Dental amalgam from metal fillings is the main source of human mercury exposure. It leaks from all “silver” amalgam fillings, accumulates in the body and can cause mercury toxicity.

Does it make common sense to place a material that leaks a known poison into the body? Some say that the amount that leaks is insignificant – that is certainly true for some – but how do you tell who can cope with it?

It is reasonable to expect that the frail, stressed, diabetic people may not cope as well. One may cope for a while but as the amount in the body increases over the years the ability to cope may decrease.

Toxic chemicals kill cells or can block enzymes working properly. This may stop normal production of cells.

Root canals have also been connected to the release of toxic chemicals such as endotoxin from the residual bacteria that live in the dentine tubules after root canal therapy is competed.

The second major problem is allergy to dental materials – most modern dental materials such as resin composite, lithium disilicate and zirconium oxide have been tested for biocompatibility, but this is an individual thing. A material that works for one person might be irritating to the next.

Personalised testing avoids stressing the body this way – a referral to an allergist can be arranged if you have any concerns.

The third major problem is dental interference fields. These are small electrical disturbances in the body. Like a computer, the brain processes lots of information and then sends out commands to the body to maintain normal regulation of its system, eg. input information says thyroid hormone level is too low, the brain sends a message to increase thyroid hormone production – this is the normal regulatory mechanism.

What has been found is that interference fields can create “wrong” information which the brain processes and this creates wrong outputs and corrupts the body’s ability to regulate itself.

Potential health risks of the dental interference fields are:

• Chronic diseases
• Allergies and irritations (dental material intolerance)
• Fatigue and exhaustion
• Migraine, earache, shoulder pain, neck tension, muscle stiffness.
• Aggravation of existing diseases

An example of an interference field is the galvanic cell created by having different metals in the mouth. Galvanic currents can exist between all kinds of different metals in your mouth’s environment, including metal crowns, pins, silver fillings, bands/retainers, brackets, and more.

In high school chemistry, one learned that two different metals in a salt solution create a battery. Saliva is salty! In conventional dentistry many metals from mercury to stainless steel to gold are used and the current created can be up to 3500 times the normal current nerves run on.

If you put 3500 times the normal current through your toaster, it works differently – so does the body. A holistic dentist would minimise the use of metals and its required aim would be to have only one (non-allergic) metal in the mouth to prevent the generation of these huge currents.

Replacing the metal dental instruments in your mouth with non-metal ones can provide a great solution. Non-metal restorative materials such as composite resin and ceramics are the most used alternatives. Having just one type of metal in your mouth is not harmful, so keeping one of your many metal elements is always an option.

If you put 3500 times the normal current through your toaster, it works differently – so does the body. A holistic dentist would minimise the use of metals and its required aim would be to have only one (non-allergic) metal in the mouth to prevent the generation of these huge currents.

Replacing the metal dental instruments in your mouth with non-metal ones can provide a great solution. Non-metal restorative materials such as composite resin and ceramics are the most used alternatives. Having just one type of metal in your mouth is not harmful, so keeping one of your many metal elements is always an option.

Everyone is different. Where patients present with an emergency or pain we react and treat that specific problem. However, we advise that we haven’t assessed the rest of the mouth and prefer to do an individual treatment plan.

Usually this involves some discussion of different treatment philosophies and aims. We try then to tailor treatment objectives to the patient’s requirements. For example, some patients never want to lose a tooth, some want a holistic approach, some prioritise appearance as more important, others want teeth that will function well as they age.

If we are discussing changing to a holistic approach, we go through some of the theory and outline a plan. Once this is determined the patient can then decide the implementation. Some decide to do all the treatment in 2-3 appointments, others do a quarter of the mouth per year or even one tooth whenever they can.

With cosmetic problems, very clear understandings must be reached so that the outcomes match the expectation. Too often in dentistry we hear of cosmetic outcomes being promised that are not delivered or even possible to deliver due to either lack of ability and/or communication.

A good treatment plan and discussion creates an understanding by patient and doctor of what is possible, desirable and importantly, considers the future consequences of any choices. It also creates financial clarity for all concerned.