Remove Your Mercury Amalgams, with Dr. Yuko Torigoe

Foreign. Hello, and welcome to the Feel Freaking amazing podcast. I'm Dr. Wendy Trubo. Obviously, I'm here solo today as with patients. And today we have one of my favorite people. I always say that, I know, but she really is. She's my personal dentist and the dentist to many others. She is Dr. Yuko Torigo, and she's a biologic, holistic, and biomimetic dentist in the south end of Boston. She's been practicing dentistry for over 20 years and for the last seven years has really focused specifically on providing biological dentistry for her patients. And I know we've talked a lot in our podcast about biologic dentistry and what it is we really wanted to have her on to talk about that. So welcome, Yuko. We're so happy you could be here.

Well, thank you so much for having me here. And I know it's been a little journey to get me here, but I'm just so, so, so excited and ready to share, you know, whatever I can offer.

It's great. So I think the first question people always talk about, I mean, now that I drink the Kool Aid, I'm like, of course. But what, what's the. What's a biologic dentist versus a regular dentist? Let me start with that. Like, what's a biologic dentist versus what we all think of.

So when we go to dental school, we learn about just, you know, basic, basic dentistry, which is still very important. And I always tell everybo, anybody, don't discount what you learn in dental school. But what we have not learned in dental school is the type of, like, the safety of materials. You know, a lot of dentists decide to choose a material based on just ease of use, cost, and just what's available. So. And when it comes out to biocompatibility or safety, it's kind of in the low, you know, low level. And that should be the top level. So I think that's one thing that traditional dentistry don't put a lot of focus on. And so it's in a nutshell, it's kind of, you know, putting what's priority in that, you know, choosing material that's. That's biologic dentistry. And then that's, of course, focusing on what, what those material would affect our body as a whole. You know.

Okay, so it's really a focus on safety as opposed to expediency or convenience. And how is biologic dentistry different than biomimetic dentistry?

So biomimetic dentistry uses the concept of preserving the nature, preserving what nature gave us. So you have A whole tooth. And again, in dental school, we learn how to cut teeth, but little bit aggressive way. And it's not. The dental school don't teach to be conservative and less aggressive. You know, there's, you know, very, you know, a lot of patients. I mean, what a lot of dentists try to drill less tooth structure. However, in the curriculum, they don't teach enough of how creative you can get to drill less tooth structure. So in terms of doing like, so in, in schools or majority, the traditional dentistry, they do a lot of crowns. Crowns can be partial crowns or full crowns. But again, a lot of times they do full Crown, which means 360°. They're drilling all the way around. And most of the time, the unhealthy two structures are not necessarily everywhere. 360 degrees. So you remove what's necessary, what's not healthy anymore. But preserving that healthy tooth structure as much as you can is important in terms of like vitality of the tooth. The cavities can be very big, but you don't have to necessarily kill the tooth to, you know, maintain the health of the tooth. So in terms of biomimetic dentistry, we're mimicking the nature and that's preserving as much tooth structure as possible. So combining the biologic approach, which is safety and plus biomimetic. Biomimetic is more like physics and then biologic is like by, you know, biology. So combining these two concepts just, you know, it was like, you know, it was perfect match for us.

What was that moment? Because you spent a number of years in traditional practice, right? So what was that moment where you went, like, the light bulb went on and you went, oh my goodness, there's a different way here. And I want to walk that different way. What, what do you remember that?

Around, like, in my 30s, I'm almost 50. My 30s, I start to, you know, it was kind of like the organic food, you know, trend was coming and people are reading the labels and because, you know, when you're younger, you didn't care, you know, and you don't have to. And you look healthy, but looking healthy, so different from actually being healthy. And so when I, in my 30s, I start to pay closer attention to what I'm eating and what products I'm using, even for cleaning around my house and all that. And then, and then I just start to wonder, like, okay, like I'm living my life, my personal life, pretty healthy and paying attention, but how come it's not like that in dentistry? And so it was just kind of like Having that, you know, curiosity in my head. And when I was in Chicago, I had been here for, in Boston for many, many years and I moved to Chicago for a year. And during that year I met a biologic dentist. And it was, that was like my light bulb moments. I'm like, oh my God, like this doctor is practicing what I've been wanting to practice. And then again, like there was just no exposure. There's no, you know, talk of biologic dentists in major publications or podcasts or anything like that. So it was like a lack of resources. But I was so lucky to meet Dr. Janet Stopka, who is my mentor. And I was just, you know, soaking up all the information that year. So that kind of switched me to practice biomimetic, I mean, biologic dentistry. And then biomimetic dentistry came after biologic dentistry.

So I want to go back to the biologic comment where you're talking about the focus is on safety because our audience loves talking about how to detox and do, do things safer. And I know that mercury, I mean, I'm a child of the seventies and so mercury was big. And so obviously mercury is found in the dental materials that traditional dentistry dentists use. What are some of the other toxic materials that are found in traditional dentistry that you're working to either remove or avoid?

I mean, you name it, it's gold, palladium, platinum, zinc, copper, tin, like just so many nickel. You know, those are, you know, not all metals are bad, but like, we're trying to eliminate as much metal as possible, you know, so those can be used in like, you know, crowns, dentures, like orthodontic wires. So many, you know, metals are being used and you know, so especially like amalgam, like a mercury in dental fillings. And less and less like, you know, people are using them. So I'm happy. And then dental schools are starting to eliminate the requirement to do, for students to do mercury fillings in order to graduate. So, you know, everybody's starting to shy away from metal and what, whether that's the reason is, you know, toxicity or esthetic reasons, you know, but there's just so many metals are being used and again, one of the most toxic is mercury and amalgam filling.

I remember because I mentioned you're my dentist. I remember when I came to you for a consult and I was like, oh, what harm are these 40 year old fillings having? And you said to me, they're 50% mercury. They never stop. Afghan every time you eat, drink, chew, brush your teeth, put something in your mouth, grind your teeth, you are releasing mercury into your system. And the thing that really caught my attention was that you said, I don't know if you remember saying this, it's so toxic that when you pull it out of someone's mouth, you can't even put it in just regular biohazard, you have to put it in special biohazard because it's so toxic. And I thought, get it out, get it out. And so that was the impetus because I kind of thought, well, it's been here for so many years, what difference is it making? But it turns out it's making a lot. And I didn't tell you this, that after I got the fillings out with you, I manage my recovery and monitor very closely all my data. And my baseline recovery increased by about 15 points consistently after getting my mercury fillings out. And I kind of thought, originally I thought, well, I definitely feel better. But then I thought, oh, it's just placebo. But then I really looked and I saw that my recovery baseline had gone up and I thought, oh, it's not placebo, it's real. Like it's really. There's something to that. So obviously mercury is a problem other than amalgams. Is it found in other places? And treatments, for regular treatments. The amalgam, the mercury in the amalgams.

Just in amalgam fillings.

Okay, okay. So when you talk about being a holistic dentist, do you use amalgams with mercury in your practice?

So we are mercury free and mercury safe, meaning mercury free. Doctors don't use mercury containing filling material at all. So we don't place them. But in terms of mercury safe, because some people, again, I think more than 50% of the dentists now, they don't place amalgam filling, but they may not be removing them safely when they, when patient comes in with a broken filling that contains mercury or they come in with defective fillings, cavities underneath the mercury filling. So, you know, even though you're not practicing mercury mercury safe, you still have to remove the mercury. And the difference is removing them safely, which is, you know, you've experienced all these coverings and nasal cannula. And we have two special rooms in our office to get rid of as much possible, the mercury vapor and particulate. And we have all these equipments and it doesn't take long. It's like just few minutes. And it's safe for the patients, my staff, myself, the other patients who come into our office. I don't want my staff or anybody to be be affected, negatively affected by exposure to mercury. So, you know, in terms of mercury free, again, there's many, many dentists out there not using mercury as a filling, but mercury safe. That's very, very few of us. And I wish again, like in dental school they could teach this so that, you know, it's, it's just kinder approach to, you know, everything.

Well, it's funny because I have patients who are dentists and I feel kind of badly, but I'm always saying to them, I'm not so sure you should be a dentist because your mercury levels are so high and they're not working in biologic settings. And so they're not protected or they're not protected the way you protected me and yourself and your staff. And so I, I've said to them, like, you know, can you transition into teaching instead of actually seeing patients because it is so toxic for people. And it shocks me to watch, like, it shocks me to see how high their levels are. And I don't know if you've experienced, I mean, I'm assuming you test yourself.

Oh, yeah, yeah. So, I mean, Ed sees me, she's my, my dentist, I mean, not my dentist, my doctor, physician. And I have been trying to detox. I had, before I started practicing biologic dentist, I tested my mercury level and was off the chart. Off the chart. I didn't have any symptom. I'm like, I'm feeling great. But my, my heavy metal levels are arsenic, cadmium, every lead, everything, not just mercury, was, everything was high. And just, you know, I've gone through this person, I'm still going. I, I, it got to a point that I had to come in for weekly IV with you guys. And I'm still doing it. But after seeing Ed last year, my mercury level went down by half. So, you know, I'm again, it started from super high, so half is still high. But again, like, it for me, it's an occupational exposure. Especially like when I was working at Boston University in dental school, there was no protection for me. So, you know, I was taking lots of supplements and, but that still didn't help because there's like 200 students working and no ventilation, you know, so now that I'm not working at school and I'm only working in a dental office that is safe and protected, so much better. And again, that's why my mercury level went down. But like, I'm scared for other dentists who are not protecting themselves.

You know, I think it's important. There's so many things that you just brought up Yuko. One is perfection is not the goal. Progress and improvement is the goal. Because if you were sky high, to be 50% of sky high is a huge improvement. So that's what we're looking for, is continuing to move the needle and make it better. That's one thing that I hear. Another thing that I hear, and what you're saying is for people like you and me who don't easily move those toxins out, there's the intense detox we do, and then there's the ongoing detox, the food, that movement, the sleep, the supplements, the lifestyle, the life that promotes moving that toxins out gently and slowly. Because you know you can get rid of about 1% of your mercury any given day into your gut, but you recycle 99% of that. So if you have a dysfunctional gut, you're not going to get rid of your mercury. So ensuring that all the systems are working. And then you said something else that was so poignant and now I've lost my train of thought. But it was around the implication of mercury for long term health because it's terrible head to toe stuff. So brain function, autoimmune disease, thyroid disease, hair loss, we think it leaves in the bones, the organs, the fat, difficulty losing weight, so bad periods, any kind of female issue, you name it, and mercury is implicated. So it's important to do your best. I mean, essentially, if you have a mercury filling, if you have a silver filling in your mouth, Yuko is the kind of person you need to see. So can you share with us an example of a patient who got their mercury, other than me, who got their mercury fillings out and noticed a difference? What difference does this make for people?

Everybody's different. And initially when I start to hear a drastic health improvement, like right away, I was a little bit skeptical too. I'm like, I think it's psychosomatic, you know, but when you hear over and over and over, you're like, I've read articles, I know scientifically this is, you know, not just out there, but I have one patient, she had a lot of mercury filling on the right side. And she shared this with me later. But she always had right side health issues like shoulder immobility and then like hip and just everything on the right side she had issues. And she said after two to three days, after I removed like two big mercury fillings from the right side, she still had some, I think, on the left side. But she said, my shoulder has never moved so freely and pain free after the removal. And I was like, wow, like two days, like within a week she felt a huge difference. And you know, she's just one of many. So, you know, again, I don't have a scientific journal written by me to prove this, but you know, patients after patient tells me that some of the long term kind of health issues, you know, resolved, whether it's two days or like in a month or a year, just I, I feel so happy to part of their initial journey because removing the mercury filling is not the end of the journey, you know, and that's just the first step. And then from there you can go through the detox, you know, process like with you guys. And you know, it's an ongoing takes village of practitioner to, you know, bring health to our patients. But like I am one of the first people who could help them and that makes me so happy.

Right, right. It really does take a village. Right. Because it's the nurses who do the IVs, it's the doctors who do the diagnosis, you do the removal, and then all of the other providers who support the adrenal function like the acupuncturist, the bodyworkers, magnet therapists, like there' other people. So I want to ask you about something and this is, this is controversial. So I apologize in advance if you don't want to talk about it. We don't have to. But I'd love to talk about fluoride because there's a lot of noise about fluoride and I tend to think of it as pretty toxic. So we never gave our kids fluoride, fluoride toothpaste and, but I wanted to understand like first of all, what is it and what's your take on it?

So it's, it's controversial because I think the fluoride came to kind of public in the like the 1950s and around there, the public education about home care like brushing and using toothpaste and everything, it was kind of start to become normal in that time. And then also they started to use like fluoridated water to public. So everything seems like, oh, because of introduction of fluoride, people are having less and less cavities. But then there's lots of, lots of studies and then it's not a nutrient either. And it's not one of those like pills. You could go and then just grab fluoride pills and pop it in. You know, it's not like vitamin C or magnesium, you know, it's just, it's different. So, so when you go to dental school, we all learn, oh, fluoride is like strengthening your teeth and it's, you know, promotes less cavities and whatnot. But if you ingest that, then it's a big issue. And then fluoridated water is different animal too, because usually fluoridated water is, you know, it's, it's not a pure clean fluoride either. It's, it's industrial contaminant. And you know, it's like, you know, you, you're not gonna put somebody's water like with like a diabetic medicine, you know, and then assume everybody has diabetes, you know, so not everybody has high decay rate. So why would you like fluoridate water like public water and you know, so. But at the same time, again, like it's, it's, it doesn't strengthen your teeth. It over fluoridation is, causes fluorosis which weakens your teeth and it can weaken your bone, it can affect your iq, thyroid fertility issues. So you know that those are the, you know, kind of the controversy that you know, people who are against fluoride say, but people who are pro fluoride just, you know, unfortunately believe, you know, just the kind of the good benefits that it seemed to have and then kind of ignores the, these other unsafe, you know, parts. So you know, it's for us, we try to, we don't ignore patients who have like, especially kids who have high cavity rate and those can be easily supplemented by other minerals and vitamins that are healthier for your teeth. Could be vitamin K2D3, calcium phosphate and lots of natural nutrients that are out there other than fluoride to promote health for your teeth.

So, okay, I just want to recap this. So originally it looked like before we get to putting it in the water, are we talking about applying it directly to the teeth may strengthen the teeth. And that was then the leap of logic to say, okay, if we put it on the teeth and that strengthens it, we'll put it in the water so people can just take it in like a vitamin B12 or something that we're were fortifying with. Is that the thought process?

But I, I think that I don't know the hundred percent history, but that I think that's. They, they saw some improvement in decay rate for sure from you know, fluoride application. And they're like, oh, why don't we just put it all in, give it to everyone.

Okay.

And I, I can see the intention. Intention is good, great if you, if everybody drinks water. So if, if something good and safe Is in the water. Why not? Right? Like that. That's an amazing, you know, public health, you know, thing. But that's not the case.

Right. It sounds like there's data on. There's data that shows that it could be helpful, and then it sounds like there's also data that shows that it could be harmful. And so you want to maybe walk a middle path. If you're someone who has a lot of decay, then it makes sense to. Does it make sense to fluoridate your water or your toothpaste or something else? Have you drilled into this this much? Because I'm curious. I'm just not sure if this is so for sure.

For sure. Not water, because that's like a systemic effect. And there are a lot of dental products that has a little bit of fluoride, which I find it very interesting. So when I was opening my office to buy some products, so I was seeing a lot of representatives from different dental suppliers, and I kept asking for, okay, which product do you carry that do not have fluoride? And it was so difficult. It was so close. And then they were. They kept saying, oh, this product from Europe do not contain fluoride. And then I was like, okay, hold on for a second. Why European products don't have fluoride? And almost every American products have fluoride. And they. That their honest answer was, oh, they sell better. American dentists love fluoride. So if I put just a teeny bit, it's not a lot, like less than 1%. And then it says, the label says, oh, with fluoride, and then everybody wants to buy that. So I'm like, that is not the best way to choose material or even for. For the company to put a little bit of, you know, fluoride. But, you know, I think it comes down to what sells, you know, so it's. It was. I'm glad the rep answered with honesty.

Right. So. So it sounds like. So. So I guess what I want to understand is if. If you have. If you are someone who is a cavity maker, you're a good cavity maker. Should you be erring on the side of having a little bit of fluoride in your toothpaste? Or is it really focusing on brushing three times a day, making sure your gums are healthy, flossing. What's it called? My mom does it every night with the. With a little rubber tip, you know, massaging the gums. Is that really where it lies? Or does fluoride tip you over the edge? If you're a pro cavity person, I.

Don'T think floor, I mean fluoride in toothpaste or product is going to make a big, big difference. Because the reason, the root cause of cavity is not because of your floor of your toothpaste has fluoride or not. It comes down to your lifestyle. You know, the sleep quality, your, you know, obviously nutrition, even stress. Sometimes like we take PH level, the acidity level of your mouth and when your body's in acidic environment, it's more disease causing. And now that includes your cavity too. The, all these bacteria that causes cavity, they're more acid, you know, acidic. So if you're, you know, all the things that I've said is not in balance, then you can get cavities. So the toothpaste that has fluoride or not. And then also there is a prescription version of toothpaste as well, which not everybody can get hold of. So if you're shopping at, I don't know, a star market or you know, supper shop or whatever, cvs and then it says blah, blah, blah, blah, with fluoride, that's very, very, very minimal amount of fluoride. Because again, you can't just put high level of fluoride into these products.

So it's a marketing ploy.

Yeah. So again, like if you're just applying, I know dentists who applies like fluoride varnish, you know, and if you don't ingest it, if you just have it on your teeth, I think that's much better than again like fluoridated water or fluoride pills because it's not as systemic, it's a localized.

Okay, so it sounds like you would then need some type of air suction to remove the fumes so you're not breathing or ingesting the fluoride via aerosolize. So just literally an application and get rid of the fuming. Okay. Okay. Are there any other toxins that we haven't talked about that really deeply affect oral health?

Not necessarily. So for, for, you know, what we know is what we know, you know, 20 years from now, who knows that, you know, for example, we advocate like ceramic implants instead of titanium implants. Titanium is metal and you know, we believe from science and everything that, you know, ceramic is more biocompatible. However, that's what we know now. You know, when mercury came out, people believe it's safe, but after 200 years we know it's not safe. And so our job is to make sure we do our due diligence to make sure that we are checking the safety of every material we use. And I am no mean by scientists, so I have to rely on other people who does research. But, you know, we have to keep an eye open. And then also we learn a lot from our patients who brings a lot of interesting information. And that's how we, we continue to change the materials that we use because there's, you know, our, the, the information is just, you know.

Right. It's evolving. Right. Science evolves very rapidly.

Yeah.

So I was just thinking as you were talking, oh, maybe we should create things to fill cavities made of what bone china is made of, because that's made of bones and bones are strong. Except then I'm thinking, but there's lead in the bones. And so we want to make sure there's no lead in it. That's where my brain goes. What do you recommend for people who had their mercury fillings in place? And how do I say this? Once they've taken their fillings out, are you saying, go see my colleagues? Are you saying the journey's done? What do you recommend for people when, when they've already had their mercury fillings out? But you know, they, I mean, like me, I had them for 40 plus years before getting them out.

So, you know, when you come, when you, when we see our patients, we make sure we're not telling them that everybody has to. Their mercury's out. And, and especially if they, if their condition, like the filling condition is not defective and don't need to be replaced, then I give them an option. And luckily we have a lot of patients who come in wanting to have their mercury out because again, they, they learned from somewhere. They, and they, they made their own decision to have the mercury move, but safely. So, you know, we don't necessarily tell everybody out there, like I have friends and family who have mercury filling, but I just kind of keep my mouth shut but, you know, let, let the world know what we do. And you know, there's so many organization out there putting out all the informations that they, you know, it's available for everybody to, to learn. So, and again, like I said, when, when they come in to have the mercury fillings out because they want to, regardless of the condition, I'll just let them know this cannot guarantee an improvement of your health or anything that they might be expecting, but we just want to make sure that we're giving them an educated and informed decision for them to make.

Yeah, I mean, I, I, having experienced it, I'm a huge fan and a huge proponent. I want to switch topics Yuko, can you talk to me about the impact that nutrition has on our oral health? I mean, this seems like a really basic question, but I'm not sure that people are always drawing the line between what's happening in their mouth and, and mouth health is like gut health. You know, it's a window into that, into the world of your body. So how does nutrition play in and what do you tell people?

I mean, it's just, you know, it's oral systemic health. And it's not just a mouth. It's. It's a beginning of digestion. You know, how their teeth function can directly influence your gut because if you don't have teeth, you cannot break down the food and then that again, the digestive system starts from your mouth. So, you know, we don't go into too much details about the nutritional counseling, but, you know, we lead them to get the right help in terms of who they need to see. They may need to see a nutritionist, they may need to see a functional medicine doctor, naturopathic doctor, again, you name it all the practitioner out there. So like I was mentioned, like a PH level is very important. A lot of new patients that we see, they're very nervous to see us. So typically we see the saliva level a little bit lower. And you know, I asked them, were you rushing to get here or were you a little nervous to see me? And everybody says yes. So, but in terms of PH level, it changes. You know, if you just ate, the PH level is going to be low and more acidic. And then, you know, if you're going, if you're sick and that, that's different. So, you know, I tell the patients like, this is just like, you know, one window of time that I'm just checking your PH level. But if they have lots of cavities, if they have gum disease, you know, that's definitely going to show up as something negative like, or acidic, but also like your gut health. I'm sure you see so many people with gut issues, leaky gut, you know, and just, you know, so many people are having like a processed food and, you know, all these and medications, everything can affect your, your, you know, your overall health. And then a lot of times things the patients or people, even doctors don't know, those systemic problems can manifest in, in the mouth.

So talk to me about that because I think people would be surprised to hear that you can. Excuse me. Your mouth is essentially a window into your body. So what are some of the conditions that are linked to oral health that might surprise people or they wouldn't be.

Aware of for sure. The easiest one is like diabetics, you know, their immune system is low. So usually we see patients who's, who has like even meticulous oral hygiene. Their gum is like inflamed and just bleeding. And you know, it's sometimes it's like a mind boggling for them. It's like, okay, I do this, I've lost every day, this and that. And then your gum is screaming. So that's definitely, you know, someone who has diabetes has to stay super, super on top of their home care and routine checkup. So some, some of them have come, has to come in every three months for cleaning to maintain like the bone level and then again the gum health.

So which is the chicken and which is the egg? Is the oral health one of the inciting factors that causes people to then go down a metabolic dysfunction? Or does the metabolic dysfunction or does the inflammation in their system lead to oral dysfunction? And it's just part of the, part of the playbook really. Meaning, like is the oral health the cause or is that a symptom? Do you have any sense of it?

Usually a symptom.

Okay.

Yeah.

So if you're, if you don't have amazing oral health, if your gums are swollen, bleeding, sensitive teeth are sensitive cavities, that's an indicator, there's something happening. That's your window into, hey, there's inflammation here.

Yes.

Okay. And then it can, and you can. And alongside it you can see diabetes or other health issues.

Yeah.

Okay, that's fascinating. Okay. Okay, I, for anyone listening, I'm a huge fan of biologic dentists because they transform you, transform my life. So how can people find biologic dentists?

So there's an organization called iaomt, International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology. That's where I started the journey. And they have just. Members are all a little over a thousand and they have listing of all the biologic dentists all over the world. And so people who wants to find the biologic dentist, they could go to IMT website and then just search, you know your location. Who are the biologic dentistry? And they have very extensive information like how many times each member has attended meetings. Some people are there just kind of as a. Okay, I want to sign up for biologic dentistry but never came to our meetings. You know, so. And then.

So there's teeth in the evaluation.

Yes. Yeah.

And how do you know if someone's good when you go to them? Like obviously don't just go in expecting your mercury Fillings to be taken out. Right. Evaluate them.

How do you.

What would you be looking for to know? Okay, they're. They know what they're doing.

Yeah. I think that's a very hard thing to measure. But I think, you know, in anything you do in life, you have to find the right match. Right? Like, whether your life partner, whether that's your career, you have to feel it's the right match. So for us, we try to make sure we listen to our patients. A lot of our patients have been kind of dismissed by other practitioners, and so I think that's one thing that patients can do. Are they really here to listen to my story? Being here for me? Because we do spend. Our initial appointment is for a whole hour, and sometimes we run over time because I'm a talker, and sometimes patients and I, we just get into these conversations. But I think no matter what, where you go, you don't want to go to an office where they don't think of you as a one person. Like, I been to, like, hospitals, and I was just a number, you know, and I felt like I was just inconveniencing them when they. When I ask questions. Oh, can you go over these lab results? Oh, okay. Okay, we can do that. Like, we'll call you. You know, I'm like, no, I want to talk to you right now, and I want to pick your brain. So I think that's, you know, one. To me, that's an important thing. Do you resonate with your. The person that you're seeing and you want to develop a relationship with that provider? And, you know, obviously, a word of mouth is a big thing. So if somebody goes to this, you know, the biologic dentist, and they recommend you that that's the best. You know, that's what we also rely on. So it's. It's hard. I know there's so many reviews out there. You know, what about the.

In the actual. You know, when I showed up for my mercury removal, it was like a hazmat scene. And. And, you know, look, I'm in the scene, so I took my binders on the morning of. And I. I fasted and got an IV and all that stuff. But. But, like, who might not know the scene be looking for. Is there a checklist? Like, do they put a dental dam on? Do they put oxygen on you? Is there a checklist that you could say, look for these four things to add. Here's the four questions to ask her. I'm making that up.

Well, for sure. Like, they have to know what they're looking for in terms of, I'm sure people who are interested in, for example, like, safe mercury removal. A lot of our patients are very much aware. Do you have mercury separator? Do you have that hazmat, you know, mask or something equivalent to that? There are some masks that are less, less bulky, but it is. Has a mercury filter and rubber dam. For sure. For sure, for sure. There are a lot of people using an alternative like a suction, but rubber dam is extremely important. And then some sort of external vacuum because there's a lot of vapor particulate.

You gave me oxygen. Yes, so I had oxygen. Plus you did the suction and the. I call it a dental dam. But you call it. Is it a dental dam? Okay, so that plastic, that, that latex sort of stretchy thing that isolates the tooth.

Yeah.

So it doesn't go anywhere else. And then you draped me.

Yeah. And then the head covering, you know, so I think. And then also with the iomt, they have a certification as well. It's called smart certification. So someone who has been certified and I'm actually the education committee who certifies everybody. So every month I certify a few people. So those, those smart certified doctors, they go through extensive, like, tests and presentations. So you definitely want to seek someone who has that type of certification, not just saying, oh, I'm a biologic tennis. Anybody can call themselves biologic dentists, you know.

Right. Don't read, don't listen to the marketing. Look at, look behind the curtain.

Yeah. Okay.

Where can people find you? And we'll put everything in the show notes. So. But where can they find you?

So you can. They can Visit our website, HarmonyBoston.com and yeah, all the information is there.

It's great. It's great for all the listeners. Go get your mouth taken care of because it influences your health and you can help you detox like I did. So, Yuko, thank you so much for being on the feel freaking amazing podcast. I'm so happy you were here because this is such a critical topic. And for all the listeners, you can find out harmonydental.com and if you're not in the area, you can look for a biologic dentist. We'll put the link in the show note and be well. Thanks for being here, Yuko.

Thank you so much.

My pleasure.