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How to detox mercury from the body caused by amalgam poisoning especially if you are having silver fillings removed by a biological dentist.
Silver fillings, also called amalgams, are one of the most toxic and health-damaging dental materials ever developed. Made up of approximately 50% liquid mercury with the remainder a powdered combination of silver, tin, copper, zinc and other metals, amalgams lodged in a person’s mouth over time have the very real potential to slowly but surely cause heavy metal poisoning, which results in very serious and life-altering nervous system toxicity. It can also affect numerous other body systems. When this occurs, a thorough mercury detox is required to eliminate it.
Why? Because mercury is lipophilic. This means that it is stored and concentrated in the fatty tissues. The brain, the master controller of the nervous system, is the fattiest tissue and organ in the entire human body and is comprised of at least 60% fat. It is no exaggeration to say that the brain is nothing short of a mercury magnet.
A few (yes, just a few!) of the common symptoms of mercury toxicity include dramatic mood swings for no apparent reason, anxiety, nervousness, depression, insomnia and the inability to concentrate. More serious ills associated with amalgam fillings include encephalopathy, Parkinson’s type symptoms, and acute renal (kidney) failure.
I remember many years ago when I tried to discuss the health dangers of amalgams with my dentist as my husband needed to have 6 of them removed at the recommendation of our holistic physician. He scoffed at my concerns. Realizing that I needed to find a more like-minded dental professional, I changed dentists, which turned out to be fortuitous as it is dangerous for just any dentist to remove silver fillings! A few years later, I ran into this dentist who had once rolled his eyes at my concerns.
He was only in his early 40’s but had been forced to shut down his dental practice and go on permanent disability because he was stricken with Parkinson’s disease. In addition, his wife who worked every day in his dental office where mercury vapors likely abounded from the lack of safety precautions taken when amalgams were installed, removed or replaced suffered from unexplained infertility, another symptom of mercury toxicity. Such an incredibly tragic story and very likely completely preventable!
While the American Dental Association (ADA) shockingly continues to keep its head in the sand and insist on the safety and “enviable 150-year track record” of amalgams, those who take the initiative, refuse to drink the Kool-Aid, and do their own research on the subject in depth know otherwise. For starters, Scottish undertakers are required by law to either pull amalgam teeth from corpses prior to cremation or install expensive air filtration equipment due to concerns about the amalgams contaminating the environment. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers mercury fillings that have been removed to be toxic waste that requires special handling for disposal.
Amalgams are toxic when outside the body, but perfectly “safe” according to the ADA when inside your mouth?
Don’t think so!
Silver Fillings Cause Greater Mercury Exposure Than All Other Environmental Sources Combined
According to the World Health Organization, people with silver fillings are at risk for mercury exposure estimated to be between 3 to 17 micrograms per day with an average of 10 mcg/day and extreme levels of 100 mcg/day. This is up to 20 times greater (at the extreme level) and double the exposure on average of all other environmental sources of mercury combined including eating fish species that are known to be high in mercury every single day!
The exposure to toxic mercury from silver fillings occurs from the mercury vapor that is released from such basic and necessary activities as chewing and brushing. In particular, drinking hot soup or beverages has been shown to cause even more rapid leaching of mercury vapors into the oral mucosa, 80% of which are absorbed into the bloodstream! The video in the linked article shows the mercury vapor coming off amalgams when exposed to hot liquid.
Summary of the Scientific Research on Mercury Exposure from Amalgams
Mark Hyman MD has thoroughly examined the research on amalgam dangers and is convinced they are a health hazard to the millions of people exposed to their effects. The scientific research to date has this to say about silver fillings and their impact on human health:
- Anders Lindvall, M.D., from the Foundation for Metal Biology in Sweden, diagnosed and treated 796 patients with suspected illnesses related to amalgam fillings. His study found that when the amalgams are properly removed, lab follow-up one year later showed that 70% of patient symptoms are significantly improved (in my husband’s case, they were permanently gone!).
- Mercury amalgams may contribute to the development of autism in children. Research has shown that mercury crosses the placenta and a substantial amount of mercury from amalgams reaches the fetus. Mothers of 94 autistic children had statistically more amalgam fillings during pregnancy than 49 mothers of healthy children. Ironically, these autistic children had reduced mercury levels in their hair which may reflect a genetically reduced capacity to excrete mercury from their body, which in turn may lead to elevated brain mercury levels and autism.
- Patients with chronic fatigue and autoimmune thyroiditis showed improvement after their amalgam fillings were replaced with composites.
- 71 percent of people with autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, improved after amalgam removal.
- Animal and lab studies suggest that exposure to metallic mercury may cause nerve cell damage and promote the production of plaques found in the brains of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
One study on children with amalgam fillings produced mixed results, however. The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found no significant health differences in children with silver fillings compared with children who had composites. However, as pointed out by Dr. Hyman, the study duration was short and did not emphasize that the children with amalgams had much higher levels of mercury in their urine than the kids with white fillings. This is a critical point because it shows that the mercury vapors coming off amalgams 24/7 in a person’s mouth are indeed absorbed into the bloodstream where it will be deposited and stored in the fatty tissues, most particularly the brain over time.
The Complete Picture of Mercury Toxicity Symptoms
If you suspect you may be suffering from mercury toxicity from amalgams, below is the complete list of symptoms according to the Weston A. Price Foundation’s article on the health hazards of mercury.
- Local Oral Cavity: Excessive salivation; metallic taste; swollen tongue with scalloped edges; periodontal disease; bleeding gums; stomatitis; loosening of teeth; foul breath; white patches in mouth; bone loss around teeth; ulcers of gums, palate, tongue; burning of mouth; gum pigmentation.
- Psychological: Irritability and unreasonable anger; inability to make decisions; insomnia; lack of concentration; low self-confidence; drowsiness; decline of intellect; low self-control; nervousness; memory loss; depression; anxiety; shyness /timidity.
- Neurological: Headaches, including migraines; tremors (hands, feet, eyelids, tongue); muscular weakness; diffuse myalgia (muscular rheumatism); tinnitus (ringing in the ears); paraesthesia (abnormal skin sensations); impaired visual fields and visual acuity; depression; memory loss.
- Cardiovascular and Respiratory: Tachyarrhythmia (irregular heart beat); chest pain; changes in blood pressure; feeble or irregular pulse; pain or pressure in chest; persistent cough; emphysema; shallow or irregular breathing.
- Gastrointestinal: Abdominal pain (often mimicking ulcers); colitis; constipation; diarrhea; irritable bowel.
- Immunological: Allergies; rhinitis; swollen lymph nodes in neck; asthma; sinusitis.
- Endocrinological: Chronic fatigue; subnormal temperature; excessive perspiration; edema; weight loss; cold, clammy hands and feet; muscle weakness; hypoxia (oxygen deficiency in the tissues); loss of appetite; joint pain; thyroid dysfunction; infertility.
- Urinogenital: Frequent urination; night urination; loss of libido.
- Integumentary: Unexplained rashes.
Getting the Mercury Out Safely
Once people realize that their dental amalgams are very likely contributing to their health woes, a typical reaction is to want to get them out and replaced with composite fillings – fast!
The problem with this is that regular conventional dentists are totally unqualified to remove amalgams and have inadequate equipment to protect you (and themselves) from the mercury vapors and considerable toxic heavy metal exposure that occurs during the removal process.
What’s worse, conventional dentists think they are qualified and will tell you as such. It’s buyer beware and very much up to you to make sure your dentist knows what he/she is doing and is using the correct equipment and safety protocols before you submit to care at that office.
This story of a botched amalgam removal as described by a friend of mine is a sobering case in point. She was horribly poisoned and suffered autoimmune thyroid disease from an (at the time) apparently successful and noneventful amalgam filling removal. It shows what can happen if this process isn’t approached with caution. She has fortunately completely recovered under the expert care of her holistic practitioner who helped her do a safe mercury detox.
Amalgams Should ONLY be Removed by a Biological Dentist
The truth is that if you don’t have a qualified holistic or biological dentist to remove your amalgams, then it is actually safer to leave them in for the time being.
The good news is that there are more and more dentists that are qualified to help you get your amalgams safely out of your life for good. My husband went through this process about 15 years ago. He had all 6 of his amalgams removed, one every six months (the dentist tested each one and removed them based on how much they were leaking mercury vapor).
The reason we did it so slowly is because it was so expensive and wasn’t covered by insurance. It was so incredibly worth it even though it was a multi-year process. His autoimmune symptoms totally resolved over a period of months following the removal of the last amalgam. He also improved incrementally as each amalgam was replaced.
Now, many years later, the price for removal is (thankfully) much more reasonable, but you still need to take care to properly detox the mercury from your tissues after the process is complete.
Protocol for a Successful Mercury Detox
Remember … even if you remove your amalgams safely with a properly trained dentist, you still have all that mercury that has been stored in your fatty tissues over the years and possibly decades that needs to come out.
Dr. Hyman says that it takes up to 18 years for the body to clear only half of that mercury naturally from the body once amalgams are gone! Do people need to do a mercury detox once they have silver fillings removed?
Yes, yes and YES!
Doing a mercury detox starting the day you have your first amalgam removed until 6 months after your last one is taken out is very important. This protocol will work for detoxing other heavy metals as well.
It is the approach recommended by Biodynamic Wellness whose trained and caring staff brought my friend described above back to health after a botched amalgam removal which poisoned her. The dosages below are for adults. The dosage is cut in half for children.
- Natural Vitamin C as directed on the bottle for 6 months (with breakfast and again with dinner). Do not do high dose vitamin C or plain ascorbic acid.
- Populus Nigra 1⁄2 teaspoon in water twice daily 6 months (take upon arising and mid-afternoon without food).
- BioSuperfood (first 5 days – with breakfast and again with dinner)
- BioSuperfood (after first 5 days continuing for 6 months – with breakfast only)
- QuintEssential 1-2 vials each day during these 5 days to replace minerals displaced from the mercury fillings (with breakfast and dinner)
- Organic Sulfur 1 teaspoon in water 3 times per day 6 months (upon arising, mid-afternoon, and before sleep)
Oil Pulling to Remove Mercury
Another recommended part of the mercury detox protocol is to do traditional oil pulling also called Karack’s Oil Treatment. Here is how to proceed every day for 6 months following your amalgam removal as described by Biodynamic Wellness.
Hold a mouthful of unrefined sesame oil (dark bottle) in your mouth for 3-10 minutes intermittently swishing it around, “chewing it,” and gargling. When you can’t hold it any longer (without serious drooling!), spit it out. Then gargle and rinse with salt and baking soda, and brush your teeth. Do this treatment daily for 3-6 months.
The change of color from golden to white as well as the change of texture from thick to thin upon spitting out this oil indicated the degree of lipophilic (fat-loving) toxic chemicals, metals, and microbes that have been absorbed into the oil from the oral mucosa, as well as throughout the entire bodyas the blood circulates through the oral mucosa. Environmentally sensitive individuals particularly like the chemical-clearing effects of Dr. Karack’s Ayurvedic sesame oil treatment.
Recognizing that amalgams are dangerous to health, getting them properly removed by a trained dentist and replaced with biologically compatible composites, and following the proper protocol for a mercury detox described above during and after the removal process are the three things necessary to reclaim the health that slow and insidious mercury poisoning has taken from you or someone you love.
Need a Second Opinion?
You’ve probably noticed that truly biological dentists who are holistically minded in all areas are few and far between!
If you have a dental diagnosis that you aren’t sure is of benefit to your health or just need some advice, I recommend contacting Dr. Carlo Litano’s biological dental office in Tampa, Florida. If you can’t visit his office in person, he is available for a phone consultation to help you assess the situation remotely. Dr. Litano can also help coach you through dealing with your conventional dentist if that is your only option.
You can either set-up an appointment on his website or contact the office at 727-300-0044 to schedule a phone consult with the receptionist.
More Information
7 Ways to Avoid Detox Symptoms on a Cleanse
Detox Baths: Which are Best and for What Ailments
Coffee Enema: Unmatched Detoxification for Health and Recovery
Natural Deworming Methods that are Safe and Effective
How to Gently Detox in Preparation for Pregnancy
Rebounding: A Great Way to Gently Detox
How to Do a Hair Detox and Enjoy Beautiful Locks Naturally
So I am wondering if some of the links are wrong. You say Quintessential 0.9 but link to 3.3. And you have BioSuperfood but link to Green Power. While the stuff in Green Power looks good, biosuperfood seems to be different. Could you please comment or correct? If we were actually going to follow this protocol, we need to know that we’re getting the right stuff.
Yes, those 2 links were wrong. Thank you for pointing that out! I’ve fixed them now 🙂
My husband had his am. fillings removed about 7 years ago. Then he started having health issues like he’d never had before, especially in his sinuses. Two years ago we found out he had nasal/sinus polyps – big ones! Removed two root canaled teeth last Oct and then used essential oils, etc. to try to detox. Today he is breathing clear again and he says he doesn’t have the pressure in his head anymore. When the ENT doctor wanted to do surgery in June 2014, my husband walked away. In Sept. he ended up going to our dentist for a filling that fell out (composite). We’d asked the dentist about those root canals over and over for years (he would not put them in people anymore) but he kept saying they were “fine”. This time was different. He no longer thinks they’re fine. In fact, he had his own root canaled teeth (2) removed three years ago. He immediately pulled one of my husband’s teeth and two weeks later pulled the other one. He’s the dentist who removed the am. fillings from my husband. He’s been against the silver fillings for years and was one of the few that we knew that would remove them. He’s a 7th Day Adventist and into “healthy” stuff. If anyone lives close enough to come to him, he’s in the SW part of Arkansas (Amity), SW of Hot Springs. He’s also the mayor. 🙂 We’ve used him since the 1980’s. Now I’m wondering if my husband needs to do the detox. He’s been taking a good vit C and he does oil pulling with sesame oil but not every day. He says he can notice a difference in his sinuses when he does do the oil pulling. Now I’m wondering if he’s pulling mercury from his brain and that’s why there’s a difference. He has also been battling periodontal disease for at least 7 years (me, too). This may explain it since that is in the list above. I do know that our dentist told us that they have to handle the silver fillings as hazardous waste so he must know how to take them out. He has now been trained to removed root canals. I’ll have my husband try the detox program above. For myself, I battle gum disease but it seems to be inherited as my dad and his side of the family all have this (and some of my siblings, children, etc.). We don’t have cavities or fillings – but we battle gum disease. We also have trouble with low stomach acid, ulcers, reflux, appendicitis, etc. and other digestive issues. And several have turned up with diabetes (I’m thinking there’s something going on with the pancreas as it also functions for digestion). I use straight oregano oil on my toothbrush and that seems to help a lot. I try to do oil pulling, too, but mornings are really busy (empty stomach time) and it’s not unusual for me to just miss doing it (we own/run two home based businesses). I’ve now had appendicitis at 60 years old and they told me I was too low on potassium so I’ve been upping my minerals. I’ve only had one silver filling in my mouth (put in as a teen) and that one is long gone (tooth broke and filling came out – I’ve just left the tooth broken and it’s fine – no cavities after almost 20 years). Sorry for this being so long – it touched a nerve. LOL!
My mother had her amalgams out after watching the 60 minute expose in 1990. She, who passed away 10 years ago, said that she could remember swallowing the mercury while it was being removed. it was obviously not taken out properly and it was before I realized the dangers. Not to long afterwards, she developed MG – Myasthenia Gravis. Since then, I’ve read of there being a possible link between amalgams and MG. Unfortunately, it’s too late for her and there is nothing i can prove. Since then I have had my amalgams properly removed by a Integrative Biological Dentist in the Baltimore area, who practices safe amalgam removal.
How tragic. So very sorry for your loss. Your mother no doubt would have been glad at least that you learned from the experience and had your amalgams out by a properly trained holistic dentist.
Iris, my grandma had MG – she was diagnosed in the 1930’s. About that time an experimental drug was developed and they asked her if she’d want to try it (she was pretty bad already). She did…and it worked for her. She was on it for almost the rest of her life. The last 10 years or so, she quit taking it and seemed to be doing fine. In her 80’s, she developed a brain tumor and died from that. I don’t know if it had anything to do with being on that drug for so long or not but she lived decades longer than what they originally said she would. She also drank lots of coffee. Always had a thermos with her. She had at least two more children after the diagnosis and both of them are still doing well today. I would think that after all these years that they would be able to help MG patients better. I am very sorry about your mom. That’s hard.
may I have the name of your dentist in Baltimore please
So I had an amalgam filling removed while breastfeeding this year because it was noticeably leaking and causing pain. (I have others I want to remove but those will wait until I’m done nursing.)
My dentist followed safe protocol, masks, magnets, plastic over my mouth, etc.
This baby is by far my least healthy (despite being 100% unvaxxed!) with mild excema around his mouth and a few other excema patches elsewhere. All but his mouth rash has cleared up since that bad filling was removed.
I think this filling was bothering my while pregnant and he was only maybe 4-5 months old when I had it removed, so I’m sure his exposure was significant.
So what can I do to gently help him detox from this?
I would contact a holistic practitioner to suggest alternatives for you. The protocol above can be used for children at a half dosage according to biodynamicwellness.com
Thanks for the great article. Is there a protocol that would be good to use prior to the removal of amalgam fillings?
Hi Sarah,
In what ways would Pure Radiance C help? Thank you!
Vitamin C has an antihistaminic action in the body which reduces or totally eliminates an allergic reaction that might occur from exposure to the mercury released during amalgam removal. In addition, any mercury absorbed into the body during the mercury fillings removal will be more readily eliminated in the urine if vitamin C is readily available, hence the recommendation for supplementing with a very pure (nonGMO) form.
Hi Sarah, thanks for another great article! Please may I ask your opinion about breastfeeding and removal of mercury amalgam fillings? I’m nursing my 3 year old perhaps once per day and once at night. Do you think it’s safe to remove a filling in this circumstance? Thanks Sarah
It really isn’t a good idea to remove amalgams while nursing.
My husband has a mouth full of amalgam and yet he is oil pulling. Is this safe ? He thinks it’s keeping it from going deeper in his body.
Just in case anyone is having the same thought as I did to go ahead and detox the body without having the amalgams removed, don’t do it.
I asked my nutritional therapy practitioner about that, and she said it will actually pull mercury out of the amalgams and make things worse. Especially she advised me not to take chelation drugs, which could seriously harm me while I still have amalgams.
I also asked about juicing and that is OK because it’s very mild.
That’s correct, never detox or chelate heavy metals (like mercury) without removing your mercury amalgams first.
I had a Huggins dentist remove my fillings and then chelated the mercury with frequent low dose chelation which uses alpha lipoic acid to remove mercury from the brain/body. I slowly got my health back and got rid of my chronic fatigue that way. You do have to be careful about how you go about chelating mercury of course. So do some reading first before attempting to use anything for it other than dry saunas.
We stay away from dentists who still use amalgam it in their practices because it means they do not know or care to know about the dangers to themselves or you. Also good to note here is not to have amalgams worked on, placed, removed during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Doing so will expose your baby to high levels of mercury. And do not let dentists put this in you or your children’s teeth. It’s just so hard to come back from mercury poisoning after the fact.
Glad to see an article addressing the problems with mercury dental amalgam!