Last month, we blogged about the strict, science-based protocol we follow when a patient chooses to have their old “silver” amalgam fillings removed. SMART – the Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique – was designed to limit mercury exposure before, during, and after the procedure.
But what about all of the mercury a person’s been exposed to up until then?
After all, a bit of mercury is released from these fillings with every bite and swallow. Some of this neurotoxic metal gets inhaled, and it’s a quick, easy trip from the lungs into the general circulation. While some amount of mercury will be naturally excreted, some may become bound to tissues and proteins. Some may accumulate in organs such as the brain, kidneys, and liver.
Removing old amalgams does nothing to address any bioaccumulated mercury. Removal only stops the ongoing exposure.
Dealing with the stored mercury starts with thoughtful evaluation and targeted support to help the body process and excrete what it doesn’t need. For many, that includes special labwork called the Mercury Tri-Test, which gives us a good read on how the body is handling the mercury it’s been exposed to.
For one, the test doesn’t measure only one aspect of mercury burden. It analyzes blood, urine, and hair to identify both circulating mercury and the amount being excreted. It also distinguishes between organic and inorganic forms of mercury. Inorganic is what’s commonly associated with dental amalgams, while the kind linked to some kinds of fish – methylmercury – is organic. Looking at both can help clarify the dominant source of the exposure, as well as how the body appears to be handling it.
To be clear, Tri-Test results don’t diagnose “toxicity,” and the numbers are never interpreted in isolation. But when considered alongside a patient’s history, symptoms, and clinical findings, the test results can provide useful context so we can understand both the patient’s current burden and – crucially – whether their elimination pathways appear to be functioning efficiently.
And if we run the test both before and after the removal procedure, we can compare results and track changes over time. This can be especially helpful when we use the MerProtect protocol both before and after removal to support elimination.
When mercury enters the body, it tends to bind to proteins and enzymes that contain sulfur. The body, meantime, relies heavily on glutathione – often called “the mother of all antioxidants” – to bind certain heavy metals, like mercury, and help shuttle them toward elimination through the liver and kidneys.
But if substances processed by the liver aren’t properly bound in the gut before they’re moved into the digestive tract, some of the toxin can be reabsorbed and recirculated.
Targeted nutritional support such as MerProtect can help prevent this.
The goal isn’t to make detox happen but to support the pathways the body already uses – promoting adequate glutathione activity, supporting liver function, and helping bind metals in the digestive tract so they can be eliminated more efficiently.
For patients with very old amalgams, this support step is strongly recommended. As mentioned, removing amalgams only eliminates ongoing exposure but not any mercury that has come to be harbored in the body’s tissues.
In more complex cases – particularly when testing shows extremely high mercury levels or when there are broader systemic concerns – additional, personalized detox support may be called for and coordinated with other practitioners within our integrative health center.
Then there’s ozone.
Ozone is used widely in biological dentistry both for infection control and treatment, as well as supporting healing with oxygen. This makes it especially helpful in periodontal therapy, surgical procedures, or other situations where targeted antimicrobial support is needed. It can even be used to treat early decay – no drilling necessary – or reduce tooth sensitivity.
In our office, we actually use ozone in every dental procedure that involves water – which is to say most procedures. That’s because we run ozonated water through the water lines of our treatment rooms. This has the bonus of helping keep our lines pristine.
It also means that it’s used in mercury removal, as well. We can also apply ozone gas directly to the treatment sites before we place new biocompatible restorations. This both supports a healthy local environment and good soft tissue healing. There’s even some evidence that ozone may help the body clear mercury by changing its chemical state, but this has yet to be shown in humans, only in lab and environmental settings. Much more research remains to be done.
Still, many biological dentists have observed that when ozone is included as part of a comprehensive protocol, patients often report smoother healing and steadier recovery after amalgam removal and detox.
Done mindfully, mercury amalgam removal is a process that takes thoughtful planning: protecting the airway and body during removal; understanding each patient’s total health picture, and supporting the body’s detoxification systems. Our role is not to assume, after all. It’s to evaluate, to explain, and to recommend based on the unique person sitting in the dental chair.
