Amalgam Removal, The SMART Way
Preserving your health, one smile at a time.
Mercury, often used in dental amalgam for fillings, presents serious environmental concerns. Once released into the environment (air, soil, water), mercury can harm wildlife for centuries. Dental amalgam, often referred to as “Silver Fillings”, contains about 50% mercury, along with silver, copper, tin, and zinc. In fact, wastewater from dental amalgam has been recognized as the primary sector using mercury in the United States. Consequently, dental offices are the main source of mercury discharges to publicly-owned treatment works (POTWs).
At Asheville Holistic Dentist, we take steps to mitigate these environmental impacts. During the removal of silver fillings, we use devices called Amalgam Separators to contain the mercury. While it’s not mandated for all dental offices, we choose to bear the extra cost associated with this process as part of our commitment to environmental protection. We hire a Hazard Waste Disposal team to safely remove the contained mercury. This prevents it from being released into our local wastewater.
For more information on this topic, refer to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s Minamata Convention on Mercury and the safe removal of Mercury Fillings guidelines.
How does Asheville Holistic Dentist ensure safe removal of Mercury Amalgam Fillings?
Our office is SMART certified which means we have completed rigorous coursework and testing by the IAOMT to safely remove dental amalgam fillings. We use safety measures like face shields, hair & body impermeable coverings, non-latex dental dams, and specific equipment to ensure safe removal.
Mercury Amalgam Fillings
Mercury Amalgam Fillings are still in use in about 50% of dental practices. To be an “In-Network Dentist” with insurance companies can require that you have the product available in your office for patients to choose. While you, personally, may choose not to have Mercury Amalgam fillings – it does not mean that the dental office does not have this product in active use (in order to be an in-network insurance dentist). Here at Asheville Holistic Dentist, this product is not available on our premises. “In 1991, the World Health Organization confirmed that mercury contained in dental amalgam is the greatest source of mercury vapor in non-industrialized settings, exposing the concerned population to mercury levels significantly exceeding those set for food and for air”. (Source: http://www.who.int/ipcs/publications/cicad /en/cicad50.pdf) For more information – please visit: https://iaomt.org/resources/safe-removal- amalgam-fillings/
How does this happen?
We all have bacteria in our mouths – that is normal. There are good bacteria and there are bad bacteria. Some of these bacteria convert the food we eat into acid, especially the sugary, starchy foods and sticky foods. This acid starts eating away at our healthy tooth enamel.
When this happens, the disease process we call decay, starts rotting away our teeth. The International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology (IAOMT) have devised techniques for the safe removal of silver, mercury, and amalgam fillings. SMART Certified: Our office has completed the rigorous coursework and testing/examinations by the IAOMT to become a SMART certificated dental office in the safe removal of dental amalgam fillings. The educational programming includes learning about the application of safety measures, including the utilization of specific equipment.
Equipment
In addition to face shields, hair & body impermeable coverings, use of a non- latex dental dam is recommended as well as charcoal & chlorella rinses. External oral aerosol vacuum in addition to high- speed evacuation fitted with a “Clean- Up” device is also utilized Small diameter carbide drills are employed in conjunction with copious amounts of water to section the amalgam into large chunks for removal.
Amalgam Fillings and Removal
Frequently Asked Questions
When Amalgam is removed how is it disposed of?
Once Mercury is released into the air, soil and/or water, it can pose a threat to wildlife for centuries. Waste Water from Dental amalgam has been recognized as the leading end-use sector of mercury in the United States. Dental offices have been recognized as the main source of mercury discharges to publicly-owned treatment works (POTWs).
(Source: https://iaomt.org/resources/dental-mercury-facts/dental-amalgam-mercury-pollution/),
Asheville Holistic Dentist uses Amalgam Separators to contain this substance when removing Silver fillings. We then pay for a Hazard Waste Disposal team to remove the product to prevent it from being released into our local waste water. Again, most dental offices do not have these separators because they are not required.
What filling material is used to replace amalgam fillings when removed?
Once we remove the mercury filling – there are two options that can be utilized to plug the hole caused by the previous silver filling material.
Resin Options: – If your previous Mercury silver filling was small in size, we can use white resin materials to fill in the hole. This is a softer plastic material. It can be compared to using a “spackle” to fill in a small hole in a wall. We use BPA-Free White Resin Filling materials. If you have concerns about the Biocompatibility of these products for you, please ask our staff about having a test performed. (Allow 4 weeks for test results).
Non-Plastic Options: – Most Mercury fillings are wedged into your tooth, leaving them wider at the base underneath than what you see on top of your tooth. Much like its behavior in old thermometers, the mercury expanding/contracting may have additional cracked your remaining tooth enamel. Ceramic Porcelain Filling materials, such as Inlays, Onlays or crowns are required in most instances to “fill-in” the large space left by removing dental mercury amalgam. Especially if molar teeth need to hold up against chewing forces.
Do you place amalgam fillings in your office at all?
Here at Asheville Holistic Dentist, this product is not available on our premises.
Source: https://iaomt.org/resources/dental- mercury-facts/dental-amalgam-mercury- pollution/