Protect Your Overall Health With Safe Mercury Removal

Mercury is a neurotoxin but did you know that it is also the main ingredient in your metal fillings? Other elements include tin, copper, and zinc but mercury represents roughly half of the mixture. If you have metal fillings, you may want to consider safe amalgam removal in Westchester, CA.  Dr. A. J. Boyajian, replaces metal fillings with biocompatible porcelain to improve your overall health as well as the beauty of your smile.

For more information on Safe Mercury Removal and other services provided in our office, please call and schedule an appointment with Dr. Boyajian

Healing an Injured Tooth

The method of treatment varies from injury to injury and depends on the severity of the damage done. Most injuries are caused by accidents that happen quickly. Major injuries are fairly noticeable because of the bleeding, pain, or visible cracks or chips in the tooth — or maybe it has been knocked out completely. Minor injuries may not be as noticeable at first, but are just as harmful to the tooth. For example, a small crack may occur nearer to the root than the crown and cause damage to the dentin, nerve, pulp, and blood flow to that tooth. Someone may choose to ignore the pain if it is minor enough. But when the tooth starts turning gray or black because it has “died,” then it is probably too late to salvage. If the person had had the tooth closely examined and x-rayed by a dentist, he probably would have been able to avoid the slow decay.

When there is damage to the tooth’s structure, besides preserving what natural structure we can, of equal priority is to protect it from further damage. Ozone gas, of course, works wonderfully for crawling into the microscopic cracks and crannies (whether old or new), completely sterilizing everything inside and out, halting any further decay or infection, and providing an ideal site for strong repairs and healing.

A dental laser is also a useful tool when repairing injured teeth. The laser can be used doubly for sterilization and cleaning out dead tissues that may have accumulated. Shaping soft tissues (gums) and speeding up healing are more of the laser’s useful benefits. To repair cracks and chips, laser- or light-cured composite may be used, and they are much stronger, far less risky, healthier, and better-looking than amalgam. For structure damage, whether caused by poor hygiene/diet or injury, laser-cured composite actually bonds to the tooth itself unlike the silver-mercury amalgam, which will likely crack and separate because of its non-biocompatibility and sensitivity to temperature changes.*

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

*In other words, don’t consume hot things and cold things simultaneously. That’s one fast way to spring cracks and leaks in your amalgam fillings. While you’re at it, make an appointment to just get them replaced completely. It’s bad to keep mercury in your body.

Post-Mercury-Removal Recommendations

Since it’s likely that the mercury levels in your body will quickly spike as your amalgam fillings are removed, you should consider paying special attention to your health (nutrition and diet, in particular) in order to supply your body with the best ammo for serious detoxing. I have the ability to refer you to nutritionists and health specialists. Pregnant/nursing mothers should not get the procedure done until they are neither pregnant (or trying to be) nor nursing. Those with known sensitivities to mercury should consult a doctor knowledgeable about mercury and its effects on the human body before attempting the removal.

Take special care of your diet before and after the procedure to help your tissues detox. Also pay attention to your physical health and alert your physician and/or dentist about anything negatively out of the ordinary.

As you can see, this is serious stuff! Mercury poisoning is no frivolous matter. Here are a few helpful links with content directed towards patients about the whys and wherefores of mercury and removing it.

http://iaomt.org/patients/index.asp

http://dentalwellness4u.com/breaking/breaking.html

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

Removing Mercury Holistically and Safely

Once you’ve decided to have the mercury in your mouth removed and replaced, some important precautions need to be taken:

  • Be aware that even when correctly removed, a mercury filling or crown releases astronomical amounts of mercury vapor and even visible debris. Sometimes, inevitably, there is a rise in mercury levels in the human body. However, now that the source of mercury is gone and the body will continue trying to detoxify itself, the amount will decrease over time.
  • It is important not to swallow while getting the amalgam replaced. This is probably the most uncomfortable aspect of the process, but should not be much of a bother considering the great service you’re doing for your health in the long run.
  • The time and effort involved in amalgam removal depend on how much mercury is in the mouth. Some may have one small filling; others, several crowns and fillings. It’s too bad that conventional dentists are not hesitant to pump mouths full of the stuff. Getting it back out is so much less convenient than putting in in.
  • I like to use the Isolite system for a hassle-free mercury removal procedure. An Isolite mouthpiece provides light, suction, and a tongue barrier all in one. An Isolite helps protect much of the oral cavity (your mouth) from flying mercury debris.
  • As an extra precaution, I use a powerful suctioning machine that stands nearby and safely “vacuums” up the mercury debris that may be released while the amalgam is removed. This machine is very important. When mercury is broken into pieces and removed, not only does the patient need to be careful of exposure, but the entire rest of the office does, too. Microscopic traces of mercury could very well go undetected, causing a toxic environment for everyone.

In the next post, I’ll go over what should happen after mercury is removed.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

Overview of Mercury-Safe Dentistry

Holistic dentistry calls for not using metals or toxins when treating patients. However, sometimes patients come in, previously having had fillings or crowns using mercury placed in their mouths by another dentist. It is imperative that patients have this work removed and redone as soon as possible, and I’ll explain why in a second.

Some dentists proudly tout their positions as being mercury-free offices. But there’s a difference between mercury-free and mercury-safe dentistry. Mercury-free dentistry does not incorporate mercury into any part of its practice; however, that does not automatically include the priority of removing/replacing preexisting mercury from regular patients.  And even then if it does, does its staff know how to do it safely?

Mercury is most toxic to the human body when it is vaporized, because that is the form of mercury most easily spread and embedded throughout the tissues. Mercury vapor is constantly emanating from amalgam fillings, set off by body heat, movement during speech, chewing, teeth grinding, etc. Even when perfectly still, low levels of mercury vapor still leak into your system. Some people feel its effects sooner, and others later; those effects may be drastic or occasional inconveniences (migraines out of nowhere, for instance). Unfortunately, mercury poisoning is usually misdiagnosed for other illnesses because its range of symptoms is so wide. Thus mercury toxicity hides under the radar for long periods of time, in many cases for life. Mercury is particularly threatening to brain and nerve health. Pregnant or nursing mothers and children should take the biggest precautions to avoid exposure to mercury.

The human body is always in a state of cleansing or detoxifying. The standard American diet, along with the general exposure to daily environmental toxins, chemicals, drugs, and dangerous materials, already puts toxic burdens on our bodies that are too heavy to bear. Our bodies are accumulating more toxins faster than we can get rid of them. Why compound the problem by tolerating mercury in our teeth?

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

Thinking Ahead

After taking into consideration that what goes into your body is going to affect the long-term health of your teeth, what do you think needs to happen so your dental work will last just as long?

Having already reviewed some damaging effects of invasive dentistry, you now know that “invading”/intervening with the natural tooth’s structure is not what you should pursue if you want your teeth to last (and maintain great condition) as long as your life. Remember:  if you lived to be 100 years old, choose sustainable dentistry that will last you just as long. If you are eating well and taking care of your body in all other ways, your body and, therefore, your teeth will be strong, healthy, and functional for a long time. Sounds like a good plan for the later years, right? Save yourself as many physical, emotional, and financial burdens associated with bad health as you can now. The cure for any disease is to avoid it in the first place!

What if you have already had work done on your teeth that is not sustainable? Well, if it includes mercury-saturated amalgam, it is best to get that replaced immediately. Not only will it need replacement after a handful of years — over and over again until there is no more tooth, but a stub needing a crown — but it will also infiltrate tissues throughout your entire body with poisonous mercury. No matter how well you take care of yourself, mercury constantly leeching into your body from your teeth will never allow you to progress towards complete wellness. As your body degenerates with age, mercury poisoning will speed that process up and bring on a host of symptoms that will (almost universally) lead the average doctor to the wrong diagnosis. It will be left untreated, you will be left confused and miserable, and there won’t be enough time left to detoxify.

Don’t put mercury in your mouth!

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

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Dangers of Leaving Cavities Too Long

So what happens to cavities if you just leave them there? Well, cavities in their early stages cannot be felt by the person, but they can be spotted visually by the dentist. It’s a fairly uncomplicated fix at this point — a filling and regular cleanings to prevent further damage. But if the cavity has worn its way through to the dentin, the tooth is noticeably sensitive to heat, cold, or touch. At this point, a barrier must be laid over the damaged dentin, and then filling material to cover and seal the opening. If a cavity is yet still left untreated, the tooth’s nerve and pulp become infected and immense pain is experienced. A full root canal is required to clean out and seal off the tooth, along with reconstruction and reinforcement to rebuild the tooth’s strength, and a crown to replace the tooth loss.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

Safe Mercury Removal

Most of the public has been told that the metal filling up their cavities is silver. Most American dentists either are not informed or choose to ignore the fact that a high amount of mercury is contained in amalgam, and continues to release mercury vapor even after the filling has hardened.

Mercury is one of the most toxic substances known to man, and the reality of how many people contain it in their mouths is even more frightening. Any disturbance, such as chewing, brushing, or even licking the fillings absentmindedly releases harmful amounts of Hg atoms that envelop themselves into the innermost tissues of your body, particularly the digestive system, the liver, the lungs, and the brain. Many people are allergic to mercury, and live with serious allergic reactions to the fillings in their mouths, hardly aware that the fillings themselves are the cause of their distress. Many diagnosed “diseases” or “disorders” were never healed, because the root problem was never identified or acknowledged.

It is vital that amalgam be removed from a patient’s mouth as soon as possible. We are a mercury-free practice, taking every safety measure possible to prevent the patient and the doctor from inhaling mercury vapor through amalgam filling removals. A mercury detoxification process is strongly recommended after amalgam has been removed from a patient. For one who has had amalgam fillings removed, we have many resources and guidelines about how to get started with this.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

Isolite Technology

At the ADA Session last month, I encountered Isolite’s exhibit where they were performing some demonstrations with their new-and-updated versions. I have been using this technology in my dentistry for some time, and it is, hands down, one of the best tools ever invented.

Lately, my Isolites have been tiring out and not functioning as well as they could have been. I actually spoke with the inventor at the Session, and he offered to replace all of mine at no cost! It was very generous of him.

Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

http://www.isolitesystems.com/system.asp

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Amalgam (Silver Fillings) Removal

(Continued from the previous post:)

Be careful when you have your amalgam filling(s) removed; for several hours the numbness in your face will hinder good judgment on whether your bite feels normal again (when your teeth fit together as you clench down, like normal chewing).

When Dr. Boyajian refills your teeth, a tiny bit of extra filling will stick out above the tooth, and you’ll be able to feel it. He will sand it down to match the rest of your natural tooth’s shape, and check your bite on a piece of film to get rid of any good-bite-blockage. I thought I was good to go, but as “Mrs. Marshmallow Face”, I should have been more careful in determining the status of my bite! Ever so subtly, I can feel just something there that makes my bite go just a bit crooked and it’s not how I remember it. My jaw muscles have also been feeling slightly more tired. Then occasionally I will find myself subconsciously clenching — almost grinding, like my jaw wants to go back to the old way of chewing but can’t find a way. The funny thing is, is that it hardly bothers me at all, but in reality this must be fixed quickly. Even minor adjustments such as this grow into bigger problems. I read and hear about TMJ a lot now, and I’m realizing that this is a way it can start, and I’m thankful I’ve recognized it early! I am going back to the office in a few days to shave off some more of the fillings so my normal bite will return.

If this has ever been your case (maybe you had your fillings removed a long time ago, and you remember not feeling quite normal, but you ignored it and it became the new “normal”), do not wait to have that fixed or at least examined by a dentist! Straying from the natural way your teeth should fit together is terrible for your jaw in the long run. TMJ disorders develop from those “insignificant” bothers, and it’s so important to communicate with your dentist of ANYTHING that wasn’t the way it was before. Granted, it may not always be a negative result, but it is still important to speak up, because the dentist knows a whole lot more about what’s right/wrong in our mouths.

www.dentalwellnessarts.com

Removing My Fillings

(Continued from the previous post:)

So here’s how the procedure went:

I sat in the chair. It was comfy. They started by numbing my mouth up so I wouldn’t feel the drilling. Once it kicked in, shields and suction things were placed in my mouth and around our heads so any mercury vapor wouldn’t escape into our lungs.

They drilled out each filling on the right side of my mouth first, cleaned it, refilled those teeth with the right kind of filling, and cleaned everything once more. They had me rinse, but I had lots of trouble because I could not even feel my lips or tongue, and not dripping all over my bib was quite a task. Plus, I was not allowed to swallow at all the entire time (that was the hardest part).

I sat back down, they did the same thing to the other side of my mouth, and just like that, it was finished! They sanded down the fillings to correct my bite, had me rinse and gargle and wash once more, and I was good to go! Well, except for my mouth still being completely numb. My husband was having a ball teasing me about my “thilly thpeecthhh.”

For the next couple of weeks/months while the mercury level in my body is spiking, I will have to go through a special detox to get rid of all traces; but once that’s over, I will not ever have to worry about it again. And I have all-white teeth again, thank goodness!

www.dentalwellnessarts.com