Page 59 - Spring2018
P. 59
The Odyssey of Becoming a
Holistic Dentist
By Carl McMillan, DMD
n May of 1985, I began my dental career as a fresh-
man dental student. I was just twenty at the time, and
II was extremely excited about the possibilities of the
journey that I was embarking on. I came into the dental
school not knowing what to expect, and wow, did I get
off to a surprising start!
One of the classes we had that first year was a “dental materials” class,
and the very first topic we discussed was dental amalgam. Dental amalgam
fillings are the so-called “silver” fillings that many of us have had from
youth. Given that dental amalgam actually is made up predominantly
of elemental mercury (50 to 54 percent by weight)—along with silver,
copper, tin and zinc—some have suggested that amalgams should be called
“mercury fillings.” 1
SPRING 2018 Wise Traditions 57
