Is it wise to have silver fillings removed as quickly as possible or should I have them removed over a longer period of time? My dentist recommends the silver fillings and tells me all the down sides to the white fillings, like… they cause more sensitivity, they shrink and leave cracks, and they have to be replaced more often.

Silver fillings are really mercury fillings; that is, 50% of the filling is mercury and 5 to 25% is silver. Because it is a mix of metals, it is called an amalgam filling, also. There is a slow, constant release of the mercury into the air (in the mouth) on a constant basis. When we chew, brush our teeth, get our teeth cleaned, it is released at a much higher rate. This is inhaled and then gets into the bloodstream and carried to the body. Mercury effect 3 organ systems of our body:

1. The immune system, which sets people up for more recurrent infections and cancers

2. The neurologic system, which is at the core of all the neurodegenerative diseases—Parkinson’s, ALS, Alzheimer’s, autism. Many have suggested that mercury poisoning may be the reason dentists have the highest suicide rate of all professionals.

3. The muscular system, specifically the heart.

The half-life (how long it takes for ½ of a substance to leave the body) for mercury is about 6 months in the organs of the body, but 10 to 20 years when it gets into the brain and nerves.

Another problem with mercury fillings is that in combination with gold caps, a battery effect is set up in the mouth. Two dissimilar metals are connected by acid (saliva), causing the battery effect. Some people have even heard the radio in their brain, it is so effective.

I do not recommend that a dentist who is still putting mercury into anyone’s mouth should remove it. He thinks it is safe, so he will take no precautions in its removal. The book Tooth Truth by Frank Jerome, DDS, outlines some of the precautionary measures that dentists can do to protect you from the increased exposure to the mercury at the time of removal. The short YouTube clip called Smoking Teeth found at this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ylnQ-T7oiA is fascinating and well-documented.

The old composite and porcelain fillings did have more problems, but the newer ones are better and don’t have as many of the ‘down sides’ as the older ones. The American Dental Association has known for 30 years about the dangers of mercury, but many dentists were trained under the old philosophy. If you desire to know the safety profile of mercury, ask your dentist for the procedure they need to follow for disposal of mercury fillings once they are removed. Then ask yourself—“Does this sound safe?”

My observation is that the newer dentists are using mercury less. I recommend finding a dentist who is familiar with safe removal and immediate removal as quickly as possible, recognizing there will be exposure at the time of removal. I would try Chlorella as a chelating agent around the time of removal, and milk thistle and α-lipoic acid as liver support and detoxification support.