Root Canals and Biological Dentistry

How to Find a Biological Dentist that Can Treat You Holistically 

Dr. Mercola Interviews Dr. Glaros About Biological Dentistry

Dr. Mercola Discusses Root Canals 


Source from: By Dr Mercola

About 50 percent of dentists in the U.S are mercury-free However, only an estimated 10 percent of those fully understand the health risks associated with dental amalgam—half of which is toxic mercury, despite what the misleading term "silver filling" might lead you to believe.
It's crucial to understand these risks when removing and replacing amalgam "silver" fillings, or you could risk acute toxicity from the mercury released during the removal process I can testify to these risks first-hand, as I suffered kidney damage as a result of improper amalgam removal in the mid-90's by an otherwise qualified and competent dentist Still today, two decades later, I struggle with some kidney challenges. So please, do take this advice seriously. Dr Bill Glaros is a practicing biological dentist based in Houston, Texas He's a former president of the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine (IABDM), and he's also an accredited member of the American Naturopathic Medical Association. He has testified before the FDA about the health risks of dental amalgam, and in this interview, he offers helpful advice on how to find a qualified biological dentist who can safely remove amalgam fillings.

What is Biological Dentistry?

Biological dentists, also known as holistic, or environmental dentists, operate according to the belief system that your teeth are an integral part of your body and hence your overall health, and recognize that your oral and dental health can have a major influence on other disease processes in your body Any medical treatment performed takes this fact into account The primary aim of holistic dentistry is to resolve your dental problems while working in harmony with the rest of your body.

I recommend using a biological dentist for all your dental needs, but if you're considering removing dental amalgams, it's an absolute necessity Most conventional dentists simply do not have the know-how to do it without putting your health at risk in the process For example, some things that need to be done to keep you safe during amalgam removal include:

• Providing you with an alternative air source and instructing you not to breathe through your mouth
• Using a cold-water spray to minimize mercury vapors
• Putting a dental dam in your mouth so you don't swallow or inhale any toxins
• Using a high-volume evacuator near the tooth at all times to evacuate the mercury vapor
• Washing your mouth out immediately after the fillings have been removed (the dentist should also change gloves after the removal)
• Immediately cleaning your protective wear and face once the fillings are removed
• Using room air purifiers

Additional or alternative precautions may also be used For example, Dr Glaros uses a saliva ejector beneath the dam along with a mercury vapor sniffer in his practice, as he's found that the mercury vapors have a tendency to migrate underneath the dam He also stresses the importance of making sure your bladder and bowels are healthy prior to getting the work done

"There are some other issues that can happen before you start the dental part, and that would be nutritional support and making sure that people's exit routes are open – their bladder and bowels are functioning –because it's easier to get it out of the mouth than it is to get out of the body Getting it out of the body is the main goal It doesn't do it by itself easily for some people," he explains

Interestingly, certain bacteria in your gut, such as Candida, actually tries to demethylate the mercury it comes across Methyl mercury is the more hazardous type of mercury, in terms of toxicity According to Dr Glaros, some people who struggle with Candida may actually owe the troublesome bacteria a debt of gratitude, because the reason they can't get rid of it is because your body is using it to demethylate the mercury, which decreases or limits the toxicity they'd otherwise be experiencing.

Checking Compatibility of Dental Materials—An Important Step in Biological Dentistry

"One of the things that we believe in biological dentistry is it's important to check for the compatibility of dental materials," Dr Glaros says "There are different ways to do that I don't care which way it's done; I just like that it's paid attention to That is the way to honor a patient We all have patients that can take anything Then we all have patients for whom everything becomes an issue So testing for compatibility of materials is crucial.
[W]e also want to protect the environment Having mercury separators in dental offices is a unique thing, unfortunately But dentists don't see that as an issue It's not particularly expensive, you know, 500 bucks maybe to put a separator in your office, so that the mercury fillings you're grinding out and cleaning out don't end up in our water supply "

According to Dr Glaros, an estimated 30 tons of mercury are placed in people's mouths each year in the US That's A LOT of mercury! And a lot of it ends up as environmental pollution as a result of dentists who fail to give this issue the attention it deserves.

"San Francisco Bay had a big problem with mercury in it They tried to get the dentists to volunteer to put the separators on They didn't do it, so they mandated it Within four or five years, the problem has cleared up in San Francisco Bay," Dr Glaros says.

Beware of Root Canals

Root canals are particularly troublesome, and a number of diseases can be traced back to individual root canaled teeth Sadly, the vast majority of dentists are oblivious to the serious potential health risks they are exposing their patients to, risks that persist for the rest of their patients' lives The American Dental Association claims root canals have been proven safe, but they have NO published data or actual research to substantiate this claim To learn more about the health hazards of root canals, please see the following video above:

 

The Health Effects of Chronic Low-Level Mercury Exposure

A single dental amalgam filling releases as much as 15 micrograms of mercury per day The average individual has eight amalgam fillings and could absorb up to 120 micrograms of mercury per day In contrast, eating mercury-tainted seafood will expose you to about 2.3 micrograms per day -- and that is enough for scientists to call for a worldwide warning

"Dr Hal Huggins, one of the founders and leaders of this whole movement, would say mercury picks on people's genetic weak link," Dr Glaros says "If mercury was like asbestos and it caused mesothelioma, every time you get mesothelioma, you're looking for the exposure to asbestos.
Mercury tends to pick on people's genetic weak link It might be irritation of the skin or itching of the skin It might be memory loss or brain fog It's something that people who've been through it identify with frequently They say, 'Gosh, the fog cleared up ' It went away It will affect neurological issues and their immune systems The fact that it crosses the blood brain barrier that causes the neurological issues It crosses the placental barriers, and you have this embryo with no immune system, but the mercury is starting to affect him immediately.
There's testing that could be done and give us an idea about what's going on
Some people will use urine mercury as one way to check what their levels are I like it when they do that and find what the urine mercury level is before they're challenged with a chelating agent That's what it's like for them every day They collect urine for three to six hours or 24 with two different techniques, similar results, and find what the urine mercury level is Then the next 24 hours, they will take a chelating agent.
Then you collect urine for another six hours or 24 hours, the same that you did on the first day Sometimes urine mercury levels will go from below four micrograms per liter, which is considered a healthier rate, to way above that, which indicates that those people are retainers of the mercury toxicity They have a retention problem They don't get rid of it well
Those people aren't going to respond as quickly to removal as people whose urine mercury levels before it was challenged might have been eight or 10, and it was 12 when they had it challenged.
There you have this body that has a good sense about how to get rid of mercury Those are the people that tend to not have the symptoms People that tend to have the symptoms are the people that have retention of the mercury If mercury gets into all the cells of the body, and it's like the water dripping in the kitchen sink You go on vacation and the water's dripping It's okay as long as the plugs are not in there But if the plug settles in and that same dripping builds up, then you have the retention toxicity issue, it spills over, and starts to create the symptoms that cause the problems "