It is surprising that traditional dentistry uses "silver" amalgam fillings which contain 50% mercury, 12 % copper, 15% tin and a little zinc and only 20% silver, in general dentistry and for child and young peoples dentistry.

Despite the fact that the Danish environmental laws classify amalgam debris as highly toxic and to be treated with care when disposed of.

when it is used as fillings in teeth, the mercury is released continuously as vapour and small particles. The mercury gains access to other organs via the lungs and the stomach. The mercury vapour meter we have in the clinic can determine the concentration of mercury vapour in the mouth.

In 1991 the World Health Organisation (WHO) released a paper in which it was documented that " the largest part of mercury that are found in humans, originate from amalgam fillings and not as earlier thought from fish". The same research shows that there is no minimum limit, where amalgam (mercury) related symptoms cannot appear.

Mercury is very toxic on the immune system and for the function of the whole body. Mercury from teeth, spreads to the kidneys, liver, glands, central nervous system, heart etc.

Mercury can be the cause of many illnesses and symptoms.

It is not too soon to realise that mercury is among the most poisonous substances that exist. Scientific and clinical research in Europe, USA and many other countries confirm this.

More than 20,000 scientific articles are available, and lots of patients-cases about amalgam and symptoms.

Mercury free dentistry encompasses all ordinary dental treatments except there is no use of amalgam. Tissue friendly fillings made of polycarbonate-plastic materials are used instead.

Recent research and technology has developed some extremely tissue friendly plastic materials with very good durability and better than amalgam.

Where earlier a gold crown had to be made, we are now able to manage most of the situations with a large plastic filling. Even when very little tooth is left, we can create a filling or a crown made of those new materials. The fact that the new polycarbonate- plastic materials contains crystals instead of small granules and longer molecule, gives the fillings durability which is closed to that of a natural tooth.

It is now possible to fabricate metal-free, translucent frameworks for anterior and posterior crowns and bridges, as well as for inlays and onlays with unique fibre-reinforced material. The FRC (fibre-reinforced composite) material is composed of several layers of fibre wafers, as well as uniaxially oriented fibre bundles. This method is called "Sculpture fibre/Kor".

Fibre insite the polycarbonate plastic material makes it possible to fabricate long bridges and thin crowns just as strong as metal / porcelain, but much cheaper, more healthy, attractive, and easy to repair. "Composipost" is a method using carbon fibres as pins in the root canals. Studies show that carbon fibre pins do not loosen as easily or split the root of the tooth as metal / ceramic pins. They are quite friendly to the tissue too.

With our Biotron device, we can treat the dentine of the teeth and the sensitive surfaces. It makes the surface of the teeth hard as enamal and the soft tissue and bacteria that remains are removed. For that reason we can prevent caries and perhaps later on prevent that the nerve of the teeth from getting irritated or inflamed, and prevent a rootcanal treatment.

Plastic as filling material is more costly than amalgam, owing to the price of material and worktime in the clinic. The dentist must be handy and need much more assistance and have special instrument and equipment too. That is why the treatment is more expensive.

The plastic fillings lasts longer, if they are made correct, and do not cause breakage of the tooth, as amalgam frequently do.

Corrosion of the metals in amalgam will make it necessary to replace the fillings. That makes the treatments with plastic materials cheaper in the long run.

Many and long clinical trials have shown that plastic materials are of such good quality, that since 1985 we have given a 5 years warranty on the fillings.

Mercury vapour and amalgam debris is very dangerous and has to be treated with utmost care. When removing the amalgam certain precautions have to be taken. Mercury vapour as well as materials are harmful for the patient and clinical staff.

Rubberdam around the teeth with amalgam, air or oxygen and strong suction in the oral cavity, as well as external suction are some of the precautions we take.

The dentist and the dental assistant has a carbon mask and a face shield during amalgam removal.

In the room there are elektric installations which constantly clean the air to remove mercury vapour, metals ions, airborne particles, bacteria and viruses.

It is difficult to diagnose chronic mercury poisoning. The amount of mercury present in the blood and urine is not enough to diagnose chronic mercury poisoning. Only history of health, descriptions of symptoms, mercury vapour measurement from the oral cavity, can point to mercury from the amalgam fillings as an important reason causing health problems.

My clinical experience after having exchanged amalgam fillings and other metals on my patients since the middle of the eighties, are so surprisingly good, that it wouldn`t be a overstatement to say that everybody benefits from it.

My study: Elimination of symptoms by removal of amalgam from mercury poisoned patients, as compared with a control group of average patients is published in the scientific magazine: Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine. 1993; 8: 145-148.

This research shows that 9 out of 10 health problems improved or disappeared completely after one year.

My research concerning: Mercury vapour in the oral cavity in relation to the number of amalgam surfaces and the classic symptoms is published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine Vol 11 No.2 pp. 87-94 1996.

Another of my studies: Symptoms before and after proper amalgam removal in relation to serum-globulin reaction to metals is published in Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine Vol. 11 No.4 pp 1996.

Henrik Lichtenberg D.D.S.