Laser + Holistic Dental was Australia’s first SMART Certified dentist, endorsed by Say No To Mercury. Our dentists have practised mercury free dentistry for over 30 years – believing it is the best interest of the patient, the dental staff and the environment to never place a mercury amalgam filling. It is equally important to remove mercury amalgam fillings – only doing so using the strict SMART protocol.
Mercury is a well known neurotoxin, and mercury from dental fillings has been proven to leach into the human body where it accumulates over time – particularly in organs like the brain and kidneys.1, 2 Mercury poses an especially great risk to children in utero and for newborns – currently Australia’s National Health & Medical Research Council recommends that no children, pregnant women or women of child bearing age are treated with mercury amalgam dental fillings.3
At Laser + Holistic Dental we take this view to the next level – in our opinion no one should ever be treated with mercury dental fillings.
Comparing a mercury amalgam filling with a modern composite filling.
Amalgam fillings have been shown to leak mercury which is inhaled and absorbed into the bloodstream. Autopsy studies have found that patients with mercury amalgam fillings have much higher levels of mercury in their brain and organs.1
Because mercury is so toxic, chronic exposure can have a wide range of health impacts – and there is no denying that mercury dental fillings are a source of chronic mercury exposure! For those with amalgam fillings, the mercury body burden is far greater from typical dental sources than from organic sources like mercury in fish.
It is very important to understand that mercury is easily vapourised during normal dental procedures, meaning that the patient and the dental workers will be breathing in mercury well above occupational health and safety limits. For this reason, if you want to have your mercury fillings removed it is very important to have this procedure done by a dentist following the SMART protocol – or the Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique.
The SMART Certification was developed by the International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology to protect dental patients, dental staff and the environment from the harmful effects of mercury exposure.
Some of the precautions Laser + Holistic Dental takes when removing mercury amalgam fillings include:
- Mandatory airway protection: to prevent the patient and staff from inhaling a huge dose of mercury during the dental procedure.
- Use of non-latex rubber dams: to block mercury vapour and stop the ingestion of mercury particles.
- Strategic suction devices: to suck up the mercury vapour from entering the atmosphere.
- Use of amalgam separator machines: to prevent dental mercury entering the water stream where it becomes an environmental toxin and poisons wildlife
Learn More
Read more about mercury free dentistry at Laser + Holistic Dental here.
