What are amalgam fillings?
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Amalgams are metal fillings that look silver when they are placed but soon turn a dark color that contrasts with the white enamel of your natural teeth. They are made out of an amalgam (blend) of different metals that can include silver, zinc, copper, tin, and mercury (usually about 50%). Amalgam fillings aren’t placed in adults as often as they used to be, so if you have one, it may be almost as old as your teeth. The older the amalgam, the more likely it is to be leaching toxic mercury vapour into your body. The mercury in amalgam fillings can be released through wear and tear on the filling or the surrounding tooth, from oil pulling or even hot liquids. Visible signs that your amalgam filling may be compromised include the biting surface looking shiny (from clenching or grinding), cracks, chips, staining, or decay in the surrounding tooth. Some people get very ill from mercury exposure and others can seem to cope with it for a long time. Your susceptibility to mercury toxicity is influenced by genetics, so not everyone will have the same level of reaction. Nonetheless, amalgam fillings leaking mercury have been linked to the (usually) gradual or subtle development of gum problems, candida, neurological issues, fatigue, breathing difficulties, joint pain, skin rashes, kidney dysfunction, and gastro difficulties to name a few of a long list of possible symptoms of mercury poisoning. (ref) Mercury can accumulate in the body from multiple sources, so if you’ve been exposed to mercury from eating fish or in your environment, that can build up along with any mercury leaching from your fillings.
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Do you need to remove your amalgams?
The greatest risk of exposure to mercury poisoning from amalgams is actually while the amalgams are being removed from a tooth.
You can get really sick if it isn’t done correctly. The risk is less if the whole tooth is removed intact, but then you have lost a tooth, which should be avoided if possible.
As long as your amalgam filling is stable and you have no symptoms of mercury poisoning, then you may be better off leaving it in place for the moment.
Tests (e.g. hair, urine, EAV) can confirm whether you have mercury buildup in your body. Tests are also important to indicate the pace at which fillings can be removed safely. Your amalgam-removal dentist should first test to see if your body chemistry and organs are able to handle an amalgam-removal procedure
Who should remove your amalgams?
It’s really important to make sure your dentist has the specialist training and equipment to do the procedure safely.
The dentist should protect you during the removal procedure with equipment including
- a nose mask for breathing oxygen
- a rubber dam to isolate the filled tooth from the rest of your mouth
- a cool electric drill to avoid damaging the pulp.
- a lot of water during the drilling to capture particles and keep your tooth cool
- special intra oral high speed suction (a specialised high veolcity vacuum cleaner with the opening placed very close to your moth to help take away any vapors and particles that the intra oral high speed suction may have missed
- air filters in the treatment room
Your dentist should section the fillings out in chunks rather than grinding.
Specially trained dentists will describe their amalgam removal qualifications and set up on their websites. If you don’t see them advertising this speciality then find a functional, integrated, or biological dentist (search directories) who takes amalgam removal seriously.
Mercury detoxification
Mercury accumulates in the body, so you may not get relief from any mercury toxicity symptoms immediately after the amalgams are removed. There are protocols that can help flush (chelate) the mercury from your system more efficiently, for example by eating sulphur-rich foods (such as garlic) as mercury particles bind to sulphur to be expelled through the body’s waste disposal organs.
I recommend working with a naturopath, nutritionist, or health coach (like me!) who has experience with guiding people through mercury detox/amalgam removal experiences.
Timing your amalgams removal
Ideally, you would remove any amalgam fillings at least six months before conceiving because if the filling is compromised, mercury can be passed to the fetus. Removing amalgam fillings is not recommended while pregnant as doing so may contribute to miscarriage. It’s also unsafe to remove amalgams while breastfeeding due to an increase in mercury excretion immediately after they are removed. (ref)
Once you have started removing amalgam fillings its a good idea to have all your amalgams removed as quickly as possible, within 30 days. However, you should try to schedule multiple mercury removal appointments on different days of the week. The body’s immune system runs on a 7-day cycle, and is better able to tolerate subsequent procedures if they do NOT fall on the 7th, 14th, 21st or 28th day after your initial appointment. (ref)
Astrologically speaking, Mercury retrogrades can be an auspicious time to review the state of your existing fillings. If you already know that you have compromised amalgam filings and you’ve just been waiting for the ‘right time’ to take action, a Mercury Retrograde is probably it.
Mercury retrograde is an astrological transit happens about four times a year, whenever the planet Mercury appears to slow down and reverse, from our perspective looking from planet Earth. Mercury retrograde season has a reputation for frustrating communication difficulties and annoying travel disruptions.
But it can also be a powerful time to review, revise, remove and renew, depending on the sign its retrograding in and its relationship to your birth chart. Consider timing your amalgam removal to coincide with Mercury retrogrades through Virgo and/or your first or sixth house, or with aspects to Saturn or Chiron.
What is the energetic meaning of your amalgam filling?
The meaning of your amalgam filling(s) relates to the specific tooth or teeth where they are located. You can use my book, The Secret Lives of Teeth, to find out the spiritual/emotional/ancestral meaning of any tooth with a filling?
Understanding the Tooth Archetype that holds your filling can help you to have a more positive experience with amalgam removal.
Plus you can use the metaphysical toolkit in Chapter 10 to help ensure an uncomplicated outcome with the removal procedure, or to maintain a healthy tooth if you are choosing to keep your amalgam in place for now.
Ease your anxiety before you next dental visit
Calm & Confident in the Dental Chair is an interactive workbook for adults who are anxious about seeing the dentist, with accessible exercises, insightful journaling and simple tips to help you show up relaxed and stay at ease through any kind of dental visit.
Has a dentist told you that your cavities or receding gums are your fault because you are drinking too much Coke, you don’t floss enough or you need to stop breastfeeding your baby? And you know that isn’t true!
I’m a natural oral health coach and I’m not going to blame you or shame you.
The underlying causes of your oral health issues are not your fault!
Nature or nurture, ancestry or environment, free will or systemic oppression, unconscious emotions or the degraded food system are the factors that make your teeth and gums vulnerable to disease.
Even though your tooth decay and gum disease is not your fault, it is within your power to change.
I can help you to turn your oral health around with natural strategies, healthy habits and intuitive insights.
Dear tooth, I honour the life you shared with me and release you with love.
You can choose to turn your tooth extraction experience into a portal of profoundly transformational healing.
Download the 7-minute long MP3 audio recording to meditate with and/or use as journaling prompts.