Hi everyone. I am a 20 year old college student who has a mouthful of amalgam fillings. I have recently discovered the terrible health effects that mercury from amalgam fillings can have on one's health. While I can't pin down any health problems that I have that I can directly pin to the mercury fillings, I greatly worry about this being a problem in the future.

I plan on getting them removed as soon as possible. The problem is that I have no money to afford this currently (a dentist I asked said I would need crowns as well because the fillings are so large) and my parents are not in the financial situation to afford it either. Therefore, I plan on getting them removed as soon as I get out of college and have a job which would allow me to afford such a procedure.

My question is at what age did you start having health problems related to mercury poisoning? Also, while I can't afford to get them removed anytime soon, what can I do in the meantime to help avoid some the detrimental health affects mercury toxicity can have? Are there any foods, supplements, etc. that you would recommend to someone in my situation?

Thank you all in advance for your help.

I can't answer your questions, but I might be able to direct you to a place that can help you get your amalgams removed affordably. Jigsaw Health Foundation was set up to help fund people to get their amalgams removed - it is meant for people who cannot afford the procedure on their own. I was lucky, and I got my amalgams done completely for free.

Jigsaw accepts quarterly applications for this funding, and give top priority to mothers. They have financial requirements, so you have to submit tax docs or something to prove you are in need.

They first look into holistic dentists in your area to see if they are willing to donate services for the foundation. For me, they found a dentist who was willing to do the procedure for free, completely donated, once insurance paid for anything they were willing to (and they actually paid a decent amount - you just don't let them know you are getting them out for mercury reasons....dentists replace amalgams all the time for being old, cracked, or damaged, and insurance companies just assume this is the deal). That leaves you with the hefty cost of the procedure itself, because insurance will only pay a small amount (doesn't know about all the specialized equipment, etc), and the difference in price of the amalgams and the composites. But my dentist donated all that extra cost because of Jigsaw.

Anyway, you can find details at http://www.jigsawhealth.com/ - the only thing is that they might not approve an application if you are not already experiencing health issues related to the amalgams - they serve those who need it most first.

~Tia

I second weirdtoes' post, and also add that some supplements that may help you could be algin, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium (in the form of selenomethione), and possibly B complex and magnesium.

With that you may find adjusting your diet could also aid your immunity and reduce any overload of yeast in your body. This means eliminating sugar/yeast/wheat/gluten from your diet. Possibly fruit and milk and honey because of the natural sweetness/sugars and even potatoes.

However, some people start by simply getting rid of the obvious bad stuff and still consume limited fruit, non gluten grain etc. But others may find they need to eliminate those foods also later if they need to.

This can truly help a lot because it aids your body in absorbing nutrients better and so many people who have toxicity, usually have a yeast overgrowth. It is normal to have some yeast overgrowth in a metal toxic environment, but feeding it beyond that point with sugars and junkfood in the diet can be a recipe for disaster.

I would not use antifungals, they can be very risky. They act by splitting open the yeast cell walls when they kill them. if your yeast happens to contain any toxic metals, these will be released back into your system possibly a lot at once. This is why diet is the safest way to go (at least at first). Eliminting the stuff yeast feed on, means the overgrowth begins to die off/reduce and it's done pretty slowly. In act fact, it simply enables your body to do more of what it needs to do and helps the the immune system in the process. It also helps the gut and liver (which is needed for detox).

I would not take any chelating/detox agents for mercury at this point becuase you still have amalgams. Doing so now might lead to an unnecessary worsening of symptoms. Better to wait till they are all out before you try that. For now, the best thing to do is remove as much other toxic load as you can via diet and using supportive and protective supplements. Algin acts like a sponge and can help mop up any mercury it comes in contact with, but it does not chelate. It will not pull more mercury out of your tissues.

Replacing amalgams should be done carefully over time. I had 7 replaced(I still have many more) and developed nasty candida infections in my mouth. There is something between traditional fillings and crowns. I am talking about inlays and onlays. These are usually porcelain. They also last much longer than composite fillings but are much more expensive. Some dentists can do these in a single visit(using a Cerac machine) while others use a temporary filling while an outside lab custom makes the inlay or onlay. The cost for dental work varies tremendously based on location. The US average cost is around $800 each, but the price in the US probably varies from around $400 to $2,200 each. Composite fillings are not very good for large cavities. An inlay or onlay is usually less expensive than a crown, and preserves much more of the natural tooth. My dentist wanted to replace many of my amalgams since they are old(average around 30 years old). Replacing amalgam fillings will expose you to plenty of mercury.

Yeah I would recommend cerec as a replacment material, but the expense is the biggy. Thing is, it lasts almost a lifetime and is ideal especially for large cavities and is biocompatible/stable material. It is not quite the same as older style porcelain and much more healthy tooth structure can be saved.

What is better?

Bread with carb content of 7 that contains yeast and gluten
Or bread with 27 carbs and no yeast or gluten?

Hmmmmmmmm

Yikes, I have no idea. Depends on whether you have problems with gluten and yeast. I dont think either sound ideal personally. Gluten and yeast are often a recipe for disaster with people who are toxic and have yeast and anything else with too many carbs is the same.

Hey anon,

Let me give you links to some resources that may help with your original questions... helping you live with amalgams until you can get them out:


Tips for Living While Amalgams are Still Installed

Other Mercury-Related Articles

Hope this helps.