by Dr. Martina Mallery DDS 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, dental offices are the main contributors of environmental mercury pollution. This problem has become so severe that an EPA mandate has been approved which requires all dentists to equip their practices with a mercury scavenging system called an amalgam separator.  

This amalgam separator collects the material from the fillings for proper disposal. However, this begs the question: if mercury fillings are considered a severe hazard for the health of our environment, would it be possible that these fillings could also have a negative impact on the health of the person who currently has those fillings in their mouth? 

                 The American Dental Association maintains that the amount of mercury released from amalgam fillings is too small to cause any documented adverse effects on human health. And yet, the World Health Organization released the following statement in 2005: “Adverse health effects from mercury exposure can be tremors, impaired vision and hearing, paralysis, insomnia, emotional instability, developmental deficits during fetal development, and attention deficit and development delays during childhood. Recent studies suggest that mercury may have no threshold below which some adverse effects do not occur.” 

At White Sands Dentistry, we felt the need to consider both sides of this argument. After much research, we came across an organization called IAOMT (International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology). Their researchers found that once people have mercury fillings in their mouths, they are subject to measurable mercury vapors each time they eat, brush their teeth, and receive a professional dental cleaning.  

The amount of mercury released grows exponentially when receiving dental restorative procedures that require placement or removal of this mercury amalgam. Moreover, further studies demonstrate that mercury is a possible cause or exacerbating factor in conditions such as allergies, thyroiditis, chronic fatigue syndrome, reproductive disorders, psychological disorders, Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. This  is only a partial list, so we encourage all of our readers visit IAOMT.org and search for the article, “2016 Fact Sheet on Human Health Risks from Dental Amalgam Mercury Fillings.” 

At White Sands Dentistry, we take this scientific research seriously. We are a mercury-free office, as we discontinued placement of mercury amalgam fillings many years ago. In 2017, we decided to become a mercury-safe dental office as well, and we are proud to announce that we have completed certification by the S.M.A.R.T. program developed by IAOMT. The acronym S.M.A.R.T. stands for “Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique.” This removal technique dramatically reduces the amount of mercury exposure.  

This was a significant investment for our dental practice, and we are excited to be responsible stewards of the health of our patients, our staff and last, but not least, our environment!  Please feel free to contact our office and schedule a consultation if you are interested in safe removal of dental mercury fillings. 

White Sands Dentistry is located at 520 48th Street Court E, Bradenton. For more information and to schedule a consultation, call 941-748-9393 or visit WhiteSandsDentistry.com.