Episode Description
Most patients leave the dental chair after amalgam removal and expect to feel better quickly. What they don't expect is two months of flu-like symptoms, fatigue, and a body that seems to be working harder than it did before the fillings came out. Nobody prepared them for that, and in most cases, nobody warned them it was coming.
This episode is that conversation.
Dr. Katie sits down with Dr. Atousa, a biological dentist, founder of Airway First Approach, and the Colorado Dental Wellness Center, who had her own mercury amalgam fillings safely removed right in Katy, Texas. She came back to share what happened after, and it's one of the most honest, grounded accounts of post-amalgam recovery you'll hear from a clinician who became her own patient.
Why this episode matters
The safe removal conversation, protocols like SMART, biological materials, proper PPE, has grown considerably over the past few years. But the detox conversation that follows hasn't kept pace. Patients are going through removal without a roadmap for what their body will do next. Dr. Atousa's story gives that roadmap a human face, and her perspective as both a dentist and a patient makes it land differently than anything you'll read in a clinical guide.
What you'll learn in this episode
Dr. Atousa walks through her full journey, from preparing with a naturopath before the procedure to working through Dr. Daniel Pompa's multi-phase cellular detox program. She explains why she struggled to sweat at first, what that revealed about her detox pathways, and how two weeks off over the holidays became the reset her body needed to open things up. She shares the daily practices that made the biggest difference, weekly bone broth, sauna, red light therapy, BEAMER sessions, breathwork, hiking, and why cutting seed oils was the move that showed up on her liver scan four years later as a complete reversal of her fatty liver diagnosis.
She also talks about what she now notices in her own patients going through the same process, why some feel nothing at all and others feel like they have the flu for weeks, and why rushing the detox timeline does more harm than going slowly through each phase.
Key moments in this conversation
The "bucket" analogy Dr. Atousa uses to describe what it felt like when her body finally had more room to process, and why that image captures something no clinical explanation quite does.
The moment she realized she had never really sweated, and what her detox coach told her about what that meant for her lymph and detox pathways.
A fatty liver diagnosis four years ago, despite never drinking and eating what she thought was a clean diet, and how seed oil elimination changed her next liver scan entirely.
Why Dr. Atousa says her compassion for patients went to a completely different level after going through removal herself, and how that changed the way she practices.
Her vision for Colorado Dental Wellness Center, designed from the ground up to include airway screening, whole-body intake, and recovery modalities right inside the practice.
About Dr. Atousa
Dr. Atousa is a biological dentist, founder of Airway First Approach, and owner of Colorado Dental Wellness Center in Colorado. She is an IABDM and IAOMT-aligned practitioner whose approach to patient care starts with airway screening before diving into traditional dental assessment. She designed her new facility specifically to support the whole-body healing process her patients go through before, during, and after biological dental treatment.
Follow Dr. Atousa on Instagram: @dratousa.s
Follow Colorado Dental Wellness Center: @coloradodentalwellnesscenter
Resources mentioned in this episode
IABDM: iabdm.org
IAOMT: iaomt.org
Connect with Dr. Katie
Join Dr. Katie's free patient webinar and take the first step toward whole-body dental wellness:
📱 @drkatieto
Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. Information discussed is not intended for diagnosis, curing, or prevention of any disease and is not intended to replace advice given by a licensed healthcare practitioner. Before using any products mentioned or attempting methods discussed, please speak with a licensed healthcare provider. This podcast disclaims responsibility from any possible adverse reactions associated with products or methods discussed. Opinions from guests are their own, and this podcast does not condone or endorse opinions made by guests. We do not provide guarantees about the guests' qualifications or credibility. This podcast and its guests may have direct or indirect financial interests associated with products mentioned.