Amalgam remediation

The health risks are the subject of numerous studies and yet amalgam continues to be used in many dental practices. However, the filler has been more than controversial since its introduction due to its composition.

Especially where different metals (such as gold, silver and amalgam) meet in the mouth, elevated mercury levels can be the result. The metals may react with each other in the form of electrochemical corrosion, potentially increasing the release of mercury particles from the amalgam. Other heavy metals – such as copper or tin – can also enter the organism through abrasion via the bloodstream.

Feel free to watch our video on this:
Metals in the mouth

Amalgam is an alloy of the heavy metal mercury with other metals, such as silver, copper, indium, tin and zinc. The processing of pure mercury and the high mercury content (about 50%) triggered a discussion about possible health hazards very early on. Mercury is a toxic heavy metal that is ingested primarily in the form of mercury vapor. Our body stores mercury mainly in the liver, kidneys, nerves and brain.

As you now know, amalgam contains the highly toxic mercury. At our biological dental practice in Tittling, we have been helping patients from Passau and the entire region for many years by consistently ridding their mouths of metals of all kinds.
Of course, this also includes the gentle and safe removal of amalgam fillings. Safety starts with drilling and tooth isolation and includes several protective measures*:

1. Rubber dam: For better protection from the mercury vapors during inhalation, we place a rubber dam. This tension rubber on a metal frame isolates the tooth from the rest of the oral cavity and the upper airways. This provides protection against vapors and drilling dust. Amalgam residues no longer enter the oral cavity and cannot be swallowed.
2. Special extraction: Special suction reduces exposure to mercury vapors by over 90%. Amalgam residues and vapors are extracted directly at the tooth.
3. Oxygen: In addition, we can provide you with supplemental oxygen during drilling – with the help of oxygen goggles and an oxygen device.
4. Rinsing with sodium thiosulfate: This binds and neutralizes the amalgam still remaining in the tooth tissue, which cannot be reached by drilling out.
5. Special drills: Only specially designed drills with special toothing are used, which ensure minimal heating of the filling and thus the lowest possible release of mercury vapors.
6. Low speed: This reduces the generation of mercury vapor.
7. Levering: Drilling is done as little as possible and as much as necessary. Removal of the amalgam filling by levering has priority. Leveraging has the advantage of preventing toxic mercury vapors from being generated and inhaled in the first place.

* The described topic or the mentioned procedure are subject of numerous studies, which support our view. However, we would like to point out that scientific proof of efficacy and official recognition are currently still pending.

Rightly you will now ask yourself the question:

“What alternative is there for allergy sufferers and people who suffer from intolerances when metals are not an option?”

Whenever possible, we provide our patients with dentures made of pure white high-performance ceramics. In our in-house laboratory we manufacture smaller and larger fillings (inlays), partial crowns and crowns to restore your teeth as naturally as possible. We fix the denture with special cements – for maximum compatibility.