Not many people are familiar with the phenomenon of oral galvanism, which could affect your oral and overall health. Holistic dentistry believes that everyone should know about the potential dangers of a galvanic shock and consider the procedures that would reduce the chances of its occurrence. This article explains everything you need to know about oral galvanism and the procedures that prevent it. Continue reading if you have a filling or a crown in your mouth.

What Is Oral Galvanism?

Oral galvanism or battery mouth happens when different metals in your mouth cause an electrical current. These metals can be found in fillings, crowns, and implants. Removing metals from your mouth is recommended to prevent galvanic shock.

How Does Oral Galvanism Happen?

Generally, you experience a galvanic shock in your mouth when two or more dissimilar metals are in highly conductive and acidic saliva, and an energetic current or discharge is formed. Different metals could be mercury amalgam, gold alloy, titanium, or nickel.

What Does a Galvanic Shock Cause?

Galvanic shocks release electrical charges that interrupt cellular communication, causing physical and neurological issues.

Physical Issues

Bacteria thrive on oral galvanism and gather around the areas discharging an electric current, which leads to more plaque buildup in those areas. On the other hand, more bacteria mean more acidic waste, which will make your saliva more acidic and cause stronger galvanic shocks.

Neurological Issues

Galvanic shocks also cause several neurological issues, including irregular heartbeat, chronic headache, numbness or a tingling sensation, burning tongue, dizziness, insomnia, drowsiness, impaired memory, and mental confusion.

How to Prevent Galvanic Shock?

If you want to prevent galvanic shock, it is recommended to steer clear of metals in dentistry. Aria Dental offers metal-free fillings, crowns, and implants to ensure oral and overall health.

Metal-Free Implants

Instead of metal implants, we suggest you choose a metal-free, ceramic zirconia dental implant. Zirconia is a durable and bio-compatible material used in holistic dentistry for dental posts, crowns, implant abutments, and more. It has a similar color to your teeth and causes no allergy or galvanic shock.

Metal-Free Fillings

Amalgam fillings contain mercury, which is toxic and causes galvanic shock. They also have other metals like silver, tin, copper, and zinc. That is why it is recommended to use non-toxic, metal-free, mercury-free, and bio-compatible fillings. Whether it is an inlay, an onlay, or a crown, there are safer, much better alternatives to using metals in your mouth.

Oral Galvanism Treatment

If you have amalgam fillings in your teeth, you can take them out to prevent future galvanic shocks. The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) offers a protocol to remove these fillings called Safe Amalgam Removal Technique (SMART).

SMART Procedure

SMART-certified dentists follow specific safety measures to ensure the complete removal of the amalgam while protecting your health. When removing old mercury amalgam fillings, you are protected by a mask, a rubber dam, and a micro seal technique to ensure that you won’t inhale the mercury vapors. Moreover, there is special evacuation equipment to remove the vapor.

Do You Want to Remove the Metals Now?

This article talked about oral galvanism and why everyone should know about it. Aria Dental Care in Orange County, California is an excellent place if you want to have a metal-free dental procedure or an amalgam removal.

We are a mercury-free and mercury-safe dental office, and Dr. Maryam Horiyat is a SMART-certified dentist that guarantees a successful procedure for you. Contact us today for a consultation on how you can prevent galvanic shocks.

FAQ about Galvanic Shocks