When a dentist removes an old mercury amalgam filling, the drilling process can release toxic mercury vapor and particles directly into your breathing space. Without specialized protective equipment, you may inhale or swallow these materials during the very procedure meant to eliminate mercury from your body.
At Rose Dental in Tucker, GA, we follow the SMART protocol developed by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology to safely remove mercury fillings. Comprehensive dental care in our SMART-certified office means every mercury removal uses multiple layers of protection for you, our team, and the environment. Dr. Zina Aaron trained under Dr. Dressler, a founding IAOMT member, giving us deep knowledge of biocompatible mercury removal techniques we use almost daily.
Understanding the Mercury Exposure Risk
Mercury exists in dental amalgam as approximately 50% of the filling material mixed with silver, tin, and copper. The metal remains relatively stable when intact, but drilling creates heat and friction that vaporize mercury and break the filling into breathable particles. Your lungs absorb mercury vapor efficiently, and once in your bloodstream, mercury travels to organs, including your brain, kidneys, and liver.
The removal paradox concerns many patients. You want mercury out of your mouth because of health worries, yet standard removal techniques expose you to a concentrated mercury dose. Traditional dentistry often treats amalgam removal as routine, using normal drilling methods without considering the vapor and particle release. This approach can temporarily spike your body’s mercury levels precisely when you’re trying to reduce your total burden.
How the Rubber Dam Creates a Physical Barrier
The rubber dam serves as your primary defense during SMART removal. We stretch this flexible sheet across your mouth and punch a hole only around the tooth receiving treatment. The dam isolates that single tooth while covering everything else, creating a waterproof barrier between the work zone and your soft tissues.
You breathe exclusively through your nose during the procedure because the dam prevents mouth breathing. This design eliminates your main exposure pathway since mercury vapor and particles cannot enter your respiratory system when your mouth is sealed. The dam also stops you from swallowing mercury pieces that break free during sectioning, and it prevents absorption through your cheeks, tongue, and gums.
Pure Oxygen Delivery System
We provide pure oxygen through a small nasal tube throughout your procedure. This medical-grade oxygen replaces the air you would normally breathe, ensuring no mercury vapor enters your lungs, even if some escapes into the room. The continuous oxygen flow creates positive pressure in your nasal passages that helps push air outward rather than drawing room air in.
Some patients also choose nitrous oxide sedation mixed with oxygen. The delivery system accommodates this preference while maintaining the protective oxygen barrier. Either way, you breathe only clean, filtered gas supplied directly to your nose rather than any air from the treatment area.
The High-Volume Suction and Filtration System
Our specialized mercury vacuum creates negative pressure around your entire mouth during the procedure. As Dr. Aaron sections the filling, the powerful suction immediately pulls mercury particles and vapor away from your face. Unlike standard dental evacuation that drains into the sewer, our system routes everything through a mercury-specific filter.
The filter technology captures and contains mercury rather than releasing it into our office air or Atlanta’s water system. We use an amalgam separator that collects mercury in a sealed container, which we send to a hazardous waste disposal company every six months. This responsible handling protects both our immediate environment and the broader ecosystem from mercury contamination.
Isolation Gowns and Protective Equipment
Everyone in the treatment room wears full protective gowning, including you. These specialized garments cover your regular clothes completely, preventing mercury particles from settling on fabric you’ll wear home. After your procedure, we dispose of these gowns properly rather than allowing mercury to leave our office on anyone’s clothing.
Our clinical team wears similar protection plus additional equipment like face shields. This multi-person protection matters because mercury exposure affects dental staff who perform removals regularly. The SMART protocol recognizes that cumulative exposure poses risks to everyone present, not just the patient in the chair.
Sectioning Technique Minimizes Vapor Release
Dr. Aaron sections your amalgam filling into large chunks rather than grinding it into powder. This technique involves cutting the filling into pieces that can be lifted out mostly intact, which dramatically reduces the surface area exposed to the drill bit. Less drilling time and less friction mean significantly less heat, and less heat means less mercury vaporization.
We cool the tooth constantly with a water spray during sectioning. The water serves three purposes: lowering the temperature to reduce vapor formation, rinsing particles away immediately, and creating a liquid barrier that traps mercury before it becomes airborne. This combination of careful sectioning and continuous cooling reduces mercury release by roughly 90% compared to conventional grinding removal.
Experience Rose Dental for SMART Mercury Removal
If you want your mercury fillings removed safely, our team brings the training and equipment to protect your health during the process. We perform SMART removals regularly, and Dr. Aaron’s four-year mentorship with Dr. Dressler gives us comprehensive knowledge of holistic approaches to mercury and whole-body wellness. Our mercury-free office uses the Plan Meca Viso G7 cone beam scanner to plan your removal precisely, and our specialized equipment ensures safe mercury capture.
You can trust Rose Dental to prioritize both your immediate safety and long-term health during amalgam removal. We’ll explain each protection layer during your consultation and answer all your questions about the science behind SMART techniques. Contact us to schedule your mercury removal consultation and experience biocompatible dentistry that considers your whole body, not just your teeth.