When amalgam fillings are removed by a dentist systemic blood levels of mercury increase in the days following the drilling procedure.
When you remove an amalgam filling, which is 50% or more mercury, by grinding on it with a dental drill mercury vapour is given as the mixture of mercury and silver and tin etc that makes up the amalgam gets heated by friction.
A logical conclusion would be that the systemic mercury increase is directly from the mercury vapour produced inadvertently at the time of drilling out the filling.
Vacuuming of the air with high speed suction around the drilling area does not remove mercury vapour effectively.
The mercury vapour that escapes is inhaled by the patient and the dental team.
This is a massive source of mercury exposure.
However, any potential mercury exposure can be greatly lessened and reduced by the use of rubber dam sheet around the teeth which forms a physical barrier to prevent mercury vapour inhalation.
And by the use of a separate air supply or mercury filtration machine which vacuums the air directly in the treatment zone and removes mercury.
Mercury vapour production is also reduced by using special drill bits designed to break up the amalgam into large chunks and by directing copious amounts of water spray onto the tooth at the time of drilling.
But even with all these measures there will still be an increase in blood and plasma mercury 48 hours after amalgam is removed.
So where does the mercury come from? When the fillings are sitting there in your mouth year after year, a small amount of mercury vapour is given off constantly; a fact that even the conventional dental community accepts.
They even acknowledge that some of the mercury is absorbed into body tissues, however they state: "we don't believe enough of it is given off and absorbed to be a significant health hazard.
" Mercury is given off over a long time like a dripping tap and is absorbed into various body tissues.
The brain and kidneys appear to be favourite places, but it can vary for different people.
As the mercury coming out of amalgam fillings is gradually given off and absorbed by body tissues, there is a kind of pressure, pushing the mercury through the body into as even a distribution as possible until it reaches a steady balance or equilibrium.
By removing amalgam fillings the mercury held in equilibrium in the body tissues suddenly has less pressure repelling it as there is less mercury in the mouth.
As a result in the change of equilibrium there is more mercury stored in the tissues than can be held in balance by the remaining amalgams in the mouth.
So the tissue mercury comes out of the cells into the intracellular fluid and bloodstream where it is carried around the body.
When it comes to a place where there is pressure pushing it to stay there, it does just that.
So mercury may get pulled out of brain tissue and be re-deposited in muscle tissue for example.
It is during this period when mercury circulates freely that it shows up as increased systemic levels although this actually indicates a decrease of mercury load in the body.
This is actually a beneficial result and exactly the desired outcome.
The increase in mercury blood levels normally occurs within about 48 hours and then declines exponentially (faster at first and then more and more slowly) over about 3 months.
Unfortunately it is during this time that symptoms of mercury toxicity can develop or worsen.
Yet it is this period which provides the window of opportunity to help excrete free mercury from the body by using free radical scavengers, minerals and anti-oxidants like Vitamin C and chelation/heavy metal detoxification.
When you remove an amalgam filling, which is 50% or more mercury, by grinding on it with a dental drill mercury vapour is given as the mixture of mercury and silver and tin etc that makes up the amalgam gets heated by friction.
A logical conclusion would be that the systemic mercury increase is directly from the mercury vapour produced inadvertently at the time of drilling out the filling.
Vacuuming of the air with high speed suction around the drilling area does not remove mercury vapour effectively.
The mercury vapour that escapes is inhaled by the patient and the dental team.
This is a massive source of mercury exposure.
However, any potential mercury exposure can be greatly lessened and reduced by the use of rubber dam sheet around the teeth which forms a physical barrier to prevent mercury vapour inhalation.
And by the use of a separate air supply or mercury filtration machine which vacuums the air directly in the treatment zone and removes mercury.
Mercury vapour production is also reduced by using special drill bits designed to break up the amalgam into large chunks and by directing copious amounts of water spray onto the tooth at the time of drilling.
But even with all these measures there will still be an increase in blood and plasma mercury 48 hours after amalgam is removed.
So where does the mercury come from? When the fillings are sitting there in your mouth year after year, a small amount of mercury vapour is given off constantly; a fact that even the conventional dental community accepts.
They even acknowledge that some of the mercury is absorbed into body tissues, however they state: "we don't believe enough of it is given off and absorbed to be a significant health hazard.
" Mercury is given off over a long time like a dripping tap and is absorbed into various body tissues.
The brain and kidneys appear to be favourite places, but it can vary for different people.
As the mercury coming out of amalgam fillings is gradually given off and absorbed by body tissues, there is a kind of pressure, pushing the mercury through the body into as even a distribution as possible until it reaches a steady balance or equilibrium.
By removing amalgam fillings the mercury held in equilibrium in the body tissues suddenly has less pressure repelling it as there is less mercury in the mouth.
As a result in the change of equilibrium there is more mercury stored in the tissues than can be held in balance by the remaining amalgams in the mouth.
So the tissue mercury comes out of the cells into the intracellular fluid and bloodstream where it is carried around the body.
When it comes to a place where there is pressure pushing it to stay there, it does just that.
So mercury may get pulled out of brain tissue and be re-deposited in muscle tissue for example.
It is during this period when mercury circulates freely that it shows up as increased systemic levels although this actually indicates a decrease of mercury load in the body.
This is actually a beneficial result and exactly the desired outcome.
The increase in mercury blood levels normally occurs within about 48 hours and then declines exponentially (faster at first and then more and more slowly) over about 3 months.
Unfortunately it is during this time that symptoms of mercury toxicity can develop or worsen.
Yet it is this period which provides the window of opportunity to help excrete free mercury from the body by using free radical scavengers, minerals and anti-oxidants like Vitamin C and chelation/heavy metal detoxification.