Safely Remove Mercury Fillings from your Mouth
High doses of mercury vapor and particulate can be inhaled, absorbed, or swallowed during the removal of amalgam fillings. Extreme caution should be taken by the dentist to protect patients from being exposed to dangerously high levels of mercury when replacing amalgam fillings. If improperly performed, the haphazard removal of mercury fillings can cause more harm than good.
Dr. Freiberg follows specific safety protocols designed by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) to prevent harmful exposure to mercury when removing silver amalgam fillings. Theses safety protocols are as follows:
- Application of a rubber dam to prevent amalgam debris from being swallowed or inhaled
- Covering the face with a barrier to prevent spattered amalgam particles and mercury vapor from contacting the skin or eyes
- Administration of oxygen
- Use of high volume suction in the operating field
- Use a saliva ejector behind the rubber dam to evacuate mercury vapor that diffuses through the dam.
- Rinse the dam thoroughly as you go to remove stray amalgam particles
- Use copious amounts of water to cool the amalgam and thus reduce the amount of vaporization of mercury
- Sectioning the amalgam fillings into large chunks to reduce the dispersion of amalgam particulate aerosol
- Rinse the mouth thoroughly after removing the rubber dam
- Consider room air purifiers to reduce ambient mercury vapor
Disclaimer: Most dentists are not of the view that mercury amalgam fillings are harmful to your health.
