Mercury (Silver) Fillings: A Very Serious Danger

Episode 19 of Dangers in Dentistry originally aired on KPRZ in San Diego.

Is your health on the line? Do you have any of these serious illnesses: paralysis, Parkinson’s, hyperthyroidism, Lupus, irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes? How about impotency or mood swings? Do you suffer from more common conditions like fatigue, skin discoloration (red cheeks, nose, fingers or toes) or headaches? Each of these conditions may be linked to the presence of mercury in your body. Did you know that according to the World Health Organization, the number one source of mercury exposure comes from mercury dental amalgam fillings?

Mercury-amalgam fillings, more commonly known as silver fillings, have been shown to release mercury into your body the entire time they’re in your mouth. Mercury is a dangerous neuro-toxin that can endanger your well-being and your health, which is why mercury has already been banned from thermometers and classrooms in the United States and why mercury amalgam fillings have been banned from use in several European countries. Are your fillings putting you at risk?

In this episode of Dangers in Dentistry, Dr. Marvin discusses the very real consequences of mercury poisoning, as well as the safe and proper steps you can take in order to lessen your exposure to this toxic metal. Learn the information your should know in order to protect yourself in this week’s episode of Dangers in Dentistry, with America’s Holistic Dentist, Dr. Marvin.

Enjoy!
Dr. Marvin
San Diego, Encinitas Holistic and Natural Dentist

FDA: “Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses”

It’s long been known that mercury is a neurotoxin and that amalgam fillings contain mercury. People who espouse that mercury amalgam fillings are not dangerous typically point to the FDA’s position that the “silver” fillings are “safe.” While the FDA has not banned mercury fillings (in fact, they have classified them as a Class II material: FDA Classifies Dental Amalgam Fillings as Class II (Moderate Risk)), that does not mean they have ruled the material as safe.

While doing some research this morning, I came across an excellent article from NaturalNews.com referencing the court order that forced the FDA admit the dangers of mercury amalgam fillings in children and pregnant women. (The decision actually came in 2008, but was not well-publicized and, therefore, is still not known even by many “industry-insiders,” which is why I am reprinting the article). I was going to write an article on the topic, but NaturalNews.com did an outstanding job so I’ve re-posted their article, below, with a link to their website (and with permission).

Enjoy!
Dr. Marvin

(NaturalNews, by: David Gutierrez, staff writer) For the first time, the FDA has issued a warning that the mercury contained in silver dental fillings may pose neurological risks to children and pregnant women.

“Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses,” reads a statement that has been added to the agency’s Web site. “Pregnant women and persons who may have a health condition that makes them more sensitive to mercury exposure, including individuals with existing high levels of mercury bioburden, should not avoid seeking dental care, but should discuss options with their health practitioner.”

The warning was one of the conditions that the FDA agreed to in settling a lawsuit filed by several consumer health groups.

“Gone, gone, gone are all of FDA’s claims that no science exists that amalgam is unsafe,” said Charles Brown, a lawyer for Consumers for Dental Choice, one of the plaintiffs.

“It’s a watershed moment,” said Michael Bender of the Mercury Policy Project, another plaintiff.

Mercury is a well-known neurotoxin that can cause cognitive and developmental problems, especially in fetuses and children. It can also cause brain and kidney damage in adults.
So-called dental amalgams, or fillings made with a mix of mercury and other metals, have been used since the 1800s. Although it is known that small amounts of mercury are vaporized (and can be inhaled) when the fillings are used to chew food, and though Canada, France and Sweden have all placed restrictions on the use of mercury fillings, the FDA has always insisted that amalgams are safe.

Dental amalgams are considered medical devices, regulated by the FDA.

Even the FDA’s new warning stops short of admitting that dental amalgams are dangerous for the general population. Instead, it focuses on the same population that has already been warned to limit mercury exposure by consuming less seafood: children and pregnant women. The FDA says it does not recommend that those who already have mercury fillings get them removed.

Millions of people have received amalgam fillings, although their popularity has dropped off in recent years. Currently, only 30 percent of dental fillings contain mercury – the rest are tooth-colored resin composites made from glass, cement and porcelain. These alternative fillings are more expensive and less durable than amalgam, however.

In 2002, the FDA began a regulatory review of amalgam that was expected to be complete within a few years. In 2006, with the review still incomplete, an independent FDA advisory panel of doctors and dentists rejected the agency’s position that there is no reason for concern about the use of amalgam. While the panel agreed that the majority of people receiving such fillings would not be harmed, panel members expressed concern for the health of certain sensitive populations, including children under the age of six.

The panel recommended that the FDA conduct further studies on the risks to children from dental amalgam, and that it consider a policy of informed consent for children and pregnant: that is, warning those groups of the risks associated with the fillings before installing them.

Part of the lawsuit centered on the FDA’s failure to respond to these recommendations in a timely fashion.

“This is your classic failure to act,” federal judge Ellen Segal Huvelle told the agency.

As part of the lawsuit settlement, the FDA must reach a final decision on the regulation of amalgam by July 28, 2009.

“This court settlement signals the death knell for mercury fillings,” Brown predicted.
But J.P. Morgan Securities analyst Ipsita Smolinski disagreed, saying that the FDA is unlikely to ban amalgam entirely

“We do believe that the agency will ask for the label to indicate that mercury is an ingredient in the filling, and that special populations should be exempt from such fillings, such as: nursing women, pregnant women, young children, and immunocompromised individuals,” Smolinski said.

Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com; ap.google.com; blog.newswe

To read this article in it’s original format, please visit NaturalNews.com: FDA Reluctantly Admits Mercury Fillings Have Neurotoxic Effects on Children

The above article was reprinted with permission from NaturalNews.com.

FDA Classifies Dental Amalgam Fillings as Class II (Moderate Risk)

Today (Tuesday, July 28th, 2009) the FDA “issued a final regulation classifying dental amalgam and its component parts – elemental mercury and a powder alloy—used in dental fillings. While elemental mercury has been associated with adverse health effects at high exposures, the levels released by dental amalgam fillings are not high enough to cause harm in patients. The regulation classifies dental amalgam into Class II (moderate risk).” (http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm173992.htm)

Moments later, the ADA issued a press release stating it agrees with the FDA’s decision.

So what does this mean for you? It means that dental amalgam fillings (often referred to as mercury fillings or silver fillings) will still be used in most dental offices despite the potential long term health risks to patients and workers alike.

“But if there are potential long term health risks, why didn’t the FDA ban the fillings?”

Good question. In fact, the FDA acknowledged the risks associated with mercury fillings when they issued their decision. However, they decided that the risk didn’t outweigh the difficulties of banning the fillings.

“Dental amalgam contains elemental mercury. It releases low levels of mercury vapor that can be inhaled.” (http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/DentalProducts/DentalAmalgam/ucm171094.htm)

The FDA admits that dental amalgam fillings release low levels of mercury vapors. Because Mercury is a heavy metal, low levels of mercury vapors have been proven to accumulate in the body. Over time, that low level surpasses the “safe” amount of mercury specified by the FDA and can cause long term chronic health and neurological problems.

The bottom line? Politics have once again stood in the way of science and have put the public at risk for health problems.

The good news? You still have a choice. It’s actually quite similar to bans on smoking in public places: in states that still allowing smoking in restaurants, you have the choice to eat at another restaurant to avoid the health issues associated with second hand smoke. In the case of dental amalgam fillings (and the mercury vapor present in dental offices that place the fillings), you can choose to visit a dentist that doesn’t work with mercury.

While the classification by the FDA is a defeat in the fight against mercury, you still have options. And by choosing a mercury-free dentist, you are making the biggest stand of all.

Dr. Marvin

PS: If you’d like to read the entire classification of Dental Amalgam by the FDA, click here: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/DentalProducts/DentalAmalgam/UCM174024.pdf.

PPS: The FDA did today reclassify the mercury component of dental amalgam fillings from Class I (low risk) to Class II (moderate risk).

The Correlation Between Amalgam Fillings and Mercury in Brain Tissue

The dental amalgam “wars” have been going on for more than a century, with the primary battles between pro-mercury and anti-mercury parties centered on the danger of the mercury used in the amalgam fillings.

Pro-mercury constituents (the ADA among them) argue that although mercury is a known neuro-toxin that adversely affects brain function, the mercury used in amalgam fillings is stabilized to the point that little to no mercury is released over the life of the filling.

Anti-mercury advocates argue that no amount of mercury is safe in the body, let alone a dental filling that sits less than two inches from the brain. Their primary argument is that scientific research from multiple reputable agencies has reported that small amounts of mercury are regularly released through mastication (chewing), heating and cooling of the fillings (through drinking and eating hot and cold beverages), and through abrasion (brushing and cleaning teeth). Small amounts of mercury vapor released on a daily basis have a cumulative affect that builds over time in the soft tissue in the brain, lungs, and other areas of the body.

But where is the direct scientific link between dental amalgam fillings and mercury levels in the brain? That question was answered by Doctors David W. Eggleston, D.D.S.,* and Magnus Nylander, D.D.S.**(University of Southern California, School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, Calif. and Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.)

Drs. Eggleston and Nylander conducted an “examination of the cadaver dentition and collection of brain tissue specimens from nonrandomized, sudden, unexpected death subjects… to determine whether a positive correlation exists between the number of dental amalgam occlusal surfaces in the oral cavity and the mercury content of brain tissue.”

The results?

Data from this project demonstrate a positive correlation between the number of occlusal surfaces of dental amalgam and mercury levels in the brain (p < .0025 in white matter). This is indirect evidence suggesting that mercury from dental amalgam fillings may contribute to the body burden of mercury in the brain.

(The results and methods of the test can be read in their entirety here: http://www.nvbt.nl/hot-metalen4.html.)

The results are similar to those of prior experiments:

Svare et al. demonstrated that minute amounts of mercury vapor are continuously released from dental amalgam restorations in humans and that the release is accelerated 15-fold in expired air immediately after mastication. Abraham et al. reported a correlation of inorganic mercury levels in the blood of humans to the total surface area of occlusal dental amalgam and that the amount of inorganic mercury was enhanced eightfold immediately after mastication. Schiele et al. and Friberg et al. reported a positive correlation between the number and surfaces of dental amalgam and mercury levels in human brain tissue.

http://www.nvbt.nl/hot-metalen4.html

Despite the claims of pro-mercury constituents (such as the ADA), repeated scientific studies have shown that dental amalgam fillings — although more stable than elemental, organic mercury — do in fact release mercury vapors on a daiy basis. Those low doses of mercury are absorbed by soft tissue in your lungs and brain and can cause long-term health problems.

Does this mean that if you have mercury amalgam fillings you are assured of suffering from long-term health neurological problems? Of course not. Just like sitting on an airplane with a group of ill individuals doesn’t guarantee you’ll be stricken with the same illness. However, it does greatly increase the odds that you could suffer from problems down the road.

If you have dental mercury amalgam fillings, you have two options: keep them and ignore the potential problems or remove them and remove yourself from the situation. The choice is yours… the evidence can speak for itself.

***************

The information used in this post was retrieved from research conducted by Drs. David W. Eggleston, D.D.S.,* and Magnus Nylander, D.D.S.** and reported in Correlation of dental amalgam with mercury in brain tissue, presented at the Academy of Denture Prosthetics, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Complete research can be found at http://www.nvbt.nl/hot-metalen4.html

* David W. Eggleston, D.D.S., Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Restorative Dentistry, University of Southern California, School of Dentistry.
** Magnus Nylander, D.D.S., Ph.D. candidate, Karolinska Institute.

Mercury Toxicity – Poisoned by amalgam fillings: KJ’s Story

Many people still believe that dental amalgam fillings do not cause any harm, despite the indisputable fact that amalgam filling are comprised of over 50% mercury. Mercury is a known neuro-toxin that can cause considerable neuro damage.

This is the story of KJ. He became gravely ill just 3 days after having mercury fillings placed. Despite numerous doctors telling KJ’s mother that the illnesses were not caused by the fillings, she persisted until they finally conducted a forced urine test. The conclusion? Just watch the video…

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