Hi, I asked my doctor about this, also in hopes of getting insurance to cover some of it. My doctor said that even with proof of heavy metal toxicity, insurance won't cover the amalgam removal (remember, the ADA doesn't admit to amalgams being toxic or leaking mercury, so they won't see the removal as important to your health treatment either way).

BUT, some good news. Contrary to what I have been told by most everyone, it is possible to at least get a large portion of the amalgam removal covered. If your amalgams are over 10 years old, or are cracked, insurance should cover it. A mercury-free dentist told me that insurance companies do not ask for proof that the amalgam was old or cracked -- if the dentist feels it needs to come out, then insurance is ok with that (as long as the dentist does NOT say it's coming out for mercury reasons!!).

The catch is that you will still be left with a sizeable fee. Insurance will only cover the cost of amalgams, which are much cheaper, and will not cover the full cost of composites/replacements after the removal. What they do is pay how much they would for the amalgam, and you have to pay the difference.

In addition, I do not know what kind of fees mercury-free dentists charge for the special equipment, time, etc that it takes to do an amalgam removal the proper way. So this is something you would have to talk to your dentist about. I know I have been told by dentists that insurance won't cover it, but I just had my removals done, and insurance did cover a lot of it. It just so happens that all of my fillings were cracked, leaking, and really needed to be replaced, but before my dentist realized that, she said that the insurance would not question it.

So hopefully that will help you out. Good luck! Also, have you heard of Jigsaw Health Foundation? Through donations and grants, this foundations helps cover costs of amalgam removals to those that cannot afford it on their own (in the US). I believe they have quarterly application deadlines, and it is well worth looking into (google their name for their website). They were able to help me out tremendously with the process and they are super nice to boot. They actually found me a mercury-free dentist who was willing to donate any services that insurance did not pay for. That is what they try to do first, and if donations from the dentist are not possible, they have grant money that you apply for. I'm a grad student living off of college loans, so I couldn't pay for it myself. But now I am amalgam-free and starting my mercury detox!

~Tia