This episode looks at how dental work might influence thyroid health. I’ll explain what mercury amalgams are, why some people feel better after removing them, and why others do not. We’ll also cover the debate around root canals and whether they can create ongoing immune stress. The focus isn’t on quick fixes but on helping you think through risks and benefits so you can decide what makes the most sense for your healing journey. If you would prefer to listen to the interview you can access it by Clicking Here [1].
Dr. Eric Osansky:
Have you ever wondered if something like your dental work—mercury fillings or root canals—might be keeping your thyroid antibodies elevated? It can feel frustrating when you have already worked on diet, stress management, sleep, taking however many supplements, yet your antibodies remain high?
That is often the point where people start searching for hidden triggers. Dental health is one area that comes up again and again. That’s what we’re going to talk about here. Whether your dental work, things like mercury amalgams or root canals, might be playing a role in keeping your thyroid antibodies elevated. We will look at a few different areas.
First, I’ll discuss what mercury amalgams actually are and how they can potentially influence the immune system. I will also discuss how potentially root canals can contribute to chronic low-grade infections. Why some practitioners think this can keep the immune system overactive. Third, understanding how these possible triggers fit into the big question so many people face: How do you know when to keep exploring natural approaches and when it may be time to consider other options for addressing your antibodies?
Before talking about concerns with mercury amalgams and root canals, I want to mention that over the years, I have had many people with mercury amalgams and root canals work with me. While some of these people removed their amalgams and root canals, this certainly hasn’t been the case with everybody.
The point I am trying to make here is that while poor oral health can prevent some people from healing, it is certainly not impossible to heal if you have mercury amalgams, root canals, or both, and choose not to remove them. It depends on the person.
On the other hand, I have had patients who hit a roadblock until they did address their oral health. With that being said, let’s talk about mercury amalgams.
Mercury amalgams are also known as silver fillings. They have a silver appearance. But they are a mixture of metals, which consist of probably 50% mercury and a powdered alloy composed of silver, tin, and copper.
As far as the impact of mercury on the immune system, the release of mercury vapor when chewing or drinking hot liquids could potentially stimulate the immune system. Also, there is evidence that it can affect the thyroid directly.
It’s not just about the immune system and autoimmunity. Mercury can cause problems in multiple ways. Not too long ago, I discovered that mercury, like many other toxins and toxicants, can address permeability of the gut. We have that triad of autoimmunity: genetics, environmental triggers, and leaky gut. Mercury can cause that leaky gut component, or at least be one factor. There are so many things that can cause a leaky gut.
Even if you’ve had mercury amalgams for many years, like 20-30 years, which is certainly the case with some people, sometimes longer than that, still can be causing problems. Again, not everyone is affected equally. There are some people who live with amalgams for dozens of years, and they do find or at least seem to find maybe it’s affecting their health in the background, and they don’t know it. There are people who have amalgams and don’t have overt health issues. There are others who do notice improvements after removing them safely. I’ll talk more about removing them safely shortly.
I want to talk about root canals now. I am not going to get into great detail. I can’t say I’m an expert on oral health overall. I do have on my podcast an interview with my biological dentist, Dr. Eric Kempter. I would check out that interview. Maybe you’re seeing a biological dentist or will consider seeing one in the future who will educate you further. Like I said, I’m not a dentist, but I have a decent amount of knowledge on oral health.
A root canal is removing a nerve but leaving the tooth in place. The concern is that potentially the bacteria remain trapped. Over time, it can create chronic, low-grade inflammation and affect the immune system.
These days, there is ozone therapy. A lot of dentists are starting to use ozone. Even some conventional dentists or so-called holistic dentists. Just because someone says they’re holistic doesn’t mean they’re biological dentists. If they do root canals, they are not biological dentists. There might be some holistic dentists who say it’s okay to get a root canal because they use ozone, and the ozone will clear out all the bacteria. There is no evidence that it does that. I don’t think there is anything that completely clears out the bacteria.
I am not saying root canals are always a problem, and you always have to remove them. It’s a good theory. I used IV ozone when I dealt with chronic Lyme. I am definitely not against ozone. My biological dentist uses ozone. As far as it wiping out or eradicating all the bacteria, when getting a root canal, have this conversation with a biological dentist. They will give you a better explanation.
In any case, root canals are widely considered safe in general dentistry. There are practitioners, notably biological dentists, who think they could be a factor in autoimmune conditions, including Graves’, as well as Hashimoto’s.
Let’s talk more about mercury. Mercury can impact the immune system but also can impact the thyroid. When it comes to antibodies, there is no guarantee that, if you have one, or even if you have 7-8 amalgams, removing the mercury amalgam is going to lower your antibodies.
I have seen more cases where people just left in the mercury amalgams and restored their health, and their antibodies normalized. Like I said, not everybody needs to remove their mercury amalgams. I have seen some cases where people’s antibodies didn’t normalize until they got amalgams removed.
If you do get them removed, you definitely want to make sure you go to a biological dentist, or at least someone who is trained. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a biological dentist. There is the IAOMT, International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology. They have a training, I think it’s the Smart Training. You don’t have to be a so-called biological dentist to go through their training. You can visit their website, IAOMT.org, and do a search and see who has gone through that training.
I am pretty sure there are other types of trainings. You want to make sure they take the proper precautions when removing the amalgams.
Again, I think the evidence of mercury being problematic is pretty strong. There is not a lot of evidence showing that it directly triggers Graves’ or Hashimoto’s, but it definitely can impact the immune system. To me, it does seem clear that it can be a potential autoimmune trigger and affect the thyroid as well as cause permeability of the gut.
There is no good reason to keep mercury amalgams in your mouth long-term. I know the concern is if you remove it, there is the risk of making things worse. That’s why you want to take the proper precautions.
Root canals definitely are more controversial. At least in the published research. Not as much evidence when it comes to root canals causing problems when compared to mercury. Biological dentists will provide not published journals because they’re not there, but they will give their perspective and what they have learned.
It makes sense. I had a root canal a number of years ago. It wasn’t giving me problems, but I got it removed to play it safe. It wasn’t an easy decision because I didn’t want to have an implant. I did end up getting a ceramic implant. Nobody wants an implant. Nobody wants to get a tooth extracted. That is really the only solution I know of. Maybe in the future, there will be another solution when it comes to root canals.
It wasn’t an easy decision, even with my background, to remove the root canal. I’m glad I did it. Everything went well with the implants. I wish I got the root canal removed sooner.
After I got it removed, I saw a biological dentist, who recommended to wait three months before getting the implant. I waited closer to a year because I was dreading getting the implant. It wasn’t too bad. I wish I would have done that sooner.
I am not encouraging you to remove your root canal immediately. That is up to you. Trying to encourage you to do more research on your own.
I will say this. When I mentioned I have had people remove their amalgams, and that seemed to be the key in getting into remission, I haven’t really seen that with root canals. I have had some people remove root canals, hoping that would be a big piece of the puzzle, if not the main trigger. I have never seen any patient of mine where they removed the root canal, and that by itself normalized thyroid antibodies.
It’s not like I’ve had hundreds of people who I worked with remove root canals. I definitely have had some. Maybe if you speak with a biological dentist, they might have different stories. If you speak with other functional medicine practitioners or go on forums or Facebook groups. The evidence is definitely stronger when it comes to the impact that mercury can have on your immune system and thyroid health when compared to root canals.
It’s really all about risk versus benefits. When removing multiple amalgams, I’ve had patients who had 6-8 amalgams removed, and it’s pricey. They’re taking certain precautions, so it’s more expensive than getting a regular filling. I’ve only had one thankfully. I think it was $500-$600. I’m in NC, and in some places, it will be more expensive. If it’s $500, and someone has eight of them, that’s $4,000. They usually won’t remove them all at the same time. They will usually do 2-4. Depends on the dentist and the person.
The point is it can be pricey. I think it’s something where most people are going to be happy that they did it. I’m not saying you need to do it while restoring your health. I’m just saying in the future, let’s say if you have six mercury amalgams, and you are trying to restore your health, ideally it would be great to work with someone while restoring your health.
Even if you make it your goal to restore your health while not spending thousands of dollars to remove your mercury amalgams, but you still have a plan in place to remove 1-2 a year, within a few years, you will have them removed. That’s better than not removing them at all, is my point.
Some people certainly remove them quicker. As soon as they speak with someone like me or another functional medicine practitioner. Most people don’t do that. Most people will keep them in and see how they progress, but it’s perfectly fine if you want to consider doing that later in the healing journey.
Same thing with root canals. If you have one or more, it is more controversial. I think you can make the argument: Do you really need to take them out? I got mine extracted, and I got the implants. The implant is expensive, too. The zirconium implant was a little more than $5,000. One of those removed is expensive enough, but if you have 2-3 root canals, you are looking at $10,000-$15,000. Might be more depending on where you live. Some places might be less.
Also should mention getting back to evaluating. Is there a way to know if you’re reacting to the mercury? Same thing with root canals.
I’ll start with the root canal first. There is no great test. They can do the cone beam, the CT scan. That can tell if you’re infected. The technology still needs to be improved when it comes to root canals.
Most tests that look at mercury, whether it’s hair, urine, or blood, are looking at levels of mercury. Just because you have high levels of mercury doesn’t mean that you’re reacting to the mercury. It’s not good to have high levels of mercury, so if you do, it would be nice to lower those.
There are immune system tests. One of them is Cyrex Labs’ Array #11. That looks at the immune system reaction not just to mercury but other heavy metals and environmental toxins and toxicants. If you were to do a hair or urine test, and mercury showed up high, and then you did Cyrex Labs’ #11, and it looked great, there was no reactivity. Again, to me, you still probably eventually should get the mercury amalgams removed. Maybe it’s not as urgent.
If you do that test, and I can’t say I do this test on everyone, it’s another pricey test. I try to prioritize when I do the testing. I am bringing it up here so you’re aware. You could choose to do it if you want to.
If you show up with high levels of mercury on a test, and then you do the Array #11, and it is showing that you’re reacting to mercury, and it is causing an immune system reaction, then you probably want to get the amalgams removed sooner than later.
Also should add that testing, urine and hair especially, are not perfect. Blood is different. Blood is looking at acute levels. Urine and hair, you could have mercury built up in the tissue, and it’s not showing up in these tests. That’s why with urine testing, some doctors do pre- and post-provocation testing, where they will give someone provocation agents to take to mobilize the mercury from the tissues. They will do another urine test. There is controversy with those as well. My point is you can’t always rely on the levels.
We could make the argument that everybody should do an immune reaction test. You have to be careful with that test because if you have lower immunoglobulins, you could test the IGs, but you could get false negatives with the Array #11.
I would recommend working with a practitioner before doing any of these tests, so you’re not spending your money unnecessarily.
For the most part, that’s what I wanted to cover. If your antibodies are still high, even after changing your diet, managing your stress, taking numerous supplements, that means that the underlying immune triggers are still active. If nothing changes, you might see some fluctuations, but they are probably not going to gradually decrease and normalize.
This is usually a point where people with a natural mindset start thinking about treatment options such as radioactive iodine or surgery as the only path forward. Just remember that once you take that step, there is no going back. If you rush into it, you can wonder if there was more you could have done to avoid it.
Just because you have done some great things for your health, yet haven’t seen a decrease in your thyroid antibodies, this doesn’t mean you have failed or that healing is impossible. It just means that you haven’t found all the answers, and you need a clearer way to look at your labs, triggers, and other factors, so you can make a decision you feel at peace with and not one that is driven by fear or urgency.
Most people in this position don’t need more random information from the internet. You probably already know about diet changes, stress management, and labs. If not, you can get this information from reading my books and listening to other episodes of this podcast.
What you really need is a framework, a way to put the pieces together, so you can see whether you have truly explored all the natural options before considering something permanent. That is exactly why I created a Focus master class.
In this session, I will walk you through situations where a permanent treatment option like thyroid surgery might make sense and where there is more room to explore. A few of the most common triggers I see people miss, even when they feel like they have tried everything, as well as a decision checklist you can bring into your next doctor’s appointment, so you feel more prepared and less pressured.
The goal isn’t to tell you what to do. It is to give you clarity, calmness, and confidence, so you can make the decision that is right for you, not one you will second guess later. That is a big problem, especially with people with hyperthyroidism and Graves’.
Radioactive iodine and thyroid surgery are commonly brought up by their endocrinologists. Unfortunately, a lot of people get these treatments when they don’t need to. Some people take a natural approach, and maybe they are not seeing the progress and end up getting these treatments.
Most people who get these treatments don’t look into natural treatment options. Some people start taking the natural approach, and maybe they have unrealistic expectations. They might be doing some great things, and autoimmunity can be complex. Graves’ can be complex. Hashimoto’s can be complex. Even non-autoimmune hyperthyroid conditions like toxic multinodular goiter can be complex. It’s not quick and easy.
I have had so many people over the years receive radioactive iodine or thyroid surgery and regret their decision.
Now, without question, there are people who get these procedures, and they don’t regret their decision. Some people definitely do. You don’t have to wait for another appointment or flare-up. This master class is a recorded class. It’s ready for you to watch right now. You will find the link in the show notes. It will walk you through exactly what’s included and how to get started.
I’d like to thank you for taking the time to listen to this episode. I not only look forward to catching you in the next episode, but I really do hope you take action and check out the master class. You will be so glad that you did.
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Thank you for listening to the episode. Let’s start out by discussing why oral health is usually overlooked. Simply, most people don’t think of the mouth as being a factor in autoimmune conditions such as Graves’ and Hashimoto’s. If you ask biological dentists, they will definitely talk about the relationship between oral health and autoimmunity, especially dental amalgams. There are other factors, which I’ll talk about shortly.
When it comes to heavy metals, there are definitely flaws when it comes to heavy metal testing. I discuss the difference between looking at the levels of heavy metals versus immune system reaction. I can’t say I test immune system reaction on all my patients. I’m sure some dentists do testing for that.
If one has amalgams, it doesn’t mean that you’re reacting to the mercury, even though mercury is a toxin in everybody. From an immune system standpoint, if you do a test like Cyrex Labs’ Array #11, doesn’t mean it will show an immune response. If it does show an immune response, if you were to do that test, you definitely would want to get your amalgams removed, if you have mercury amalgams. If it’s negative, doesn’t mean that you should leave them in forever, but maybe it’s not as urgent to remove them.
Also wanted to expand more on holistic versus biological dentists. I’m in Matthews, NC, which is in the Charlotte area. Years ago, I saw a holistic dentist because he was convenient. He recommended a root canal in my case and gave me a bill of $12,000, not just for the root canal but other things piling up the charges. He was recommending a root canal, fluoride treatments, which is not what a biological dentist will do.
The point is that if you’re looking for someone locally, just because they call themselves a holistic doctor doesn’t mean they’re holistic. He was doing some holistic things, but definitely was doing conventional things, which isn’t a bad thing. I’m not saying it’s bad. I’m not a fan of root canals and fluoride, but that’s what most dentists do.
To me, it’s misleading that he called himself a holistic dentist. Most of the things, I would argue, aren’t holistic. He did a few things holistically, but definitely not a biological dentist.
If someone recommends root canals, they’re not a biological dentist. If they recommend fluoride treatments, probably not a biological dentist. If you are looking specifically for a biological dentist, visit the IAOMT website, IAOMT.org.
Finally, I wanted to talk about gum inflammation and thyroid autoimmunity, which I didn’t mention earlier. There is some evidence in the research in some journal articles that they can play a role in autoimmunity. Nothing I am aware of with Graves’, but I think there is a study showing the relationship between gum inflammation and Hashimoto’s.
Maybe you don’t have any root canals. Maybe you don’t have mercury amalgams. You might have gum inflammation. If you’re going to a dentist on a regular basis, at least once a year, if not twice a year, then they probably would tell you if they are seeing inflammation.
Years ago, I had a crown that I was reacting to and had a lot of bleeding around the area. It turned out to be a nickel allergy to the crown, which surprisingly two dentists missed. Nickel allergies are pretty common. The first two missed it. The third dentist finally caught it, which a biological dentist, when he mentioned it was a nickel allergy, I didn’t believe him because it seemed so simple. Why wouldn’t the other doctors get it? It’s not that I didn’t believe him.
I did another test at the time that was a biocompatibility test called the Clifford Test. Unfortunately, they are no longer available, but they were back then. I did the test, and it did confirm I had a nickel allergy. He changed it to a different crown.
That’s pretty much all I wanted to cover with regards to the relationship of oral health to thyroid conditions and more specifically thyroid autoimmunity. Of course, I hope you found the information I presented to be valuable. Look forward to catching you in the next episode.