Traditional silver fillings are made of a combination of Mercury and different metals. Mercury vapor is released throughout the lifetime of a filling, and most times shift and leak throughout their life span. This can create hairline fractures in the tooth, weakening the tooth structure, or form small gaps between the surface of the tooth and the edge of the filling, which may lead to decay.
At Bio Dentistry MI, we replace defective silver amalgam fillings with a more aesthetically-pleasing, biocompatible alternative, utilizing the Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique (SMART) put in place by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT).
Our office uses the SMART protocol to minimize mercury exposure to patients, staff, as well as the environment. Dr Shoha is Accredited with The IAOMT, a certification granted after extensive study and research into mercury and its effects.
- Proper installation of an amalgam separator is installed to fully collect mercury waste.
- We ensure the procedure takes place in a high-volume air filtrated room that’s capable of removing all mercury vapors and filling particles.
- Using a pre-rinse and protection with a charcoal slurry.
- Our staff utilizes non-latex nitrile gloves, proper face shields, as well as properly sealed, respiratory grade masks designed specifically to capture mercury vapors.
- External oxygen is delivered via nasal mask for our patients to ensure they don’t inhale any mercury vapors.
- Dental dams/isolators and saliva ejectors are placed in the patient’s mouth to further reduce mercury exposure.
- We utilize a special, high speed mercury vacuum as well as copious amounts of water.
- Mercury fillings are taken out in chunks with abundant ozone water irrigation.
