I Had All My Amalgams Removed – A Decision Deemed Necessary for Treating My Rheumatoid Arthritis

I had all my amalgams removed by February 2012; and I never regret it! Many simply couldn’t understand this decision I made. Why did I need to bother myself with my amalgams (silver fillings in my mouths)? And was it really worth it spending close to USD3,600 just to remove and replace these 3 amalgam fillings?

I did it with a reason which I deemed necessary if I want to recover from Rheumatoid Arthritis.  As an important step of removing yet another stressor of my RA causes, I  have to ensure that all these amalgams and mercury are removed from my body. Oblivious to many, mercury is not only odorless, colourless and tasteless, they are also toxic — mercury vapour casts a shadow in black light!

A dramatic video of mercury vapours out- gassing from a “silver amalgam” dental filling (see below) has outraged the world since it was first demonstrated at an International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT.org) meeting in 1995. This eye-opening 9-minutes video illustrates the very real danger of mercury fillings as it shows how mercury vapours are released into your oral cavity every time you drink or chew or visit a dentist.

If you have amalgams “silver fillings” inside your mouth, you are certainly exposing yourself to mercury vapours that are released for at least 1.5 hours after each stimulation. You won’t know that this is going on within you because these vapours are odorless, tasteless and colourless. But I can assure you that mercury is toxic and no amount of mercury is safe in our mouth.

Mercury can readily pass through cell membranes, across blood barrier and into our central nervous system; causing neurological, immunological and psychological problems.

Mercury will always have a detrimental effect on immune system. There are literally hundreds of peer reviewed scientific papers that discussed the damaging effects that mercury has on our immune system. Mercury can bind to proteins, thus making them look like foreign invaders to the cells of immune system. Hence, overt autoimmune disease may then ensue. This study has also been consistent with findings from the Arthritis Foundation that reveals people with genetic markers for Rheumatoid Arthritis are 10 times more likely to develop RA.

Removal of Amalgams Need to be Done PROPERLY and SAFELY

For all above reasons, removal of amalgam fillings has been shown to substantially lower the body burden of mercury. A word of *WARNING* if you also decide to go for amalgams removal, NEVER make a mistake of having your amalgam fillings removed by any dentists around your neighbourhood because more often than not, these dentists are still of the opinions that mercury is a safe filling. Safe amalgam removal protocol must be adhered during this removal process because the large amount of mercury vapours released during the removal process can be hazardous to both yourself and the dentist who perform it for you.

PLEASE make sure you search for a BIOLOGICAL DENTIST who is properly trained in safe amalgams removal and you can search for one via IAOMT.org website. IAOMT member dentists are educated in biological dentistry including techniques for proper removal of mercury fillings; and they appreciate the importance of biological dentistry in our overall health, and are familiar with mercury detoxification methods.

Biological Dentistry is a thought process, an attitude, and a guide for making choices in dental practice especially for people with medical illnesses such as myself. There is a need to concentrate on the connection between oral conditions and the health of the rest of the body. The effects of periodontal infections on markers of systematic inflammation is the best known example.

It took me almost a whole few months to finally get mine all removed and replaced by a biological dentist in Singapore (nearer to the region I’m residing). Throughout those months, I called up almost every dentist in my hometown and enquire them on the procedures that they will take for removing amalgams. What I have to say is that, if they cannot provide you with an answer that satisfies your need to know that a safe amalgam removal protocol is in place, do not go to them regardless of how convincing they are in claiming that they can perform a proper job. This is the approach I had taken with respect to my amalgams removal and I’m glad that I have done it carefully.

You cannot be afford to be more careful if you are suffering from RA and you do not want your immune system to be further wrecked by further mercury toxicity. Because you may never know that you may end up feeling worse than before you had your amalgams removed. I have personally known a friend whose RA onset began right after she had one or a few of her amalgams removed by a non-biological dentist!

BEFORE My Amalgams Removal

I visited my biological dentist, Dr Gan of TP Dental in December 2011 for consultation regarding my amalgams removal, aware of the fact that I’m suffering from RA, an autoimmune disease.

I was ordered to perform a full mouth examination including Bitewings X-Ray, Digital Panoramic X-Ray and several tests to determine the state of my health such as Urine Vitamin C test, pH test, Saliva test and Urine Heavy Metal test. The purpose of the pre-amalgams replacement testing is to establish an acceptable documentation of mercury body burden related to the presence of mercury amalgam dental fillings in my mouth. The result showed that I was acidic, low in Vitamin C and had high level of heavy metals in my body, particularly mercury and cadmium.

Dr Gan went ahead to determine the impact of electrical current set off by those mercury amalgams in my teeth to determine the sequence in which they should be removed. Apparently, the degree of amalgam’s electrical charge is a critical because mercury fillings are known to carry electrical charges. The higher the negative electrical charge, the more mercury is being released from the amalgam and the more toxic it is.

The next step was biocompatibility testing. Biological dentist is taught to be responsive to the fact that each individual vary in terms of their biochemical and immunological responses. This is particularly important for me, as a patient who suffers from allergies and autoimmune disease. The method of testing performed by Dr Gan is known as Kinesiology, an applied science of testing muscles response or indication of weakness to a certain material or thing. While she placed a huge variety of dental filling materials were placed on my head, she pushed my arm muscles to determine my body’s response to each of these materials. These determine the dental materials that are going into my composite fillings.

At the conclusion of the consultation, she put me on a number of nutritional supplemental support before my actual dental treatments which happened in February and March of 2012. In the mean time, I was also taught the proper way of looking after my teeth and gum (because I was diagnosed with a slight periodontal problem) and clearing off any infections.

Throughout the months before actual removal, I was advised to:

• Take care of my oral health, as I was having periodontal problem and a dry mouth.

• Boost up my bodily Vitamin C level.

• A diet rich with protein and vegetables, but low on carbohydrates.
• Drink plenty of fluids – recommended intake is half of my body weight in pounds.
• Regulate bowel movements.
• Improve my body pH from overly acidic to optimal neutral/alkaline level.

DURING My Amalgams Removal

Consent to Procedure
On the day of my amalgams removal, I had to first sign a number of consent forms and agree that I understand the implications of performing amalgam removals and the practitioner will perform the best to ensure safety of my health.

Supplementation
Following the consent, a vitamins/supplements therapy was required of me before the actual treatment began. I was given the following:

• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin C
• Chollera tablets
• Zinc
• Magnesium
• Plenty of water
• Energy Go Stix
• Glutathione patch
• Kington Ampule
• Fujita Lactose-S

Treatment

(1) Protection Protocol
As a member of IAOMT, Dr Gan performed the following guidelines during my amalgams removal:

• Utilizing a high volume suction system near to my mouth.
• Removing large sections of the amalgam at once to minimize amalgam particulate and mercury vapour.
• Proper isolation with a rubber dam to contain a majority of the debris of amalgam grinding.
• Providing me with a medical grade oxygen support.
• Assuring bio-compatible placement of composites restorations.
• My face and skin was covered with some barriers to prevent spattered amalgam particles from landing on my skin or eyes.
• Rubber gloves were used to protect dentist’s hands from a concentration of mercury vapour.
• Dr Gan and her assistant put on ‘half-mask’ respirators for their protection.
• The window nearby was opened to maintain clean air in the operatory.
• Adequate filtration system in the operatory.

Photograph: IAOMT.org

Photograph: IAOMT.org

(2) MORA Therapy
Amalgams removal, for its very first time, can be intimidating. To soothe the fears of unknown, I was put on MORA therapy while the removal was ongoing. MORA therapy is engaged to normalize and unburden the body through pathological and electromagnetic oscillations.

I remembered putting both my hands on a MORA device while certain settings were performed on the machine. There was no pain whatsoever. The logic of how this works is that troublesome oscillatory information, from deposits of the amalgams is inverted – or changed – into its mirror image and is then returned in this form to the body. In this way pathological oscillations burdening the body are optimally reduced or even eliminated via their respective opposite oscillations produced by the MORA device.  I believed this had helped me remain calm throughout the whole process.

(3) Scaling and Polishing – Deep Cleansing
As soon as my amalgam was out, the dam was removed and I had to thoroughly rinse my mouth for 1 minute to fully remove the mercury vapour before placing the new restoration. And upon completion of my new restoration, Dr Gan did a deep and thorough cleansing of my teeth which included scaling and polishing.

AFTER My Amalgams Removal

I had three amalgams altogether. I only managed to remove one amalgam during my first visit because my body did not approve further removals. Do you wonder how my body was telling me ‘enough for the day’? Again, it was through Kinesiology, otherwise known as muscle testing.

My dental revision work was recommended to be completed within 30 to 45 days; but scheduling my next appointment had its own rules as well. I was told not to interfere with my immune system cycles (of 7, 14 & 21 days) so I did not make another appointment on the same week day within a 30 days period. My last two amalgams were removed in March; and this time round, they could be done together.

I was told that I might experience some sensitivities of the teeth, especially to cold. These sensitivities might usually take weeks to settle. Luckily for me, they lasted only 3 days!

Lessons on Amalgams Removal

I guess, the important lessons for all these for an RA sufferer would be: firstly, mercury fillings or amalgams removal needs to be done to lessen the toxic burden of our body; secondly, it has to be done the safe and proper way by biological dentist who works to minimize its impact on the biological terrain of our body.

And lastly, if I have to change one thing that I have missed out during my amalgam removal experience, I would say that I would have get myself checked for mercury allergy before the treatment. If an allergy or intolerance is shown to mercury, it is necessary to desensitize ourselves to this allergy or intolerance so that our health will not be compromised by this process.

This is my personal story of having all my amalgams removed as a crucial part of my RA treatment protocol. The very act of removing amalgams is NOT all for the process, for me to get well, there are a lot more to do than meet the eyes. So, stay tuned and read on what I have to do next.