Getting My Amalgam Fillings Removed
My life changed when I had my amalgam fillings removed by a holistic dentist. It changed my world.
Two years ago I had a tooth that was causing me pain and went to my regular dentist who said the amalgam filling needed replaced. They only last so long, and it was time. When I was 9 years old and got my first cavity, I was told they last 15 years. I thought I beat the clock, I was 42.
The pain was building for a while but oil pulling solved the pain, yet the oil pulling was turning into a 4 time a day habit.
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My regular dentist broke up the amalgam filing and replaced it with a porcelain filling. When he broke up the amalgam I felt shards of the old silver filling coating the inside of my mouth, along with larger chunks of amalgam. In the course of his work I felt a piece go straight down my throat. After rinsing three times I felt two other shards go down my throat.
At the time, I had no idea the mercury vapor was causing damage. It wasn’t until later that I learned the vapor with amalgams is increased with chewing gum, drinking, brushing your tongue on top of the amalgam, eating or brushing your teeth. I had Leaky Gut at the time this amalgam was removed, so I’m not sure if that exacerbated my mercury poisoning or if it was just another rung in the ladder.
(Side note: the mercury vapor coming off this amalgam filling pictured is from a tooth extracted over 15 years prior to the picture. In addition, I have read the air toxicity over Japan is the highest in mercury toxicity due to all the amalgam fillings used and the cremation of bodies. I can no longer find the source of this article but I do remember reading it and I do know Japan is very attentive to negative publicity, removing it diligently).

Regardless, over the next year I gained 30 pounds, eating a strict Full GAPS diet – so strict it made other people uncomfortable. I brewed all my own kefir and yogurt from grass-fed pastured cows who ate organic feed while getting milked. I exercised at least 3 times a week burning anywhere from 1500 calories to 3500 calories a time – and I still gained 30 pounds. I blame it on the metals.
The heavy metal toxicity grew evident in other areas as well. Twice I drank out of a can (loved me some sparkling water!) and I could taste the tin to the point where I got the willies simply touching it to my lips. When I touched aluminum foil, I could taste it in my mouth. This grew to the point where I could taste metal for 2 days after touching the foil. Oil pulling helped to remove the horrible feeling. I blame this on the metal toxicity also.
There were 5 amalgams total in my mouth which had all been there 25-35 years respectfully. The first was removed by my regular dentist, where I swallowed a great deal of amalgam as well as the harmful mercury vapor. Coupled with the many years of breathing in mercury vapors and leaching, there was no mistake, I had mercury poisoning.
The last, and most troubling effect from the amalgams was the most remarkable. I began to lose my mind. This wasn’t normal where did I put my keys or what did I walk in this room for? type of losing my mind. This was beyond the coping skills of making lists because I’ll forget what to pick up at the grocery or putting my car keys in the refrigerator with my water bottle so I don’t forget my water bottle at a friend’s house – this was blank, empty, void, deficient to the point of absence losing my mind. There were times when I talked, the words that came out of my mouth were completely different that what was going on I my head. So if I noticed it happening I remained silent. If I read out loud the words would be in my brain but were jumbled coming out of my mouth. It felt like my mouth and brain were often working independently, like there was no communication at all. It grew more and more frequent that I lost words. I couldn’t remember simple words as I talked, every day words like notebook or spaghetti squash. Words and thoughts were totally gone – like an empty hollow space was taking over my brain.
There was just nothing there no matter how hard I tried. I was 42 years old.
So I prayed.
Shortly thereafter when I was a speaker at our local Weston A. Price Conference I got the opportunity to eat with Dr. Kaayla Daniel, Vice President of The Weston Price Foundation. While talking privately for her at length she said it sounded like heavy metal toxicity. Shortly thereafter I heard heavy metal toxicity affects every aspect of your metabolism. Then I heard from two other unrelated sources the effects of heavy metal toxicity on the brain – which resembled my most recent struggles.
One local holistic dentist existed in Chattanooga, Dr. Bob Gallien, DDS, of Smiles of Chattanooga. As it turned out most dental insurance plans cover $1000 towards dental work a year, mine included. So I used that cushion, along with a few thousand dollars of our own that we didn’t have, to get the remaining four amalgams removed.

(Side note: every amalgam filling I had removed had a cavity or two underneath it. Each tooth was also cracked or fully fractured).
I love going to dentist. I love having my teeth cleaned. I love the feeling of a fresh start in my mouth, like a spring cleaning for my face. That said getting my amalgams removed wasn’t easy. It was over 4 hours of non-stop work in my mouth. However Dr. Gallien’s team made me as comfortable as humanly possible. He used a dental dam to contain the amalgam but also didn’t allow saliva to accumulate in the back of my throat. Other safety precautions were made to prevent further amalgam poisoning. I had sound deadening headphones and watched 4 episodes of Monk on Netflix while he worked. I had a comfy fluffy blanket – it was literally the closest thing to sitting on my couch as they could make it.
I was told my metals would shift when I had the amalgams removed.
I would love to hear other stories of shifting metals but my story was… well, odd. While driving home from getting my amalgams removed the world became a slide show. Literally the trees, cars and buildings began moving like slides shifting screens. My car was steady and I was safe but the world around me was changing slides for a long 4-6 seconds. I spoke audibly to myself in the car, “Woe…” followed by a long period of my lower jar dropped open, catching flies, like a child seeing a room full of Christmas presents.
The same thing happened the next morning while meeting a friend to go for a run. I was trapped in the middle of a slide show.
During that time I had on and off pain from a swollen disk in my back. The pain would manifest as a sharp pain on the inside of my left knee. One week after amalgam removal the pain on the inside of my knee escalated to severe pain, ironically at the same time I needed to pick up an unaccompanied minor at the airport – where I set off the metal detector. The lady waved her wand over me, just in the area of the pain. When I turned around so she could wave my posterior side I saw the monitor flashing a red notice with a yellow warning alert right at my source of pain, the inside of the left knee. I was wearing shorts that day. Every bit of that zone was visible to the wanding officer.
After setting off the metal detector I sat on a bench, so my son could put his shoes on, and watched everyone else coming through the inspection station. It was packed with people dispersed through six stations of the Atlanta airport, where only one other lady was pulled aside and wanded. She was wanded over her hands, covered in rings.
It’s been just over half a year since the amalgams were removed. I have been faithfully chelating with vitamin C, chlorella (click here to see the one I useote, the FDA makes me say this when I link a product: #ad), Spirulina (this one, again FDA required: #ad) and GAPS (FDA required #ad) phase two for over 7 months now. I have only lost 8 pounds while eating nothing but different GAPS vegetable soups for the 7 months) and my body is adjusting much like a stepping down plateau shelf. Phase two is very telling as it is the detox phase of GAPS. I feel more now than I did at the beginning and my digestion has improved tremendously as well as the mental clarity. In fact my mental clarity is near what it was when I was in college.
If anyone out there in cyber-land has experienced shifting metals please post your experience below.
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Tag:Detoxification, Food, Heavy Metals
10 Comments
Thank you for sharing your story…. I too have had many health issues related to amalgams and growing up eating the standard American diet, especially growing up in Chattanooga in the 70’s & 80’s…. I had my amalgams removed in Portland, OR in the late 90’s and remember the physical pain throughout my body afterwards for three days…. I could not even be touched….. I have worked years to restore my gut through different approaches…. Restoring relation to my body and heart, learning love and compassion and that I am not broken…. I did find an amazing dental clinic in Tijuana called American Bio-dental that is a biological dentist…. They have a website and a 1-800 number and very helpful communications…. They specialize with mercury removal and blood and hair analysis with different conditions….. And most of all incredible compassion… The biological dentist I see here in Santa Fe, NM asked me who did the work I had in my mouth…. She said the quality was top notch…. Such a big topic and important, thank you
Thank you for this post! I had my 2nd and last removal appointment 3 days ago with a biological dentist. I think I’m starting to experience metal moving. Brain fog and forgetfulness yesterday. My panic disorder also started to flair a little last night. Hopefully some of it is just fearful anticipation. I’ve been taking vitamin C activated charcoal and spirulina. And eating super clean. Wish me luck it doesn’t worsen! God bless everyone dealing with health issues related to metals!
Amen to that!
All true experience,I had the same problem,had them all removed,in my case,car driving is an issue,it’s been for years since the amalgans were removed,was told that it may take up to 20 years to be whole again,we’ll it’s been 16 years,and it still persist,taking b12 helps some,
Oh Ness, I’m so sorry.
I started my amalgam removals last year, but had to stop half way and wait till my body was strong enough, to get the last 4 removed.
So it took 15 months to get 8 amalgams removed.
Its actually best to have them done slowly, one quadrant at a time or so.
Also, what most people dont realise is that amalgam removal causes mercury stored in body tissue gets released into the blood stream too. Sometimes is just moves from one part of the body to another.
Chelators can be defined as release-ers and binders/holders.
Clay is a great binder. I found foot baths with clay I dug up myself from a clean location to work great. I ate clay too, as well as chlorophyll products, garlic, vit c and coriander/cilantro.
I had the last 4 amalgams done 2 months ago, the first 2 weeks were hell, but am pleasantly surprised at how well I’m going now compared to the earlier 4 removals over a year ago.
In a way, its been a mixed blessing, as I might not have cleaned up my life if I hadn’t bombed on mercury toxicity.
Smoking including cannabis is terrible for cadmium, tea is full of aluminium and fluoride.
Iron is problematic for older men but women are protected by the process of menstruation releasing heavy metals, natures built-in chelator for child bearers.
I cook in corning ware pots now, never use stainless for anything including cool water and especially not hot drinks. Still use a cast iron skillet but not much. Tend to boil meat now.
Unglazed clay cookware is unavailable here in NZ, but apart from needing to be patient and careful to avoid cracking them by sudden heat change, in seems to be the healthiest cookware.
I might get a potter to make me up an nice unglazed tagine one day soon.
African women regularly eat a clay biscuit when they are pregnant, to avoid poisoning the fetus with heavy metals.
Blue bloods were so named because silver cutlery and plates which were used to fight viruses and bacteria makes one look blue. Silver and gold jewellry and ingestion is benefial to health, hence the desire and expense. Chinese value clay pots for health. Indians use copper jugs to clean dirty drinking water, but Indian kids can suffer from excess copper.
I could go in for ages……
Thanks for helping everyone by making your site,
regards Frank
Iodine is the answer. Read “Iodine: Why You Need it, Why You Can’t Live Without It’ by Dr David Brownstein (recommended by WAPF). Iodine was used for mercury poisoning in the past. Chlorella and Spirulina are good but if you want to clear the brain fog, increase energy levels and lose weight then you need to supplement with iodine and do the salt loading protocol to deal with detox effects from bromine.
Yes, Cristine, you are very correct. Thank you for adding this here. I am an Iodine Literate Practitioner and have followed the protocol since the amalgam removal. I write of it frequently. https://www.nourishingplot.com/2014/10/20/iodine-adrenals-thyroid-and-cysts/
Thank you for the article. I am sorry you had to go through all that you did. I am thinking about having amalgam fillings removed but I am approaching this with a lot of trepidation. I am a definite believer that what food you eat is critically important to your health. I hope your journey (and your son’s) is only upward from here on out.
This article is so interesting. I will be getting my amalgam fillings out soon. Hopefully in a few months. After reading this now I’m a little scared. I didn’t realize there was an effect of the metals moving around your body. I do have a question regarding chelation and removal. Does everyone need to chelate after amalgam removal? Because I have an amalgam “tattoo” under my tongue (from a very shoddy dentist when I was in college) and have been told there is NO way to remove it because it is in an area full of blood vessels/nerves. So all of my amalgam will never ever be removed! ? What would you recommend I do? I am in Atlanta and will be seeing Dr. Lorie Miller-Stevens in Gainesville, GA. I also have Hashimoto’s and my biggest complaint is memory issues…but I never thought it was metal toxicity.