Holistic dentistry is an approach to dentistry with the belief that the mouth is an integral part of the body and vice versa. It is a system that recognizes the important relationship between oral health and overall body health.
With this approach to dental care, we are aiming to maintain oral health without compromising the rest of the body. The main example is the silver fillings. Although some authorities consider it to be safe, we do not use Amalgam (silver) fillings due to mercury toxicity. We also advise our patients to remove old silver fillings that are breaking down, corroding (rusting) in the mouth, causing fractures, cracks, and harm to the adjacent tooth structure. When removing mercury fillings, we follow strict protocols to reduce mercury exposure to the patient and operators.
Another example is the use of Ozone in our clinic for disinfection of teeth, treating oral and gum infections and before crowns cementations.
Dental amalgam fillings, also known as ”Silver Fillings”, are a mixture of mercury, silver, copper, tin, and zinc. They were founded 150 years ago. They are still used in Canada and the United States and a number of other countries. They contain around 50% elemental mercury which is toxic and poses a dangerous threat to public health as it is released to the environment. Mercury accumulates in the body, and any amount of mercury taken into the body should be considered hazardous, therefore poses serious risks to human health.
Mercury used in amalgam fillings is elemental mercury, which is the same type of mercury used in certain types of thermometers. All forms of mercury are dangerous, and exposure to mercury, even in minute amounts, is known to be toxic and poses significant risks to human health.
Reports and research are consistent that Amalgam silver fillings emit mercury, exposing dental patients, dental professionals, dental staff, and their fetuses to this known neurotoxin. The release of mercury happens by stimulation like chewing, brushing, polishing at a hygiene visit or while grinding the teeth.
A 2005 World Health Organization report warned of mercury: “It may cause harmful effects to the nervous, digestive, respiratory, immune systems and to the kidneys, besides causing lung damage. Adverse health effects from mercury exposure can be tremors, impaired vision and hearing, paralysis, insomnia, emotional instability, developmental deficits during fetal development, and attention deficit and developmental delays during childhood. Recent studies suggest that mercury may have no threshold below which some adverse effects do not occur.”
It is essential to know that alleged dental amalgam safety is currently being successfully challenged with new science. In 2017, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s global, legally-binding mercury treaty, the Minamata Convention on Mercury, entered into force as a means to protect people and the environment. It includes initiatives to phase-down the use of dental amalgam. Some individual countries have already banned dental mercury amalgam, and the European Union is considering a ban by 2030. Dental Amalgam is considered a source of significant mercury exposure and hazard to health.
Whenever possible, we offer healthier alternative dental materials. For example, many people within the dental industry are not aware that filling materials contain BPA and/or its derivatives. BPA which is a bisphenol monomer is a harmful chemical that is released when exposed to heat. Although minute amounts of BPA is safe, there are alternatives that are ceramic-based materials ( ORMOCER) that are more biocompatible with the body. These are organically modified ceramics that has no BisGMA, UDMA or TEGDMA, etc. They are the first all ceramic-based direct filling materials, a pure silicate technology.
Dental Amalgam Pollution Harms the Environment in a Number of Ways:
1-Wastewater from dental offices is the first way that dental amalgam mercury pollution harms the environment. When dental amalgam fillings are placed, cleaned, or removed, mercury can be released into the wastewater from dental offices. The impact is substantial: Dental amalgam has been recognized as the leading end-use sector of mercury in the United States, and dental offices have been recognized as the main source of mercury discharges to publicly-owned treatment works then in turn, be re-released to the atmosphere from incineration and can also contaminate the soil with mercury if the sludge is used as fertilizer.
2-Human waste is a second way that dental amalgam mercury pollution harms the environment. Patients with amalgam fillings excrete over ten times more mercury in their feces than those without mercury fillings.
3-Cremation and burial are a third way that dental amalgam mercury pollution harms the environment. If someone with mercury fillings is cremated, the mercury from the fillings is released into the air, and this results in over 3 tons of mercury emitted to the environment per year. Burying an individual with amalgam fillings means that the mercury is re-deposited directly into the soil.
4-Mercury vapor is a fourth way that dental amalgam mercury pollution harms the environment. Mercury vapor has been found in the air inside and outside of dental offices, and it is also continuously emitted from dental amalgam fillings in human oral cavities.
Our office is equipped with an Amalgam Separator that takes away the mercury from dental wastewater before disposing of it. The Amalgam separator undergoes a strict yearly maintenance program. Amalgam filling particles that are removed from patients teeth are collected and transported to specialized waste disposal companies to be disposed of in a way that does not harm the environment.
We believe the best way to reduce harms from dental amalgam mercury pollution to the environment is to stop using dental amalgam as a filling material, as better alternatives exist, and for dentists to use protective measures to reduce mercury releases during amalgam removal.
Although we are here to address any immediate oral health concerns, your long-term health and experience are extremely important to us. Please don’t hesitate to discuss any questions regarding Amalgam fillings during your dental visit.