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By Carrie Vitt of Deliciously Organic
In the spring of 2008, a simple trip to the dentist for a routine procedure turned my world upside-down.
I went to the dentist because of a cracked amalgam filling in one of my teeth.
I didn’t realize at the time that if you get an amalgam filling removed or replaced you should go to a biological dentist who’s been properly trained! The reason is that approximately 50% of a dental amalgam is toxic elemental mercury by weight. Improper removal of amalgam fillings risks heavy metal toxicity among other serious health woes.
Unfortunately, my conventional dentist didn’t take the proper, necessary precautions during the amalgam filling removal process, and as soon as I sat up from the chair, I felt sick and knew something was terribly wrong.
I stumbled out of the office and spent nearly a week in bed recuperating. I thought my reaction to the removal was strange, but I’d never read anything about amalgam fillings being a health hazard, so I didn’t put the two together.
After a week I regained some of my strength and got on with my life.
A few weeks later, however, I began to have problems with my complexion, including breakouts, rough skin and splotchy patches on my face.
I was familiar with the Weston A. Price Foundation and its traditional dietary principles as I was already eating an organic, nutrient-dense diet. I hadn’t changed anything in my daily regimen and was exercising regularly and sensibly.
I was confused as to what was happening to me.
As time went on, things got much worse when I broke out in inexplicable hives from the neck up. My face was swollen and red, peeled twice a day, and I felt like someone was holding a frying pan to my skin.
The worse part of this entire ordeal was that I went from doctor to doctor and they all told me I had dry skin, handed me a tube of steroid cream and sent me on my way. I’m not an idiot. I knew my skin wasn’t “dry”, and I knew I had to dig deeper.
I began eliminating things from my diet as I searched for a cause, but no change made a bit of difference. My symptoms got worse. I became very depressed and starting losing my hair. I didn’t want to go anywhere because not only did I look horrible, but I was in constant pain.
I slept with ice packs on my face to ease the burning. I became allergic to everything. If I ate lettuce, I would swell. If I ate meat, I would swell. If I walked into a room with too much perfume, I would swell.
So I stayed at home.
All day.
Every day.
After nine months I finally found a doctor who listened and ran tests. All of the allergy tests came back negative and my preliminary blood work was all “normal”.
Perplexed, she told me about an autoimmune disease that in some extreme cases causes hives. The results came in and I was finally diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease (a thyroid autoimmune disorder). The doctor told me to start a thyroid medication, but after some research, I learned the medication would only calm the symptoms and not heal the root cause of my disease. I decided to look for an alternative solution.
How Amalgam Filling Removal Triggered Autoimmune Problems
I began working with a certified nutritionist at Biodynamic Wellness to help me find the root cause of my disease. Remember the amalgam filling I had removed and filled? We discovered my thyroid had absorbed most of the heavy metals from the filling removal and consequently caused my liver to “back up” so it couldn’t properly filter any toxins my body encountered.
This helped explain the hives and thyroid disease. She put prescribed a grain-free, nutrient dense diet, and gentle detox therapies.
I Healed My Hashimoto’s with NO Thryoid Meds or Surgery!
After several years of discipline, detox and rest (and NO thyroid meds!), I’m happy to say my autoimmune disease including Hashimoto’s is now in full remission! My health struggles and path to healing led me to write my new book, The Grain-Free Family Table. In the book I share my entire story of recovery, tips to help reduce inflammation and encourage recovery from disease, and over 125 grain-free recipes to get you going on this new path.
If you’re struggling with an autoimmune disease, I highly encourage you to find a good nutritionist or holistic-minded, experienced health practitioner who can help you find the root cause of your disease and a specialized treatment plan for your body. Even if everyone around you says it can’t be done, follow your instincts. If you think it’s possible, run toward that hope.
After my experience, I truly believe that many of the diseases that ail us can be avoided or reversed with the right foods, detox and support.
Read “The Mercury Diaries” for an extreme case of poisoning by amalgams. The book “Fight Autism and Win, 2nd Edition” is the clearest introduction to Dr. Andrew Cutler’s chelation protocol that I know of. Andy’s books are much more detailed and much more challenging. Read them if you’re up to it.
FWIW, the 3 people I know who had lymphoma contracted it within years of having their mercury fillings improperly removed. Or were misdiagnosed. Mercury can make you appear to pee blood and once a cancer doc sees any hint of an enlarged lymph node it’s off to chemo. Hard to say.
How do you know if your fillings are amalgam? I’m 62 years old and have used several different dentists throughout my life. This is scary!
If they are silver in color, they are amalgams.
There are many (sad but true) ‘horror stories’ like this out there… unfortunately.
Facebook has a few groups that are dedicated to various aspects of what’s written here… …they’re filled with great information, helpful people, and anecdotes to help people both get through them, recover from them, and make great recoveries… as well, lots of experience to help avoid the countless pitfalls and dangers that the path to recovery is riddled with.
A few worth searching Facebook for are: ‘Quicksilver Mercury Detox Group’, ‘Mercury Detox Support Group’, ‘Mercury Poisoning & Heavy Metal Detox’, ‘Iodine’, ‘Iodine Workshop’, ‘Magnesium Advocacy Group’ … and probably several others that I’ve yet to stumble upon & benefit from.
Mercury toxicity is both a growing awareness *and* a growing concern… as mercury is only becoming all the more plentiful in our society …. from increased use of amalgams, mercury in vaccines, to mercury used in food processing & refinement (HFCS) to increased mercury in our environment from coal plants… adding to the centuries of coal use where mercury’s already blanketed our soils & streams.
Crazy, crazy-scary, and a increasing problem on top of an already-existing one. More people should be aware of it.
Yes, I know someone who had all her amalgams out at once by a conventional dentist who did not take the necessary and proper precautions. She couldn’t get out of bed for 6 months. No joke.
When my husband has his amalgams removed, we did 1 every 6 months and made sure we used a biological dentist. He had no problems whatsoever.
Thank you for the article! I had 3 amalgams removed this past fall by a biological dentist. I had hashimotos for years prior to these procedures and hoped removing the amalgams would reduce my antibodies. Since the procedure I have had and increase in acne. My thyroid labs show I am healing but why the acne? I am gluten free, avoid IgG alleges (which are few), take liver cleanse supplements, and eat a healthy low to no sugar diet. I am perplexed and feel at a loss of what I can do. I have a great holistic ND who is helping me figure out the cause.
Since the procedure I have suspected my acne is from the removal. The dentist took all the safe steps but I’m not healing. Do you have any other suggestions? Will the acne take awhile to heal?
Sounds like your gut, liver, and other organs need to detox and heal. Depending on how much of a Mercury burden you have in your body, this could take a while. Acne, rashes, etc. while they can be a sign of a topical reaction(i.e. Perfume, makeup), they can also be a reflection of the gut needing healing. Even with restrictive diets, you may need further supplementation to purge your system and reseed. You might talk to a naturopath or holistic nutritionist for help with that. Dr. Jack tips is a great source. Also tea tree essential oil(melaleuca) is great for rubbing on acne. Helped me clear my cystic acne up. Good luck!!
Why aren’t dentists or their staff all being stricken with health issues with this type of procedure likely being performed in dental offices across the country nearly every day?
They are … one of my conventional dentists came down with Parkinson’s at a very young age. He scoffed at the dangers from amalgams too.
Dentists have a far higher rate of suicide than the average person, and suicidal tendencies can be an indication of mercury poisoning. I’ve known of dentists who have some of the signs of mercury toxicity, such as depression, irritability, irrational and angry behavior, etc. I know people who work in dental offices who have overactive thyroid (Grave’s Disease) and cancer, which can be linked to mercury toxicity.
I echo both comments here (thanks Sarah and Beth).
Dentists have the highest rate of suicide of any in the medical/dental profession. Dental assistants have much lower fertility rates than other women of their age group.
On a personal level, I watched as our old dentist ‘lost’ her glasses and asked her assistant where she had put her glasses. Unfortunately, her glasses were sitting on top of her head. 🙁 Needless to say, that was the last time we went in that office.
Mercury is a very powerful neurotoxin. Think about the term ‘mercurial’. According to Webster, mercurial is characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood . This is mercury poisoning spot on.
This unpredictable changeableness of mood often leads to depression, which comes back to dentists having the highest suicide rate in the medical profession.
Thankfully, so many are waking up to the importance of protecting oneself from mercury poisoning!
I hope this helps someone in need…
Thank you Sarah for running this important article!
Your story sounds so similar to mine. In 2008, 3 of my amalgam fillings were breaking down, likely due to pregnancy and nursing. All 3 of them had to be replaced, which was done without any precautions. I felt extremely nauseous and fatigued afterward, developing bronchitis within days. The nausea and fatigue continued for a month and then I started seeing blood in my stool. I was still nursing my (non-vaccinated) 19 month old, who began mixing up body parts and words. Within 6 months, he regressed into autism and I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. My colon and my son took the most mercury. I didn’t put two and two together until Jan 2014 when I had another amalgam removed. My UC had been in remission, but I began flaring the very next day. Within a month, I was close to needing hospitalization. A year later, after detoxing, and diet changes, I am medication free. My son’s mercury levels tested at 5 times the normal level. We are working to detox his system as well, and he is seeing rapid developmental progress. Thank you for getting the message out that amalgam fillings are dangerous.
The picture of the skin on your neck looks very similar to how the skin all around my eyes looked about four years ago. It was very painful red and swollen, I couldn’t wear any makeup or even wash my skin with anything because it hurts so bad and would get inflamed and irritated if I even touched it very much. I had to wear sunglasses a lot because the skin would peel and looks scaly, kind of like crocodile skin. Like you, the doctors only prescribed me steroids which have side effects that actually makes the problem worse and does not get to the root cause at all. Within two weeks my skin would look terrible again after trying a medication. I finally came across some information about liver toxicity, and I ordered a mixture of herbs to make my own liver cleanse tincture. After taking this tincture, my eyes were completely back to normal and have not bothered me since then. I don’t believe I had metal toxicity, but I believe the root cause of my skin problem was medication that I took as a teenager that severely damaged my liver. I’m so glad you found a solution because I know how terrible it is to live with something like that.
I’m so glad to hear you were able to find a solution and that you’re feeling better now!
I really appreciate this article! I have a mouth full of amalgams and I have been desperate to have them out…so, I had been thinking of using a conventional and just doing some detoxing afterwards…but, now I am rethinking it. I went to a biodentist in Ft.Worth about 2 yrs ago for an exam and I left in tears, after he told me that it would be about 16K to fix my mouth. Very discouraging…anyway, I will be a little slower to decide. Anyone know a REASONABLE biodentist in the Ft. Worth area? Thanks Carrie!
If you’re talking about Fort Worth, TX my dentist practices biological dentistry and follows the safety protocols to remove amalgam fillings. Her name is Dr. Sushma Lavu with Family Dental Care. She removed all 3 of mine and followed everything to the letter. I never had any repercussions from the removal and that was 3 years ago. She is also a believer in oil pulling, etc. Her practice does take insurance, although she’s not listed on my insurance company list of preferred dentist, Because of that I had to pay 50% and it was less than a $1000 total for all 3 removals at that time. She and her staff definitely care for the patient and it shows. Here’s a link where she’s mentioned as a biological Dentist on the Dr. Tom McGuire’s Mercury-Safe Dentist Directory. http://www.hg-free.com/db/dentist.php?dentist=2578&type=iamfd&country=USA&state=TX
This is a great read and I will be buying your book!!
Interesting story & glad to hear she got well! I just wish she included WHY eliminating grains was so important for recovering from her mercury poisoning, I didn’t get the connection!
Grains cause a lot of inflammation. Especially those that are not properly soaked, sprouted, or soured. She was talked about how cutting them out helped reduce inflammation(think bloating after eating or drinking). Not fun. 🙂