Safe Amalgam Removal Protocol

SMART means Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique. It was developed by the IAOMT to help protect anyone present in the room when mercury amalgams are being removed.  So the SMART Protocol is a series of steps that we take that have been set and approved by the IAOMT to protect the dentist, the team member and the patient from breathing in any mercury vapors that might be released from a mercury amalgam during removal.

The “PROTECT Protocol”  is an evolving protocol developed by the IABDM that adheres to OSHA guidelines and is above the standard of care in most states for amalgam removal. As new information is available, or laws change, the IABDM will update the PROTECT Protocol. The IABDM is not a governing agency, thus the responsibility falls on the practitioner to properly follow the protocol. PROTECT Protocol Providers pledge to adhere to the protocol as stringently as possible. The IABDM provides a PROTECT Protocol checklist for patients to use as a guide for the various safety measures. If a patient requests a PROTECT Protocol Provider to deviate from the protocol, we recommend the dentist have a conversation with the patient explaining the potential ramifications of deviating from the protocol and then thoroughly documenting the need to alter treatment.

We use SMART/PROTECT protocol whenever there is amalgam on a tooth or a crown that has metal in it that we can't see under on an xray due to it's radiopacity. If we have ANY doubt about there being mercury on the tooth we are working on, we don't take chances. Even removing amalgams with SMART/PRTOECT, the body is exposed to minute amounts of mercury. And there is NO SAFE LEVEL of mercury. So we use SMART/PROTECT when there is metal present on the tooth we are working on.

The SMART/PROTECT protocol is used whenever a patient has a metal filling or a crown that has metal in it. We don't take chances with our patients. If we think there is a chance of potential exposure to mercury, we will use the SMART protocol to protect everyone in the treatment room.

We are asked repeatedly what we do in our MERCURY SAFE PROTOCOLS (SMART/PROTECT), so I thought I would share the sheer number of steps it takes to do what we do. I always encourage people to do their due diligence in finding someone who takes the proper precautions, but more and more I realize that most people don't know what that needs to look like in actual practice, so they trust that their dentist is doing the amalgam removal safely. Therefore, I decided to actually write down the steps to what we do in our own office. Now, other offices might look a bit different in their approach, but their general protocol SHOULD be quite similar to what we do, as it is protective of their patients, their team members and themselves to do this. I hope it is informative for any person trying to figure out exactly what that needs to look like.  

There are many people in the conventional world who believe that this is overkill. They poke fun and ridicule doctors who do this kind of protocol. We acknowledge that it does initially feel like it's a bit much. But most of the dentists we know who became biological in their approach got sick from the mercury toxicity that practicing conventional dentistry did to them. And folks, it's basically just proper protective equipment and technique. We are PROUD of the protocol we have developed to protect ourselves, our patients and our team members. If you are looking to have your amalgams removed, you deserve to have them removed SAFELY. And there is NO SAFE LEVEL OF MERCURY.

Even removing amalgams with SMART, the body is exposed to minute amounts of mercury. And there is NO SAFE LEVEL of mercury. For some patients, even that tiny amount is enough to cause their bodies to crash. Therefore, we ask our patients to work with their functional medicine practitioners to prepare their bodies for amalgam removal, so that they can minimize the potential side effects of mercury exposure. For some, they may be ready to remove their amalgams soon after their initial patient exam. They are relatively healthy people who have no real health challenges. Others may end up waiting months until their doctor states their bodies are ready to handle the burden. They may be more physically compromised and require more preparation time before amalgam removal should be done.

If you have amalgams in your mouth and are looking for a SAFE way to remove them, call our office today and one of our friendly team members will be happy to help.