What does SMART PROTOCOL mean?
SMART means Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique. So the SMART Protocol is a series of steps that we take that have been set and approved by the IAOMT to protect the dentist, the team member and the patient from breathing in any mercury vapors that might be released from a mercury amalgam during removal.
When is SMART Protocol used?
We use SMART protocol whenever their is amalgam on a tooth or a crown that has metal in it. If we have ANY doubt about there being mercury on the tooth we are working on, we don't take chances. Even removing amalgams with SMART, the body is exposed to minute amounts of mercury. And there is NO SAFE LEVEL of mercury. So we use SMART when there is metal present on the tooth we are working on.
What is the process of the SMART protocol at Holistic Dental Associates?
The SMART protocol is used whenever a patient has a metal filling or a crown that has metal in it. We don't take chances with our patients. If we think there is a chance of potential exposure to mercury, we will use the SMART protocol to protect everyone in the treatment room.
We are asked repeatedly what we do in our Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal protocol, so I thought I would share the sheer number of steps it takes to do what we do. I always encourage people to do their due diligence in finding someone who takes the proper precautions, but more and more I realize that most people don't know what that needs to look like in actual practice, so they trust that their dentist is doing the amalgam removal safely. Therefore, I decided to actually write down the steps to what we do in our own office. Now, other offices might look a bit different in their approach, but their general protocol SHOULD be quite similar to what we do, as it is protective of their patients, their team members and themselves to do this. I hope it is informative for any person trying to figure out exactly what that needs to look like.
There are many people in the conventional world who believe that this is overkill. They poke fun and ridicule doctors who do this kind of protocol. We acknowledge that it does initially feel like it's a bit much. But most of the dentists we know who became biological in their approach got sick from the mercury toxicity that practicing conventional dentistry did to them. And folks, it's basically just proper protective equipment and technique. We are PROUD of the protocol we have developed to protect ourselves, our patients and our team members. If you are looking to have your amalgams removed, you deserve to have them removed SAFELY. And there is NO SAFE LEVEL OF MERCURY.
Do I need to do anything to prepare for a SMART removal? How about AFTER the removal?
Even removing amalgams with SMART, the body is exposed to minute amounts of mercury. And there is NO SAFE LEVEL of mercury. For some patients, even that tiny amount is enough to cause their bodies to crash. Therefore, we ask our patients to work with their functional medicine practitioners to prepare their bodies for amalgam removal, so that they can minimize the potential side effects of mercury exposure. For some, they may be ready to remove their amalgams soon after their initial patient exam. They are relatively healthy people who have no real health challenges. Others may end up waiting months until their doctor states their bodies are ready to handle the burden. They may be more physically compromised and require more preparation time before amalgam removal should be done.
If you have amalgams in your mouth and are looking for a SAFE way to remove them, call our office today and one of our friendly team members will be happy to help.