SAFE AMALGAM/MERCURY REMOVAL (SMART Protocol) IN INDIA: WHY, WHAT AND HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE?

Dental amalgam was a common material used to fill cavities and still is used at many dental practices. Fillings made with amalgam are also commonly known as silver fillings or metallic fillings. Over the years, concerns have been raised about the use of amalgam for dental fillings because it contains mercury which is highly toxic to human body.

Nowadays, tooth colored fillings are the latest way to do fillings. There are different type of tooth colored fillings which can be classified on the type of material, strength and level of biocompatibility.  As at Dent Ally, we follow holistic/biological dentistry, our practice is mercury free and we only do the most biocompatible tooth colored fillings also known as biological fillings.

The tooth colored biological fillings that are done at Dent Ally are not only one of the most aesthetic, but also are the most bio compatible fillings that are available, which are beneficial to the overall health of the patient as they contain no amount of Bis-Phenol A (BPA) monomers or any other free radicals which act as the toxic components present in commonly used tooth colored filling materials.

TAKEAWAY 1: Given the advancements in dentistry, only opt for tooth colored biological and biocompatible fillings.

ARE MERCURY FILLINGS TOXIC?

The mercury in fillings releases low levels of mercury vapour, which is absorbed into the bloodstream and in the lungs and then taken to the kidneys to be passed out in the urine. High levels of vapour are associated with harming the kidneys and brain.

People who are allergic to mercury will start to show signs such as skin rashes and mouth sores.

While mercury has been found to be toxic and dangerous, there are lack of peer reviewed studies that link amalgam to major diseases and what is the extent of damage that mercury fillings can cause.

IS IT CRITICAL TO REMOVE THEM?

Studies have shown reduction in mercury levels in blood and urine post removal of fillings. The criticality for amalgam fillings removal mainly depend upon the symptoms and problems one may be facing.

In case you do decide to get your mercury fillings removed, it is critical to get it done in a safe manner, by following a safe amalgam removal protocol and should be done only by a certified dentist or dental practice following biological concept of dentistry. Also while getting the mercury amalgam removal the replacement filling material also should be decided from before, as the removal will definitely be  needing a biological biocompatible replacement..

Improper removal of amalgam fillings may lead to dangerous mercury exposure, thus causing more damage than benefit.

TAKEAWAY 2: When going in for mercury amalgam removal do check the correct  removal protocol used and the availability of biological biocompatible fillings.

WHAT IS THE CORRECT WAY TO REMOVE MERCURY?

Utilizing the available scientific evidence, the IAOMT has developed extensive safety recommendations for removal of existing dental mercury amalgam fillings, including detailed protective measures that are to be utilized for the procedure. The IAO MT’s recommendations build upon traditional safe amalgam removal techniques such as the use of masks, water irrigation, and high volume suction by supplementing these conventional strategies with a number of additional protective measures, the need for which have only recently been identified in scientific research.

At Dent Ally, as our team members are IO AMT certified, we follow the SMART protocol for removal of mercury/amalgam fillings.

In India, dentist at Dent Ally dental clinic in New Delhi are the only IAOMT certified dentists and Dent Ally is one of the very few clinics which follow this SMART protocol for safe removal of amalgam in India.