Case Study: Health Problems Caused by Mercury Amalgam Dental Fillings?

A few days ago I received an email from a friend who had read our article on Orange Juice (Orange Juice — The Silent Tooth Killer?). The letter is a poignant reminder of how our diet affects our dental health.

Mike had been drinking orange juice his entire life, and has considerable erosion because of the acid in the juice. More to the point, he was very concerned with the effects of the acid on his amalgam fillings. For the past few years his overall health has been declining and he’s concerned that the old amalgam fillings he has may be the root cause.

While there’s no evidence we’ve seen that would indicate the acid in the juice could release higher levels of mercury from the fillings, the temperature of the juice CAN release more mercury vapor (temperature fluctuations can stimulate the mercury in the filling and release higher quantities of vapor).

Check out Mike’s email and my response, below. It’s a good reminder of how what goes into our mouths affects our overall well-being.

Hi DR Marvin, Thanks for your email and website.

I already sadly know the perils of drinking to much orange juice. From a kid I never ever had tea or coffee. I hated the taste of both, so from there on I have been drinking fresh juices for nearly 37 years. My teeth are eroded quite badly now. My concern though is what’s this done to my amalgam filling over the years? Have they also been effected by the juice like my teeth, are the fillings eroding away to? I have hardly had an illness in my life until the last few years. Over the last few years my immune system has been getting weaker and weaker. Any sign of a cold or illness would bring me down. I have been experiencing extreme tiredness events lasting a few weeks at a time, my vision has been effected also during these events. Been getting chest pains, brain fog, not able to concentrate and now CFS for past year or so. I have had all the blood tests done and all came back OK. Heart has been checked on ECG treadmill test here in the UK, nothing found other than the heart will beat to fast. Over 100 bpm resting is the norm for me. Endoscope camera down the throat found nothing either. Reading your website I discovered the amalgam fillings information which I believe could be my problem. I am going to have them removed and see if this makes any difference. I only have 6 amalgams, some of them small, but I guess that’s enough to cause issues.

Once again thanks for your website and for informing others.
Mike

My response to Mike:

Hi Mike,

Even small mercury fillings can cause problems.  Low level chronic mercury exposure is dangerous and could certainly cause many of the problems you’ve been experiencing. I’d highly recommend you have your mercury levels tested before and after you have the fillings removed to see if there was a link in your particular case. We can do testing here (just give us a call) or you can find many mail-in tests online. In fact, Green Peace is offering a $25 testing kit by mail (https://secureusa.greenpeace.org/mercury/). It’s not quite as extensive and conclusive as what we can do here, but it would certainly give you a good idea of how your mercury levels have changed after removal of your fillings.

Good luck when you have your fillings removed. If you have any questions about what to look for in a doctor or what questions to ask, just let us know.

If you’ve had problems similar to Mike’s, I recommend the same thing I told him: have your mercury levels tested before and after you have the fillings removed. Not long after the fillings are removed your mercury levels should drop substantially.

As always, we welcome your questions and we always do everything we can to provide a complete answer, so if there’s anything you need, just let us know.

Dr. Marvin

PS: Thanks to Mike for allowing us to reprint his email. We wish you the best of luck with your health Mike… stay in touch and let us know how it goes!