in a sealed glass jar, there will still be mercury vapour escaping through the glass, and every time the container is opened. How would you feel sitting in the waiting room while the nurse is autoclaving (high temperature sterilization) instruments that have specs of amalgam on them? There will be enormous mercury levels in such an environment. There is a good chance that you will be poisoned by going into the waiting room. If you are already sick from the amalgam in your head, you will be particularly sensitive to exposure to more mercury. This is the number one issue. If you are a dentist taking offence to these words, I suggest you look at the information in the rest of this site. Do not be offended – it is about the best outcome for the patient, your staff and yourself. See The Effects of Mercury on Dental Personnel and also the Maximum Allowable Mercury Levels pages.
One would think that the Environmental Protection Agencies would be concerned – to date they have never taken any action. How about Occupational Safety and Health? They also seem to be reluctant to take on the dental profession. In the words of Professor Julius Sumner Miller, ‘Why is it so?’
Question 2 – Is your suction motor vented to the outside of the building?
If they pass the first question and never uses amalgam, the next question that must be asked is “does the suction system used in the surgery vent to the outside of the building?” This slightly technical question is one which most people would hesitate to ask, but it is critical information. If their suction is vented to the outside of the building and the dentist does not use amalgam, you might consider making an appointment.
Most dentists are unaware of this source of mercury poisoning and it is certainly worth trying to educate them for their own good, if not that of the patients. The suction tip in your mouth is connected to a suction motor. There are sections along the path from the suction tip to the motor, which separate solid waste and also liquid waste, so that these cannot get into the motor and wreck it. There is nothing that stops mercury vapour passing all the way through and out the other side of the suction motor. No, it is not nice to pump this out into the air/environment. Of course not, but you see it’s going to get there anyway. The difference is that it is not coming via the dental surgery.
When a suction motor is not vented to the outside of the building, the whole of the premises becomes a toxic gas chamber. See the studies on mercury levels in dental surgeries. They are astronomical. They often exceed EPA’s maximum levels by hundreds of times. Even though the dentist may not use amalgam, every time that he/she cuts an amalgam filling, that mercury vapor cloud is going to fill the whole premises. You do not want to be sitting in this.
The suction must be vented to the outside of the building. This is not a debatable point. Many dentists seem to believe that the filters on these machines are enough to stop everything and claim that they are complying with regulations. This they may well be doing, but the filters that they rely on usually do NOT stop mercury vapour. I once saw the air conditioning intake from a restaurant, directly above the exhaust of a dentist’s suction motor. This also complied with regulations!
Question 3 – “Do you use a Rubber Dam when removing an amalgam?”
This is for everyone who has an amalgam filling removed. If the dentist drills out your filling without any protection for you, you will be expected to swallow, or spit out the bits of ‘waste’ amalgam that are left in your mouth. These may range in size from big lumps to microscopic particles. In other words, you have been illegally and (un)professionally poisoned. This is the norm in most dental surgeries because this is what is taught at universities. Very few will protect the patient or themselves!
See the full Amalgam Removal Protocols Here
In 2002 the National Health and Research Council in Australia (NHMRC) advised;
“If you decide to have amalgam fillings replaced, your exposure to mercury can be reduced by using a rubber shielding device called a ‘dental dam’ and having extra suction during the removal. …”
On the one hand they claim that amalgam is perfectly safe and that the mercury coming off the amalgam is safe. On the other hand they advise using protection when drilling the stuff out of your mouth. Which should we believe?
In the words of the bard, “they are neither fish nor flesh”.[i]
If amalgam was introduced today, as a new material, it would have no hope at all of passing safety requirements and as such would have no hope of being introduced onto the market, due to the high levels of mercury released. The only reason amalgam is still available is that it was grandfathered in, and not subjected to the same health standards as newer materials.
Research has clearly shown that when amalgams are placed in teeth as ‘fillings’, the mercury which was present in the amalgam can be detected in virtually every other part of the body within days – brain, kidney, lungs, heart, etc.
Using a rubber dam will reduce inhalation and swallowing of about 90% of amalgam particles and vapour.[ii],[iii],[iv],[v],[vi],
There are a number of dentists who are claiming that rubber dam is not really needed when removing amalgam, because they have a different tool or technique. I categorically disagree. The only reason for making such a claim is that they are either not proficient in how to use it or just bloody lazy. Yes there are a few little tricks to making life easier but it is really easy to use.
I reckon that if you’re not going to do the job properly, than don’t do it. The patient is the one that will suffer. There is no room for short cuts when it comes to mercury vapour.
The Decision
The more information you have and the more questions you ask, the easier it will be to make your decision about who is to do the work in your mouth. There are now many ‘holistic’ and ‘biological’ dentists. You need to be informed to separate the fantastic ones from the sharks. Have a read of this page – Beware the Wholistic/Holistic DentistsHere
[i] Falstaff William Shakespeare
[ii] Mercury levels in plasma and urine after removal of all amalgam restorations: the effect of using rubber dams. Berglund A, Molin M Department of Dental Materials Science, Umea University, Sweden. Dent Mater 1997 Sep;13(5):297-304
[iii] Systemic transfer of mercury from amalgam fillings before and after cessation of emission. Halbach S, Kremers L, Willruth H, Mehl A, Welzl G, Wack FX, Hickel R, Greim H Institute of Toxicology, Institute of Biomathematics and Biometry, GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health, Neuherberg, Oberschleissheim, D-85758, Germany. Environ Res 1998 May;77(2):115-23
[iv] Mercury concentration in blood and urine–before and after the placement of dental amalgam fillings. [Article in German] Babisch W, Kovacic S, Krause C, Roulet JF, Thron JL, Hoffmann M Institut fur Wasser-, Boden- und Lufthygiene des Bundesgesundheitsamtes, Berlin. Zentralbl Hyg Umweltmed 1992 Aug;193(2):175-87
[v] Profile of respirable particulate produced during amalgam removal.Nimmo A., Werley M.S., Tansy M.F., and Martin J.S J Dent Res. 68:Abstract 334, page 223, Mar 1989.
[vi] Particulate inhalation during the removal of amalgam restorations. Nimmo A, Werley MS, Martin JS, Tansy MF Department of Prosthodontics, Temple University, School of Dentistry, Philadelphia, Pa. J Prosthet Dent 1990 Feb;63(2):228-33