Groton Wellness: Mercury Amalgam Removal

Mercury Removal –
The First Step In Detoxification

Practicing Safe Mercury Removal for Over 30 Years

At our Dental Practice at Groton Wellness Center we offer Mercury Filling Removal. Our mercury amalgam removal program is designed to remove toxic dental material including mercury amalgam and /or other fillings, crowns, or bridges that appear to be biologically incompatible with the patient, while keeping the patient comfortable and safe from the toxic by-products generated during the removal process. To read more about amalgam fillings and mercury toxicity, click here.

Material Testing

Biocompatibility testing of dental materials can be performed well in advance of the restorative visit to determine which dental materials are safest or least offensive to the patient’s immune system. There are several ways this testing can be done, please see Materials Testing.

Tri-Test

This is a clinical test that measures the exposures and excretion abilities of the two main forms of mercury we’re exposed to today: dental and environmental. Using hair, blood and urine samples, this test assesses the level of bio-incompatibility or physiological difficulty each form poses to the patient. This test requires that the patient does not consume seafood or fish for 72 hours (preferrably 1 week) before taking the test and that a urine (first morning, midstream) sample is collected within 24 hours of the blood and hair samples. The test kit can be mailed to you so that it can be completed during one of your visits to Groton Wellness. Please be sure to read all the instructions in the kit when it is received. There is a fee for this test kit and it is payable at the time the kit is requested. The patient must make an appointment in advance to come in for the blood draw/hair snip.

Chelation Therapy

Supplementation in the form of channel clearing supplements and/or homeopathics to support heavy metal removal may be recommended prior to amalgam removal. Testing of the patient’s physiological needs is encouraged and performed at the Medical Center.

Chelation is a well-known method used to remove heavy metals and toxins from the body by administering a special chemical compound called a chelate. The chelate finds and forms an attachment to the toxin with one reversible ionic bond. With that bond intact, the toxin is grabbed, pulled out of the cell and carried from the body. Care must be taken during chelation, however, as the toxin is not neutralized during this process and may attach to other cells on its way out.

We often recommend a chelation protocol as a way to help remove mercury and other toxins from your body. Chelation is never started until at least the visible mercury is removed from your teeth and hopefully your entire dental revision is completed.

Oral Chelation agents are the ones most frequently utilized, but intravenous therapies such as IV vitamins and minerals are also often recommended during the chelation process to help maintain nutritional integrity. See Heavy Metal Oral Chelation.

Special Attention

It is recommended that the patient remember to drink copious amounts of water, take appropriate supplements, and eat a diet high in fiber to aid in maintaining open detoxification pathways before and after the dental appointment.

A visit to our craniosacral therapist, acupressure, and/or massage therapist can be helpful to de-stress after an extended dental visit. See Dental Dream Day.

DO NOT TAKE ANY ORAL VITAMIN C on the day of the dental visit if you will be receiving local anesthetic. Vitamin C has the ability to drastically reduce the effectiveness of the anesthetic making it necessary to use an extra amount, or to wait extra time before it becomes effective. If desired, please bring vitamin C to the dental visit because if it is taken after the dental visit is completed, it will help dissipate the anesthetic, enabling it to wear off faster.

Special attention will be given to the 7-14-21 day immune cycles when scheduling appointments for mercury/amalgam removal (we don’t follow any special scheduling rules for non-mercury removal).

Intravenous vitamin C may be administered before, during and/or after the performance of dental work to help neutralize any stress from the dental treatment.

Protection Protocol

You Are Well Protected.

A complete protection protocol is utilized to prevent you from ingesting or inhaling any of the mercury or mercury vapors while it is being removed. Our dentists and dental assistants will preform the following steps:

Answer any questions concerning the procedure and signing of the informed consent for treatment. NOTE: for patients undergoing Oral Conscious Sedation, the informed consent paperwork is completed in advance.
For patients undergoing Oral Conscious Sedation, their sedation level and degree of relaxation is assessed and adjusted and monitoring their vital signs is begun.
Administering Local Anesthetic to completely numb the area.
Placement of a vinyl (rubber) dam over the teeth to be treated.
Placement of a napkin under the vinyl dam to prevent saliva leakage onto the patient’s face and to increase patient comfort.
Placement of a mesh drape over the patient’s head and neck to protect the patient from any aerosol spray.
Placement of a small amount of charcoal powder under the patient’s tongue to absorb mercury vapor.
Administration of oxygen into the nose via a nasal canula.
Activation of an external “Negative Ion Generator” and collection plate to safely trap any mercury particulate in the air.
Activation of high volume external air suction, the “Elephant Suction,” to further insure removal of any mercury particulate or odorous vapors from the building.
Placement and activation of low volume suction tip under the vinyl dam to collect saliva.
Activation of high volume suction “clean-up tip” to surround the tooth during the mercury amalgam removal process.
Constant external water spray by doctor’s high-speed handpiece, and assistant’s air-water syringe, to flush mercury particulate into the suction line.
Removal of the amalgam fillings and/or other fillings, crowns, or bridges that appear to be biologically incompatible with the patient. All restorations will be replaced with the mostbiocompatible materials available.
Adjustment and polishing of the restored teeth will be completed in a comprehensive and precise manner to help insure immediate adaptation and acceptance within the patient’s existing occlusion (bite).
Intravenous vitamin C may be administered before, during and/or after the performance of dental work to help neutralize any stress from the dental treatment.