Dangers of Dental Mercury – Still Ignored by the FDA despite Recent Warnings

“Exposure to mercury can have serious health consequences,” says Charles Lee, M.D., a senior medical advisor at FDA. “It can damage the kidneys and the nervous system, and interfere with the development of the brain in unborn children and very young children.”

In its ongoing effort to protect the American public from exposure to dangerous levels of mercury, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued an updated warning about skin care products, which may contain mercury, specifically anti-aging, skin-lightening beauty lotions and creams. These products are manufactured primarily in other countries and sold illegally in the States—often in ethnic shops and neighborhoods, and made available to consumers online. Studies on the subject of mercury in beauty products observed by the FDA showed that some of the tainted creams have been found to contain mercury levels up to 131,000 times the acceptable limit of mercury.

You don’t have to use the product yourself to be affected, says FDA toxicologist Mike Bolger, Ph.D. “People—particularly children—can get mercury in their bodies from breathing in mercury vapors if a member of the household uses a skin cream containing mercury.” Infants and small children can ingest mercury if they touch their parents who have used these products, get cream on their hands and then put their hands and fingers into their mouth, which they are prone to do, adds Bolger. From this statement it appears that the FDA is becoming more and more informed on the very real dangers mercury poses to the human body. Now, we have to wonder when the FDA will come around to recognizing the same level of danger posed to patients undergoing dental treatments that result in the use of silver amalgams containing seriously high levels of mercury.

The Evidence is Glaring

It isn’t a matter of the FDA not being informed on the scientific evidence behind the danger of dental amalgams; it’s more a matter of their persistence to ignore the facts. The International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine (IABDM), the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) as well as the Holistic Dental Association (HDA) all acknowledge critical scientific studies stubbornly overlooked by the FDA, American Dental Association (ADA) and other upholders of the status quo.

The Scientific Advisory Board of the IAOMT stated in a report, aimed at informing and advising the FDA, (authored by noted scientists Boyd Haley, Thomas Burbacher, Louis Chang among others); “Chronic exposure to mercury, even in minute amounts, is known to be toxic and poses significant risks to human health. Current scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that dental amalgam unnecessarily exposes dental patients to substantial amounts of mercury vapor, particulates and other forms and is therefore not a suitable material for dental restoration.”

Furthermore, “It is incompatible with current valid scientific evidence to continue to endorse or otherwise condone the use of a permanently implanted material in teeth that continuously emits a very potent enzyme inhibitor and metabolic toxin. Moreover, mercury’s damaging influence on the developing brain makes dental amalgam an entirely inappropriate material for use in children and women of childbearing age.”

The ADA: In Cahoots with the FDA

By the efforts put forth by the IAOMT and several others notable crusaders against dental mercury use, the facts have been exposed and the FDA is fully informed and aware of the issues. What is one of the biggest factors keeping the FDA’s apparently y stubborn blinders firmly in place? One would have to suspect that the American Dental Association (ADA) is largely to blame.

The alternatives to amalgam based products are economically sound for consumers and quite often less expensive than their mercury based counterparts.  By and large amalgams cost more than glass ionomers, some ceramics and many other non-mercury based products.  In fact, amalgam costs are identical to composite, which is used for smaller cavities, although composite can be slightly more expensive depending on the size of the cavities.  But when you consider the alarming environmental and health catastrophe caused by amalgam, then the real cost of continued amalgam use becomes ever so evident.

The Filling that Keeps on Giving

Sadly, mainstream dentists make more money by enforcing the ‘safe’ use of mercury amalgams.  In this way of thinking, damaged teeth represent money in the pocket rather than concern for the patient’s ongoing healthfulness. For example, aspiring dentists are encouraged to ‘drill, fill, and bill’, a well worn joke in dental school.  Another sinister element in the push to preserve mercury’s hold on the dental industry has to do with guaranteed repeat customers.  Amalgam damages tooth structure leading to fractures in the teeth and as a consequence – often leading to unnecessary root canal procedures, pro-mercury dentists continue to profit from amalgam implants long after the initial placement.

In an effort to keep the profits rolling in, the ADA has pressed its enormous influence on Congress, the Food and Drug Administration, state dental boards and corporate media in an effort to cover up the dangers of amalgam’s mercury.  How did they accomplish this?

By popularizing the misleading term “silver fillings” so consumers would think amalgam is made mainly of silver when it actually contains twice as much the mercury as it does silver.
By mounting an aggressive campaign to silence competitors and critics of this outdated style of dentistry, focused directly on dentists who openly recognized the dangers of mercury amalgams

Help Stop the Use of Dental Amalgam

The ironic twist that a substance as toxic as mercury has been allowed to be implanted into the mouths of unsuspecting men, women and children for so long points directly to the ties between the FDA and the ADA – a situation that consumers need to be made aware of so that action can be taken to keep Americans safe from poisonous mercury products at the dental office.

In order to do that the FDA needs to be forced to listen to its own experts and scientists.  You can help to make that happen by simply calling your congressman or congresswoman and urging them to contact the FDA to make the changes needed to eliminate the use of dental mercury.  To find the name of your member of Congress simply visit their website then call Congress at 202-224-3121 and ask for your state member’s office.

More information:

Mercury Exposure Information: http://www.mercuryexposure.info/
Banning Mercury Amalgams: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/MedicalDevices/MedicalDevicesAdvisoryCommittee/DentalProductsPanel/UCM236379.pdf

The Toxic Effects of the Mercury in Dental Amalgam Fillings on the Environment and Human Health

The following document — “THE TOXIC EFFECTS OF THE MERCURY IN DENTAL AMALGAM FILLINGS ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH” — is a fact sheet prepared by The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (www.iaomt.org).

It’s one of the most detailed looks you’ll see on the hazards of the mercury in amalgam fillings on both our health and the environment and a pretty good list of reasons to ban mercury fillings in America.

If you have any questions about whether mercury fillings are bad, this paper should provide most of the reasons for you, along with several pages of supporting research for those who want or need more information.

I encourage you to print it out and share it with your family, friends, and loved ones. Share it with your doctor. Share it with anyone who doubts the dangers of silver fillings and anyone who craves more information than they typically have access to.

Thank you to the IAOMT for making this available and for helping to better educate us all.

How To Tell If You Have Mercury Poisoning

As a result of persistent and pointed pressure from dentists, health professionals and consumers alike, the FDA has now promised to make an announcement by the end of year 2011 pertaining to a decision about whether or not to warn the public about the dangers of mercury in dental amalgam, and possibly even restrict its use.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that many, if not most Americans still have amalgam fillings in their mouths and the question is; what to do about it? Perhaps the most important thing to consider is, are you mercury toxic? And how can you tell if you are?

Some estimates say that up to 85 percent of Americans today have at least one silver filling and each of those fillings contain approximately 50 percent mercury. Among mercury savvy dentists it is well known that the constant off-gassing of mercury vapor can suppress normal immune function by a whopping 88 percent – when compared to a people who have no mercury in their body. Most Americans have even more than one mercury amalgam filling compounding the dangers of toxicity exponentially. So, the chances are – unless you have been among the minority who are proactive in the dental chair, you still have toxic amalgam mercury fillings in your teeth.

The Big Deal about Amalgam Fillings

The amalgam filling is typically a mixture of silver, copper, tin and zinc with an equal amount of mercury (up to 50 percent mercury). Fillings naturally deteriorate over time, leaching the various metal components into the body in the process. Amalgam fillings react to substances such as acid in the mouth, causing the filling to deteriorate even more rapidly. The deteriorating vapor then enters the body and is subsequently inhaled into the lungs where it is absorbed into the blood stream. Likewise, as we eat, mercury is incorporated into food, is then swallowed and digested and absorbed into the bloodstream where it is distributed to more vulnerable tissues and organs.

Symptoms

Toxicity to mercury can create a range of symptoms from subtle to alarming and may include such things as lethargy, blurred vision, dizziness, muscle aches, numbness, escalating to numbness and tingling throughout the body and in extreme cases; paralysis, tremors, severe pain and a myriad of autoimmune disorders (for a more comprehensive list of symptoms, please see Mercury Toxicity Symptoms).

Only the most recent exposures will show up in a blood sample making it difficult to determine toxicity from blood tests. However, once introduced into a person’s circulatory system mercury quickly binds to tissues in organs where it builds up toxicity and breaks down the immune system.

DMPS Challenge

There is a test available that can determine toxicity within 24 hours, but it has some drawbacks. A DMPS (Sodium 2,3-dimercaptopropane-l-sulfonate) challenge test involves taking an injection or ingesting an oral agent containing a chemical (DMPS) which binds to and then mobilizes mercury in the body. Then 24 hours later a urine sample is collected and tested and the amount of mercury that is found in that sample will help to determine if a patient is mercury toxic.

There is some controversy about this test because people who are highly sensitive may suffer a reaction when the mercury is mobilized. Also some believe that the reactivated mercury can redistribute itself in body tissue and cause additional damage.

Hair Testing

Hair testing involves taking a hair sample and testing it for mercury content. If mercury remains in the bloodstream for any length of time, it will begin to collect in the hair. The trouble with this test is that it can be unreliable and time consuming. A sample takes so long to grow it therefore involves significant time to produce accurate results. Another challenge to this kind of test is that mercury is rapidly removed from the bloodstream through normal body processes by being excreted and/or deposited in body tissues and organs. Therefore, it is impossible to determine exactly how much mercury is in a person’s body based on a hair sample. Consequently, you may be mercury toxic but still show low levels of the substance occurring in the blood and hair.

Symptomatic Diagnosis

Perhaps one of the most obvious ways to diagnose mercury toxicity is by looking at the symptoms and diseases it produces. Some diagnosticians typically suspect mercury toxicity in a person when three or more symptoms recognized as mercury toxicity are present.

Some laboratory test indications may include:

• A white blood cell count above 7,500 or below 4,500
• Hematocrit above 50 percent or below 40 percent (this is the percentage by volume of packed red blood cells in a sample of blood after it has been spun in a centrifuge).
• A lymphocyte count above 2,800 or below 1,800 (lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell that function in the development of the immune system)
• A blood protein level above 7.5 grams per 100 milliliters of serum (7.5 g percent ml)
• A blood triglyceride level above 150 mg percent ml
• A blood area nitrogen (BUN) level above 18 or below 12 percent
• A level of nickel in the hair above 1.5 parts per million (ppm)
• A hair aluminum level above 15 ppm
• A hair manganese level below 0.3 ppm
• Immune reactions to aluminum, nickel, mercury, copper, or gold

Symptoms that show the most improvement after removing amalgam fillings include:

• Neurological – depression, irritability, suicidal tendencies, inability to cope; as multiple sclerosis, seizures facial twitches, muscle spasms
• Cardiovascular – endocarditis, heart, valves or lungs, etc.
• Collagen Diseases – scleroderma, arthritis, lupus, bursitis, etc.
• Immunological disorders – Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), etc.
• Allergies – the full range of allergies

Amalgam fillings pose a potential health risk for everyone, especially for those who have recognized sensitivities or pronounced allergies. Anyone who has several amalgam fillings and displays immune system disorders might consider having their silver fillings replaced. Natural looking composites are healthier and by and large are much more aesthetically pleasing.

The important thing to keep in mind when having amalgam fillings removed is to be sure to choose an experienced holistic dentist who follows definite protocols for protecting the overall health of the patient (and the environment) from additional mercury exposure during the removal process. Holistic dentists can also assess a person’s bio-compatibility for alternative materials and can also make referrals to someone skilled in mercury detoxification if necessary.

For more information on the scientific research pertaining to amalgam mercury, see “The Scientific Case Against Amalgam,” available from the International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology Web site www.iaomt.org.

The World Health Organization urges “switch” away from amalgam

Great news from Charlie Brown at Consumers for Dental Choice. I can’t say it much better than he did, so you can read his letter verbatim, below.

In a clear sign that dentistry’s amalgam era is fading, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) just released its long-awaited report on dental amalgam.  In Future Use of Materials for Dental Restoration, WHO urges “a switch in use of dental materials” away from amalgam.

“[F]or many reasons,” WHO explains, “restorative materials alternative to dental amalgam are desirable.”  The report describes three of these reasons in detail:

• WHO determines that amalgam releases a “significant amount of mercury”:  WHO concludes that amalgam poses a serious environmental health problem because amalgam releases a “significant amount of mercury” into the environment, including the atmosphere, surface water, groundwater, and soil.  WHO says “When released from dental amalgam use into the environment through these pathways, mercury is transported globally and deposited.  Mercury releases may then enter the human food chain especially via fish consumption.”
• WHO determines that amalgam raises “general health concerns”:  While the report acknowledges that a few dental trade groups still believe amalgam is safe for all, the WHO report reaches a very different conclusion: “Amalgam has been associated with general health concerns.”  The report observes, “According to the Norwegian Dental Biomaterials Adverse Reaction Unit, the majority of cases of side-effects of dental filling materials are linked with dental amalgam.”
• WHO determines that “materials alternative to dental amalgam are available”:  WHO concludes that “Materials alternative to dental amalgam are available” – and cites many studies indicating that they are superior to amalgam.  For example, WHO says “recent data suggest that RBCs [resin-based composites] perform equally well” as amalgam.  And compomers have a higher survival rate, says WHO, citing a study finding that 95% of compomers and 92% of amalgams survive after 4 years.  Perhaps more important than the survival of the filling, WHO asserts that “Adhesive resin materials allow for less tooth destruction and, as a result, a longer survival of the tooth itself.”

We have come a long way.  Less than a year ago, dental trade groups were circulating an unedited and unreviewed draft of this report to government officials, implying that it was WHO’s final position.  But the draft was riddled with factual errors and scientifically unsupported claims.  Consumers for Dental Choice – working with non-governmental organizations, scientists, and environmentalists from around the globe – organized a letter-writing campaign to insist that the draft be immediately withdrawn, accurately rewritten, and properly reviewed.

And it worked!  Now WHO has removed all claims of amalgam’s safety.  Now WHO has committed itself to “work for reduction of mercury and the development of a healthy environment.”  Now “WHO will facilitate the work for a switch in use of dental materials.”

Thank you to everybody who urged WHO to take this important step to protect future generations from dental mercury.

It’s time for the U.S. FDA to catch up with the world – and we need your help.  FDA’s support for amalgam is radically inconsistent with WHO’s new position.  Please contact Dr. Jeff Shuren, Director of the FDA Center for Devices, at

Email:  jeff.shuren@fda.hhs.gov

Fax:  301-847-8149 & 301-847-8109

Telephone:  301-796-5900

Mail: 10903 New Hampshire Ave., WO66-5431, Room 5442, Silver Spring MD 20993-0002
Here is a sample letter:
Dear Dr. Shuren:

In its recent report, the World Health Organization concludes that dental amalgam releases a “significant amount of mercury” and raises “general health concerns.”  In light of these serious problems, WHO calls on health authorities like FDA to take action now: “Health authorities can play an active role in advocacy for use of dental materials alternative to amalgam…Directives can be set up for provision of dental care incorporating concerns for oral health and the environment.”   

The WHO report says “Materials alternative to dental amalgam are available.”  In particular, “Alternative restorative materials of sufficient quality are available for use in the deciduous [baby] dentition of children” – the population whose developing neurological systems are most susceptible to the neurotoxic effects of dental mercury according to FDA.  So there is no excuse for subjecting children to the risks associated with dental mercury exposure.

FDA needs to stop amalgam use in children immediately and join WHO in working for a switch to the many mercury-free alternatives to amalgam.    

Sincerely,
Your name

Thank you for working with us to protect everyone worldwide from mercury fillings!

– Charlie, 18 October 2011

Charles G. Brown
National Counsel, Consumers for Dental Choice
President, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry
316 F St. NE, Suite 210, Washington DC 20002
Telephone: 202-544-6333
Fax: 202-544-6331

Help Stop the Use of Mercury in a Major California City

On September 20, 2011 at 5:00 PM, the city of Long Beach will hold a city council meeting that has the potential to radically alter the way Californians are affected by mercury amalgam… and they could use your help.

At the urging of Californians for Green Dentistry, the city council in Long Beach will discuss the idea of requiring all dentists to install amalgam separators to help protect our environment and to voluntarily cease use of Dental Amalgam, implement Best Management Practices and install
dental amalgam separators to catch spilled mercury.

This is a potential watershed case for the fight against mercury amalgam, and they are asking for YOUR help.

The following message is an abbreviated version of the email sent straight from Californians for Green Dentistry. Below that is a link to download the memo issued by the City of Long Beach.

Due to the resistance that will becoming from the Harbor Dental Society, it is imperative that we show a strong diversified group of people – what we need – Scientists, Doctors, Mercury Free Dentists, Victims, Environmentalists – and activists.

We will be allowed 3 minutes each to speak with no ability to yeild time to another speaker.  Therefore we must be well prepared and on our “A” Game!

We need to address why this is important for Long Beach.  The city is a dominant maritime <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime>  center of the United States and was recently named “Aquatic Capital of the Nation.” It wields substantial influence critical to the global economy <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_globalization> . The Port of Long Beach <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Long_Beach>  is the United States’ second busiest container port and one of the world’s largest shipping ports.

Broc the Chief of Staff for VM Lowenthal suggested that we fill the room and have at least 7 speakers to go up- from there we listen to the opposition and then continue to refute whatever they say – and keep the most dynamic speakers for the end…to strategically let council here us last…there is no need to sign in so we just go up to the podium when the issue comes up…

If there was ever a time when we NEED ALL HANDS ON DECK- THIS IS IT…With the FDA hearing 2 days later, we can report on the action of Long Beach…I hope that you will all call – or email me with your confirmation to attend – THIS CAN TURN THE TIDE ON THE ENTIRE ISSUE….

PLEASE ADDEND AND IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS CALL ME…310-923-4116  - WE NEED YOU NOW MORE THAN EVER BEFORE!

With much gratitude,

Anita, Kristy, & Marisa – Californians for Green Dentistry

Thanks,

Dr. Marvin

Click to Download the Memo from the City of Long Beach

Mercury Amalgam Fillings in Long Beach