Expert Interview: Is Your Dentist Mercury Safe?

Next we chat with Dr. Rubin, a dentist who was one of the early pioneers in mercury-free dentistry and who co-founded New Direction’s Dentistry, a company dedicated to teaching dentists nationwide how to practice mercury-safe dentistry.

One of the early members of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, Dr. Rubin has served in various offices and on its board of directors for several years. He was also honored as a master of the IAOMT in 2007. Dr. Rubin is also a charter member of the International Association of Mercury-Free Dentists.

In this interview, Dr. Rubin explores the world of mercury-safe dentistry to help you determine whether your dentist is mercury-safe.

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Interview Transcript

Healthy Mouth World Summit
Guest: Dr Paul Rubin
Is Your Dentist Mercury-Safe?

Will: The next expert to share their experience with us here at the Healthy Mouth World Summit is Dr. Paul Rubin. Dr. Rubin is a practicing dentist in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. He is one of the early pioneers in mercury-free dentistry, abandoning the use of mercury amalgam silver fillings in 1981 and pursuing a study of the risks to health of this widely-used dental filling material.

One of the early members of the International Academy of Oral Medicine and
Toxicology, Dr. Rubin has served in various offices and on its board of directors
for several years. He was also honored as a master of the IAOMT in 2007. Dr.
Rubin is also a charter member of the International Association of Mercury-Free
Dentists.

In 2009 Dr. Rubin co-founded New Direction’s Dentistry, a company dedicated to teaching dentists nationwide how to practice mercury-safe dentistry. The title of Dr. Rubin’s presentation today is “Is Your Dentist Mercury-Safe?”

Dr. Paul Rubin, welcome to the Healthy Mouth World Summit!

Dr. Rubin: Well, thanks very much! It’s a pleasure to be participating in this!

Will: I really appreciate you coming and sharing your literally decades of experience on this focused, crucial subject. The title of your talk today is “Is Your Dentist Mercury-Safe?” What does it mean? How do you define a mercury-safe dentist?

Dr. Rubin: Okay. The first part, I think, is that the dentist does not use amalgam in the practice anymore at all, ever. And, I think according to a fairly recent survey in the last few years, there’s probably still about half the dentists in the U.S. that still use amalgams, which means there are half that don’t necessarily use it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re mercury-safe.

So, if you’re looking for a mercury-safe dentist, you certainly want somebody who doesn’t use amalgam in the practice at all. And, a lot of times patients come in with a story something like this: “Oh, I went to my previous dentist. And I told him I didn’t want amalgam. And he said, ‘No problem.’ And then, maybe halfway through the procedure or at the end, they made some excuse, saying, ‘You know, this particular tooth, I couldn’t restore it without amalgam. So, I had to use amalgam.”

So, that shouldn’t even be an option in the office. Not using amalgam, not even having it in the office. That’s the first step.

Will: So, what it sounds to me is if a dentist no longer uses amalgam in their practice, that doesn’t necessarily qualify them in your mind as being mercury safe?

Dr. Rubin: I agree, agree. They may have stopped using amalgam for a variety of reasons. Maybe they just think it’s a crappy material, which it is. It cracks teeth. It’s ugly. Patients don’t want them anymore. But, unless they’ve really made a commitment and taken the time to learn about all the mercury issues and mercury toxicity and how to do mercury-safe protocols, they’re not necessarily mercury-safe. Every dentist faces the task of replacing old amalgam fillings. It happens all the time, regularly in any dental office. For whatever reason, they’re all going to fail at some point. No filling lasts forever

And this is really the crux of what I wanted to talk about is replacing old amalgam fillings, for whatever reason, should never be done without specific protective protocols

Will: That’s perfect. So, what are the hazards of replacing old amalgam fillings?