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Mercury and dental decay
I am very concerned about the link between levels of mercury in the body and dental decay, especially in young children. I am now anxious to have my daughter’s levels tested and wondered how we do this? Also, what can I do to remove mercury from her body?
Swedish dental experts have gone on record alleging that the mercury used in dental amalgam fillings does have the potential to de-mineralise teeth but this has not yet been proven. That said, there are several simple blood and urine tests you can arrange through your doctor or nutritionist to determine levels of heavy metal toxicity, including mercury, in the body.
Dr Robert Hempleman, an holistic dentist and contributor to a new book called Menace In The Mouth?, which examines the risks of amalgam fillings, says that while charcoal can be taken before the removal of mercury fillings to “mop up” any leakage, he would not advise you give the same supplement to a child. Instead, he recommends your daughter should take the antioxidant selenium, which acts in the same way by binding to the mercury and flushing it out of the body.
Changing her diet to include more sulphur-containing foods such as garlic, fish, eggs, cabbage and brussels sprouts can also help since these foods work to accelerate the secretion of toxic metals from the body. If you or any member of your family decides to have your amalgam fillings removed, find a dentist who is sympathetic to your concerns and who will take the fillings out following the correct safety procedures that are designed to minimise your exposure to mercury during the extraction process. The British Society for Mercury-Free Dentistry (see below) can provide a list of approved practitioners.