Could your fillings be causing your health problems?

Amalgam fillings have been widely used in this country for 160 years, and there is written evidence to suggest that they may have been used in China as much as 1,300 years ago.  Many people have these fillings, but many of them are not aware that mercury is the primary metal used to in the alloy that makes up these fillings. There is in fact, an entire ‘whole-istic’ discipline of dentistry dedicated to the removal of mercury fillings.

Dental patient Amy Forseter told reporters, “I was trying to avoid mercury when I was pregnant and nursing. I knew all the fish not to eat, but I had no idea it could be in my mouth.”  She said she has had more than a dozen cavities filled with amalgam fillings, but was never told what was in them.  She goes on, “As soon as I learned that I had these toxins in my mouth, I wanted to immediately get it removed.”

Almost since they were introduced in the US in 1844, dentists have been at odds over the use of mercury in dentistry due to the possibility of mercury leaking from the fillings.  Anytime someone with mercury fillings eats or brushes their teeth, a minute amount of the mercury is released and absorbed by the lungs and the digestive tract.

Most people are able to detox the mercury from the body as quickly as it is absorbed and will be largely unaffected by the fillings.  Others, however, including pregnant women, small children and those with weakened immune systems, cannot effectively remove the mercury, allowing it to accumulate in the organs and tissue, causing a wide variety of symptoms.

Amalgam fillings are banned in many countries, including Canada, Denmark and Germany, but the FDA maintains that there is not yet enough evidence to warrant stopping their use.

Earlier this year a lawsuit was filed against the FDA by a group including dentists, patients and scientists who say that not enough has been done to address the health risks of amalgam.

The suit also claims that individuals with little or no choice regarding dental care, including those with low incomes, welfare recipients, prison inmates, and those in the military are the most affected by the use of mercury fillings.  Use of mercury is often an economic issue, as amalgam is cheaper than many other options and is the one preferred by insurance companies.

Some individuals choose to have them removed, but the ADA does not recommend this due to the potential for excess mercury to be released and absorbed in the process.

 

To learn more about mercury free dentistry, click here.