Removing mercury fillings from root canal teeth?

Dear Dr. Copeland,

I am very excited about your Biological Dentistry and safe removal of toxic fillings and using-compatible material.

I have a question…can you also do mercury or silver fillings REMOVAL from my root canals that I had done a long time ago?

Please do give me feedback at your convenience and I can’t wait to become your patient!

Sincerely,

Monica

Dear Monica,

Thank you so much for finding us and for your great question about root canal teeth and mercury removal. I get this question often from patients. Here’s my answer..

Yes, Hg amalgam in root canal accesses and closures may be removed. If the root canal is placed under a crown, it is necessary to replace the crown in order to access the Hg.

Or, if placed as a closure through a crown, it is sometimes necessary to replace the crown – it depends on visibility.

It is always a good idea to have a 3D scan of root canals prior to any treatment on them to make absolutely sure the surrounding tissue is pathology-free.

In some cases, the Hg is placed so deeply that removing it may be detrimental to the supporting root structure.

Though it is desirable to be mercury-free, in these cases, I may rather leave a small amount of Hg behind, removing greater than 95%.

My dental best,

Cynthia