One such toxic substance is mercury.  There is much debate about how much mercury is safe for the body, since mercury itself is a poison.  There is plenty of evidence that mercury amalgam fillings continually release mercury vapor into the body for the lifetime of the filling, thus making them very toxic. The number of mercury fillings placed by dentists has significantly decreased from 99% to 50% in the recent years. Porcelain composite fillings are rapidly gaining popularity over mercury fillings, and hopefully these toxic fillings will soon be obsolete.

Mercury fillings that are implanted in the teeth can prove to be highly toxic. During the 70′s, lead fillings were as common as mercury fillings are today, but dentists stopped placing these fillings due to the toxic nature of the metal. The shocking fact is that mercury is far more toxic than lead, and the body tends to absorb the mercury vapor that is emitted by these fillings. The mercury absorbed by the body then travels to the brain, adversely and detrimentally affecting the natural health of the body.

At the same time, it can also be dangerous to get mercury fillings removed. When being removed, toxic mercury can be released in the mouth. There have been cases of mercury poisoning, where patients fell ill and remained for months after they got their mercury fillings removed at a dentist’s office. Thus, those who have mercury fillings in their mouth should always get their fillings removed by a biocompatible dentist, who is qualified and experienced in safe mercury removal techniques.

Another problem with mercury fillings is that just like freezing water; these fillings can expand with the passing years causing the teeth to break. This is the reason that most people need to get crowns implanted in their teeth. The corrosion of the metal is what causes the amalgam to expand and it starts taking more space than it had originally occupied. In comparison to the initial space occupied by these fillings, the fillings can expand seventy times more because of corrosion.

These are the two reasons that biocompatible dentists consider mercury fillings unsafe and recommend people to get these fillings removed. Biocompatible dentists believed that getting the mercury fillings out is the only way to save the teeth and prevent people from falling seriously ill because of the toxic mercury. These dentists also recommend that these fillings should be removed before the teeth have been cracked. Biocompatible dentists replace the mercury fillings with a porcelain composite filling to save the teeth.

Mercury fillings are not only detrimental to health but also have damaging effects on the rest of the tooth and its enamel as well. Mercury poisoning that occurs because of the presence of mercury fillings in the teeth can turn out to be quite serious. This is why mercury fillings are considered unsafe and even dangerous, and why biocompatible dentists advise people to get these fillings removed.

Dr. Virtue is knowledgeable and experience in Biocompatible, Mercury-free dentistry.  He has the answers to your questions about mercury removal. For more information on Biocompatible Dentistry or to schedule a consultation, contact us at 336.679.2034 or williamvirtueoffice@yahoo.com.

The adverse impact that toxic materials tend to have on physiological health and dental health has been recognized. Concerns regarding the integrity of oral cavities and the procedures and materials used in dental practices lead to the advent of biocompatible dentistry.

Why is Biocompatible Dentistry Necessary?

Most people are not aware that 50% mercury is contained in “silver” amalgam fillings. As much mercury as contained in a thermometer can be found in a large filling. At room temperature, mercury can easily vaporize, and in this state it has no color, odor and taste. The bloodstream readily absorbs inhaled mercy vapor. It has been concluded by the World Health Organization that in comparison to other mercury sources, dental fillings contribute a lot more mercury to an individual’s body. As most people are aware, mercury is very poisonous. In comparison to arsenic, cadmium or lead, mercury is far more toxic. Exposure to just about any amount of mercy can prove to be harmful, and this is why biocompatible dentistry is a better, healthier alternative.

What Do Biocompatible Dentists Do?

In biocompatible dentistry, blood and hair samples are collected during the first appointment, and those samples examined for traces of any harmful metals and other materials. A particular diet or form of treatment is then recommended by the biocompatible dentist to remove those harmful substances from the body.
The fact that a pain-free and relaxing environment is used in biocompatible dentistry is one of the biggest benefits offered by this form of dentistry. No mercury or any other substances that might cause harm to the natural health of the body are used.

Can Biocompatible Dentists Help Remove Mercury Fillings?

According to the International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology (IAOMT), it is best that mercy fillings are removed as soon as possible. The body continues accumulating mercy vapor that dental fillings emit and over years they can have adverse effects on the natural health of the body. Biocompatible dentists are qualified to remove amalgam fillings, and they follow the protocols mentioned below:

- An effective suction system is utilized in the oral cavity so that the mercury vapor and amalgam particles are contained.
- Maximum efficiency is maintained through the use of a vacuum system. 
- Plentiful amounts of water are applied to the filling when removing the amalgam fillings.

For all those who are concerned about the adverse affects that amalgam fillings might have on their health, biocompatible dentistry serves as a viable alternative.

Dr. Virtue is the knowledgeable and experience Biocompatible dentist you need.  For more information or to schedule a consultation, contact us at 336.679.2034 or williamvirtueoffice@yahoo.com

Dr. William Virtue - The Dangers of Fluoride and Mercury

If you’re prefer to read Dr. Virtue’s comments, here is the transcript:

JR: We’re going to talk about fluoride, which I think – we all grew up knowing that fluoride was what made your teeth better. There was fluoride in your water and it was what we were supposed to do, right?

DR. VIRTUE: Correct. We were taught that fluoride in drinking water was very beneficial, fluoride in toothpaste was beneficial, and pretty soon, fluoride was in everything. People probably have noticed recently—I mean, it hasn’t been in the paper but on the news—that the recommended dosage of fluoride in the water – well, in 1979, it was 2parts/million, and for whatever reason, there’s no evidence that 2parts/million works. In fact, the ADA has come out and said, “Drinking fluoride in water is not effective for preventing tooth decay.”

Now, they’ve reduced it to 0.7. Again, no scientific information – nothing that proves that it helps or does anything. In fact, the ADA, as I said, came out and said it doesn’t. I liken it to drinking suntan lotion to prevent sunburn; it doesn’t work that way. In fact, it’s a toxic poison that we’re ingesting – in our water supplies, in the ruse of doing some good, but in fact it doesn’t. So, it’s really a problem that we need to look at.

In my office I don’t give anybody fluoride. I don’t recommend fluoride in toothpaste; I don’t give children fluoride, because of its toxic effects on the body. There used to be—correct me if I’m wrong—actually a fluoride treatment.

JR: Oh, yeah?

DR. VIRTUE: Oh, yeah, they still do. They put [trace] in the kid’s mouth and have them sit there with the fluoride and soak the teeth in that. Now, fluoride is effective topically like that because it’s so toxic that it does kill the bacteria. But if the child were to swallow that—you always say, “Don’t swallow, don’t swallow; don’t swallow for 15 minutes”—they’d get definitely sick. I mean, they’ll throw up in a heartbeat. So, it’s really, really toxic material, and it’s got no function in the body whatsoever. There’s no biological reason to have fluoride in your body.

JR: Where did this come from?

DR. VIRTUE: Well, there are several theories. The most popular theory is it came out of the nuclear industry back in the Manhattan Project. Fluoride is a compound that’s used to produce fissionable uranium, in my understanding. Now, since that time, in the phosphate industry, when they’re mining in Florida for phosphate for fertilizer, fluoride occurs with the phosphate and it’s [pulled] off as a byproduct and has no marketable value per se, until you find out something like, “Gee, we can do a study [0:02:33] that they did up in New York back in the 40s that it prevents tooth decay”—which in fact was kind of a hoaxy study—and therefore a new industry was born which was putting fluoride in the water and putting fluoride in toothpaste.

JR: Well, that sounds to me like a prime example of if we say it enough times, everybody begins to believe it.

DR. VIRTUE: That’s pretty much true, yeah. Another thing that’s interesting going on right now is the big scare about mercury in the environment. “Oh, we’re concerned about the environmental impacts of mercury,” but no one’s complaining about the environmental impact of mercury in your body. It’s like, “Shouldn’t that be the primary concern – what it’s doing to us internally –and along with the environment?” It’s like okay for humans to consume mercury but it’s not okay for it to be in the lake. I mean, it doesn’t make sense. It shouldn’t be in either place.

JR: Yeah. And, you know, you hear—I mean, national media has covered this quite a bit over the years—you should be careful about what kinds of fish that you eat because they absorb mercury more readily. I think swordfish is one of those that you’re not supposed to have so much of, right?

DR. VIRTUE: That’s correct. And here’s how it works – whatever discharge of mercury is in our waste water. For instance, I said this before, when a dentist removes a mercury filling from you, it gets sucked into the vacuum, it goes downstairs, and it goes out in the sewer system. The sewer system – we know our sludge plants, whatever they do, they evaporate this material and then it is spread on fields and rivers.

Well, most of the water that goes out of those effluent plants into the rivers doesn’t remove all the mercury, so the mercury goes out into the streams and rivers. So, 40% of the mercury coming—that’s a conservative estimate—in our streams and rivers, comes from dental offices. So, that mercury goes on down the creek and gets into the fish and then the fish go into the bay and the bay goes into the ocean. So the shrimps eat this, and then something eats the shrimps, and then something eats the fish. And the swordfish or the mackerel is at the end of the food chain – those are the big guys. So, they’ve already eaten all the little guys that have consumed that mercury. So, it accumulates in the muscle mass of the fish.

Now, a lot of times, people go, “Why are the fish dying of mercury poisoning?” Well, fish are naturally high in selenium (it’s a mineral that occurs in sea water) and they’re a very, very high concentration. Well, selenium and mercury bind together. The selenium actually binds with that mercury, keeping it out of the fish’s nervous system, so he/she can function fine with a high level of mercury in the body, because it’s not engaged in the nerve fibers of the fish.

But when you eat that fish, your selenium levels are not nearly as high, so, that mercury gets distributed in your body. So, I warn people, particularly pregnant women, not to eat tuna fish. Tuna’s on the high end of the food chain, along with mackerel and—you can go on down the list—swordfish and that kind of thing.

So, yeah, I don’t eat those fishes. I don’t eat fish much at all because of that reason, that it’s very high in mercury. You got to be careful with that, particularly if you’re like me and you’re in a very high mercury environment anyway. All day long I’m sitting there – I don’t put mercury fillings in and I use all the latest technologies and techniques to eliminate mercury exposure, but in everything I casually do, my day of mercury inhalation is going to be higher than yours, you know, to the best day I’ve got. So, I want to do everything I can to eliminate it and avoid my overexposure; that’s why I don’t eat fish like that. But I like it – I like swordfish. I like tuna.

Dr. William Virtue - The Dangers of Too Much Fluoride

Here’s the transcript:

DR. VIRTUE: Well, you know, something, JR, that’s come up when we started talking about fluoride on the first part of the show: Dental fluorosis is kind of in the news today. As I mentioned, when I got out of school, the wisdom was that 2ppm in the drinking water was good for your teeth; now it’s down to 0.7. My hope is that it will be like zero in a few years, because you don’t need to be drinking fluoride. Fluorinated water is not a good thing for our bodies.

But dental fluorosis is caused by fluoride, and it’s too much fluoride. We’re getting fluoride in orange juice, grape juice; it’s fortified. Children’s vitamins have fluoride in it. It’s in the water. Now, the strangest thing about fluoride is that we’re encouraged to drink a lot of water a day. People walk around with water bottles all the time. The more water you drink, the healthier you are.

Well, the more water you drink, the more fluoride you’re getting. And just because you’re drinking bottled water—most of our bottled water comes from tap water—and the only way to get fluoride out of water is to distill it. None of these waters are distilled. Reverse osmosis doesn’t take fluoride out. So the more water you drink, the more fluoride you’re getting. It’s also in the toothpaste. Like I said, it’s in grape juice. It’s in cereals. It’s in all kinds of products.

It’s used as a pesticide. That’s the most effective thing about fluoride, is that it’s so toxic that you use it in the grape industry. If you want to grow wine, you can’t spray bugs spray on them because it’s just taken off the vine and crushed; they’re not washed. So they spray them with fluoride to kill the bugs. Well, that fluoride goes into the grape juice which goes into the wine obviously. California wines are very high in fluoride, and Europeans won’t generally buy them because of that reason. They’re banned many times because the fluoride content is too high.

My point in all of this is this: Fluoride’s coming out; it’s in a lot of different directions, particularly the water supply. When children drink a lot of fluoride, their permanent teeth are affected. Their cells called ameloblasts that make the enamel in the teeth (that’s what their job is to do) and fluoride affects their production; it doesn’t destroy them but it distorts them, so they make defective enamel.

What we’re seeing in children—and I think it’s estimated—but 40% of children between 6 and 15 years old show some evidence of fluorosis. So what we’re finding is that these teeth, even though be it slightly affected or greatly affected, what we look for are the brown spots on the front teeth. They could be brown, orange, yellow, but the enamel is not completely clear, but from the top to the bottom of the tooth, it varies a great deal. It’s splotchy – I guess that’s the best way to describe it. (We have pictures in the office and I used to just show the picture; I don’t have to describe what it looks like.) But that’s endemic. We’re finding it all over the place.

Right now, the wisdom is that we’re going to reduce the amount of fluoride in the water to help this fluorosis. But to me, the strange thing is the impact is not being like, “What about the health issues involved with this fluoride?” We know that fluoride decreases IQ. It can decrease calcium. It increases lead in the body.

Wherever you have a high concentration of fluoride in the water—now remember: all this fluoride’s been put in the water supply, it’s not naturally occurring in our city water; it’s added to it—you have a high instance of hip fracture in adults, because fluoride doesn’t leave the body. It goes into the long bones of the body, and as it accumulates over the years, the bones get brittle and they snap. And when you have adults fall down and have hip fracture, there’s going to be a high concentration of fluoride in those bones.

So, not only does it not prevent tooth decay, not only does it harm the tooth from fluorosis, but later on we find that we’re getting heart problems, you have decreased IQ, you have hip fractures, weakened bones. I mean, it’s just not a good thing to do – but we’re still doing it.

To learn more about how too much flouride could be affecting your health, call our office at (336) 679-2034 today.

Dr. William Virtue - Should I Have My Amalgam Fillings Removed?

If you’d rather read the interview, here are the transcripts:

JR: Let’s talk to Joe. Joe, you’re on WSJS with Dr. Virtue.

JOE: Good morning, Doctor. I’d just like to ask. A guy like myself that grew up in the 60s that’s got a mouthful of amalgam fillings. Should I have them replaced?

DR. VIRTUE: Ask the question again, Joe. I’m sorry, I didn’t – should you have them placed?

JOE: Yeah, I grew up in the 60s and I have a mouthful of amalgam fillings. I was just wondering: should I have them replaced?

DR. VIRTUE: Well, that depends on your perspective. I don’t tell patients they have to replace them because they’re mercury – that’s their call. What I look for is if there are fractures in the tooth and/or decay. Now, I understand that a mercury filling expands about ten times more than a tooth does, so every time you drink coffee or hot chocolate, that filling is going to expand, and then when you eat ice cream or something cold, it contracts. Well, that constant expansion and contraction eventually fractures the tooth. So, what I look for is fracture lines in the tooth and/or decay, and I’ll inform the patient of that.

Many patients come in and just want them out for health reasons. That’s kind of your call. But if they’ve been there since the 60s, which—maybe they have or they haven’t, their lifetime is probably over anyway—what happens with them is as time goes on, the mercury vapor evaporates from these fillings and you inhale it, and the integrity of the material decreases and it crumbles or breaks, and that’s what usually happens with the fillings.

JR: So you break a filling.

DR. VIRTUE: Yeah, because the mercury vapor is constantly coming off that filling that they just lose their strength.

JR: I have a couple that I’ve had to have root canals and crowns for, but the others seem to be doing okay.

DR. VIRTUE: Well, “okay” meaning you’re not having pain or they haven’t fallen apart yet, but if looked at carefully, there are probably fracture lines. Again, I can’t tell you because I can’t see your mouth, but rarely do we find a mercury filling without some fracture line on the tooth.

To learn more about the dangers of amalgam fillings or to schedule a consultation, call (336) 679-2034.

Dr William Virtue - Mercury Isn't Just Bad For The Fish

Here’s a transcript of the audio:

JR: I think the thing that we probably should reiterate is the fact that we do hear about “Don’t eat fish because there’s so much mercury in them,” and then you go to the dentist to get your tooth filled and a lot of dentist are putting mercury fillings in there. What’s the difference?

DR. VIRTUE: There isn’t any difference – mercury is mercury. Well, you have organic and inorganic mercury, and you have methylmercury and ethylmercury things. But, you know, mercury is a bad actor, no matter what form it’s in.

You know, we’re talking about fish a minute ago. One of the statistics is if you were to place one gram—now one gram is not a lot of volume; it’s a very small volume, because mercury is very heavy—in a ten-acre lake, there would be a sign up that says you cannot eat the fish. So, that’s a gram of mercury.

JR: In a ten-acre lake! A gram is equal to—just for general purposes—an ounce, right, or thereabout it?

DR. VIRTUE: One ounce is 28 grams.

JR: 28 grams. Still—

DR. VIRTUE: So, 1/28^th of an ounce of mercury.

JR: Wow!

DR. VIRTUE: And you can’t eat the fish. Now, there is about half a gram of mercury in a silver filling in the mouth, and as you brush and as you chew, you’re inhaling that mercury vapor. That’s what I’m saying: in the dental environment, the assistants and the dentists are sitting there, removing these fillings, and many of them placing the filling. The problem is not so much in placing them, although when we were taught in dental school, any scrap of amalgam that we had left from that filling had to go in a jar with a lid on it under oil, so that the mercury vapor didn’t come off in the room. But no precautions whatsoever we’re given to grinding that big, old filling and the room fills with mercury vapor, and your assistant, the patient, and the dentist are sitting there breathing all that.

The EPA has no guideline whatsoever for dental exposure to mercury. Every other industry has guidelines, but for some crazy reason, the dental business is not – there’s no…

JR: They don’t like you, guys, or something?

DR. VIRTUE: I think the ADA doesn’t like us.

JR: I see. Yeah, there’s a reason there somewhere.

DR. VIRTUE: Yeah. It’s all politics, you know. We see this every day, but there are reasons why mercury is considered healthy and good for you as a patient, and it’s not good for the environment. It makes no sense to me, but that’s the way it’s looked at.

Dr. William Virtue - History of Amalgam Fillings

Here’s a copy of the transcript:

JR: Well, it’s interesting that they were aware that it was dangerous when you were in dental school a number of years ago, and obviously they haven’t lost that awareness of the danger to it, but nothing has been done to protect you.

DR. VIRTUE: They’re aware in the 1800s that mercury is bad for you. They discovered a disease that we often laugh about now, the “Mad Hatter’s Disease.” In the felt industry, you take cotton or, I don’t know, wool or whatever it is that make felt, but it’s a mercury process; they have to put this in mercury to make felt. Well, these people eventually went crazy because they inhaled this mercury all day.

Well, that was discovered back then that this was bad. But, you know, the big controversy, there has been three amalgam wars since they started it (amalgam wars, meaning battling against “we shouldn’t use them” and “we should use it”) that dentists decided to finally use mercury fillings over the gold fillings because of cost basically. So, it’s been going on forever, I mean, a long, long, long time.

To learn more about biocompatible dentistry and to see if it’s right for you, call Dr. Virtue today at (336) 679-2034.

There are significant differences between general and cosmetic dentists, although your dentist can be both.

A regular dentist or a general dentist?s main purpose is to maintain the function of your teeth and solve any dental problems you may have:

• Examining your teeth for any problems
• Making a diagnosis and a dental treatment plan
• Filling teeth which have cavities
• Root Canal Treatment of infected root canals
• Cleaning teeth to remove plaque, tartar and calculus
• Extracting severely damaged teeth
• Providing prosthesis or implants to replace missing/lost teeth
• Helping to treat gum disease
• Giving oral hygiene advice and instructions

A general dentist is a specialist in restoring teeth to their functional form and keeping them healthy as long as possible. Having a healthy set of teeth is extremely important for your health and well being, as many problems and diseases may begin from the mouth. A general dentist not only plays a vital role in maintaining healthy teeth, but helps to keep you healthy and happy overall.

A cosmetic dentist can help you to have a perfect, beautiful, esthetically pleasing smile. Whether your teeth are yellow or dark, stained, discolored, cracked or chipped, slightly crooked, have too many spaces between them, are small or have too much gum showing, the cosmetic dentist can work to fix all those problems by the various cosmetic treatments available. Cosmetic dentistry has shown amazing advancement in dental technology.  The entire appearance of your teeth can be changed by the current procedures available.

Cosmetic dentistry includes the following:

• Tooth whitening
• Changing the size, shape, color and length of teeth with veneers
• Composite bonding to repair chipped teeth
• Making crooked teeth appear straighter with veneers
• Cosmetic dental implants to replace missing teeth
• Cosmetic crowns/ porcelain crowns to make teeth look whiter, give better shape
• Cosmetic inlays and onlays
• White fillings
• Composite bonding and build-up
• Complete mouth reconstruction/ reconstructive surgery

Cosmetic dentistry can greatly enhance your confidence in yourself, boost your self esteem and change your appearance altogether.

Contact us today at 336.679.2034 to learn more about Cosmetic Dentistry options and to schedule a consultation.

• Their indications
• Location on the teeth
• Their strength
• Their durability
• The procedures involved with fitting/bonding them on to teeth

Veneers are optional, cosmetic treatments to change the overall appearance of your teeth; indicated when teeth and surrounding tissue are in general good health. They serve to change the color of discolored or yellow teeth, repair chipped teeth, make small teeth appear larger and crooked teeth appear straighter.

When veneers are to be bonded to your teeth, the dentist removes about 0.5mm off the surface of your enamel, about the same thickness of the veneer to be constructed and fit upon the tooth. Veneers are usually bonded onto just the surfaces of teeth to improve esthetics and are not meant for posterior teeth.  Veneers may be permanently bonded onto the tooth surface but they are very brittle in nature due to their material make-up of ceramic or porcelain. Thus, they have the tendency to break if a hard object is bitten and are not suitable for teeth which are meant for grinding and chewing. If taken proper care of, veneers can last for many years without staining or changing color.

Crowns are usually used in cases when a tooth has undergone major breakage or trauma, or has had Root Canal Therapy. They are meant to restore damaged teeth to a fully functional form in addition to improving esthetics and color. They may be done on any tooth in the mouth. 

With a crown, the tooth undergoes massive reshaping in order to seat and fit the crown. As a result, much of the natural tooth substance has to be removed, about 2mm or more depending on the size of the crown. In addition, the reshaping is done around the whole circumference of the tooth. The tooth?s impression is taken and sent to the dental lab for fabrication of the crown, while a temporary crown is seated in its place. The crown bonded onto the prepared tooth and the tooth?s function is restored. 

Crowns too can last for years if taken care of.  They are highly durable, withstanding much of the forces during mastication. Crowns don?t stain and are a solution for damaged teeth.

For more information on crowns and veneers and how they might work for you, contact us for a consultation at (336)679.2034.