Biological Dentistry

Serving Dallas, Plano, Highland Park and University Park 

Our entire team has studied under Dr. Huggins in biological dentistry

Every day, people are exposed to many chemicals, all of them existing on a continuum from very beneficial to highly dangerous. Biological dentistry is the practice of working to reduce our dental patients' exposure to harmful chemicals. We do this by always seeking to find the most biocompatible materials for our tools, restorations, and medications. Whenever we remove toxic materials like mercury or nickel, we strive to protect you from exposure by taking every conceivable precaution.

No Toxic Fillings

Although there remains some controversy around the toxicity of metal amalgam fillings, what is not controversial is that mercury is toxic. Also not controversial is that mercury and the other metals copper, silver, tin, and zinc are exuded from amalgam fillings by a combination of mechanical and chemical forces. No matter how you look at it, then, if you have metal fillings with mercury, you will be constantly ingesting some amount of mercury as well as other heavy metals.

The recent ruling of the FDA Scientific Panel is that due to the proven release of mercury, amalgam fillings should be banned from use in children, women of child-bearing age, and all individuals showing hypersensitivity to metals.

Because of this, we at Dallas Designer Smiles have not used mercury/silver amalgam fillings for over 30 years, and recommend the safe removal of any mercury/silver fillings you may already have so that they can be replaced with more biocompatible tooth-colored fillings.

Safe Removal

As dangerous as metal fillings are in your teeth, they may be even more toxic if not removed properly. We take care in removing your metal amalgam fillings to minimize your reexposure to mercury and other toxins. First, we utilize two high-speed vacuums during extraction to suck up as much debris and mercury vapor as possible. You will wear a nose mask to supply oxygen or safe air to prevent you from inhaling the mercury fumes that are mobilized during removal. We also use rubber dams to prevent your swallowing of debris from the filling. During removal, you will wear goggles with built-in TVs that also protect your eyes from dust while offering entertainment.

We also perform sequential removal of your fillings. Before removal, we measure the charge of your fillings. We start by removing the ones with the strongest negative charge and moving toward those with the highest positive charge. This reduces the chance that fillings will electromagnetically bind to your tissue and facilitates complete removal of the fillings.

The details of mercury toxicity due to metal amalgam fillings are complicated, but we will be happy to discuss them with you. To learn more about biological dentistry and whether you should have your metal fillings removed, please contact Dallas Designer Smiles today for a consultation.

For over 30 years, Dr. Strader has provided complete biologically-based dental services for the residents of Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area, including University Park, Highland Park and Plano.