Tag Archive for: mercury toxicity
Installing or removing amalgam (a.k.a. “silver” or metal) cavity fillings is never, ever recommended while pregnant or breastfeeding. In my book, amalgam should never be installed in the first place, but should certainly be removed as soon as possible. When a developing infant is depending on its mother for nourishment, however, mercury removal is a bad idea.
When amalgam is installed or removed, a spike of mercury is ingested through the mouth, nose, or skin, released into the bloodstream and soft tissues of the body, and then stored in fatty tissue — fatty tissue not only meaning stored body fat, but mostly in the brain and various glands and organs that rely on fat/cholesterol to function properly. This is why you hear primarily about severe nervous or endocrine conditions caused by mercury poisoning, though other symptoms of mercury toxicity run the gamut from random minor complaints to chronic illness. Symptoms may seem completely unrelated, making it difficult to diagnose. But it is definitely there if you’ve been exposed to it, whether or not you “feel” poisoned by it.
With that knowledge, you can imagine how vulnerable a growing baby would be to the mother’s mercury exposure. Conventional dentistry and its literature may tell you otherwise. They say there is little to no significant risk or imminent danger. Many patients testify to having mouths just full of metal or having it installed/removed during pregnancy but deliver and raise kids who are perfectly normal. Let me put it flatly: they do not know what they are talking about. Again, mercury poisoning’s symptoms will not always be obvious. If that stuff is in your body, it will affect you or your offspring. It could be random headaches. It could be infertility or other hormonal discomforts. It could be sluggishness, foggy thinking, or the inability to lose weight. It could be autism or ADHD or another neurological disorder. These problems certainly aren’t getting better in our country, and the number of children developing these problems is steadily increasing, not decreasing! Is it possible this “harmless” amalgam has anything to do with it?
All this to say, causing further disruption to amalgam dental work would be very dangerous for both mom and baby. It is key to have all mercury safely removed from your teeth before conceiving. Don’t wait until pregnancy — planned or not — to care for your health in this important (but too often overlooked) way. Either take care of it now before conceiving, or wait until after weaning when you can have it removed and safely detox without worrying about passing on the poison to your child.
The only ways we’re going to keep having healthy babies and pregnancies is by thinking ahead, thinking critically, staying informed, and applying what we learn.
Dr. Boyajian, West Los Angeles
www.dentalwellnessarts.com
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
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
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
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Westchester, CA 90045
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