Mercury safe is not the same as being mercury free. As a mercury safe practitioner, Dr. Copeland adheres to a strict protocol when removing fillings containing mercury. These protocols protect the client, the dental office personnel who are potentially exposed to high levels of mercury vapor. As an accredited member (AIAOMT), Dr. Copeland has studied the biological effects of mercury, and the safest removal methods which include supplemental support, negative ion generators, oxygen therapy, natural local chelators such as chlorella, air filtering and barrier protection. She knows that the single largest exposures to mercury from dental fillings is upon placement and removal, and considers protection from exposure to be high priority along with patient comfort and material selection and placement.
Dr. Copeland does not use any mercury, amalgam, or silver filling materials, and follows a strict protocol during their removal. Mercury is a known neurotoxin, and is the largest component of amalgam(silver fillings). Amalgam is not bonded to the tooth structure, so requires a natural (or dentist made) undercut of the tooth structure to stay locked in the tooth. The expansion and contraction of amalgam cause tooth structure to fracture. Some amalgam formulations have a physical property known as creep describing how the material changes shape subtly over time. Amalgam is a metal composite which along with the saliva, completes the circuitry for a simple battery, producing small but significants amount of electricity in the close vicinity of the most important electrically run organ of the body – the human brain. Last, but perhaps least, it is less attractive than alternative materials which are tooth colored.