Are "Silver" Dental Fillings Safe?

The American Dental Association (ADA) has long maintained that amalgam fillings, are safe.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has a history of siding with industry, also states that they consider “dental amalgam fillings safe for adults and children ages 6 and above".

The FDA places children under 6 , pregnant women and their developing fetuses, in a different category. These are the most vulnerable populations when it comes to exposure to the neurotoxic effects of mercury. The FDA still stopped short of issuing a warning for these groups and instead only suggests those who are concerned should “talk to their dentist.”

Health Canada directed dentists to stop using amalgam fillings in especially vulnerable populations, which they named as; children, pregnant women and people with impaired kidney function. This was done 21 years ago, back in 1996!

In the U.S. and around the globe, the number of mercury-free dentists is growing, but there are still many pro-mercury dentists out there.

In the video that you can watch in the link provided, Charles Brown, executive director of Consumers for Dental Choice and former attorney general for West Virginia, explains the importance of choosing a mercury-free dentist.

Mercury Fillings Raise Levels of Mercury in Your Body:

Researchers from the University of Georgia revealed that amalgam fillings appear to contribute to elevated mercury levels elsewhere in your body. Americans have, on average, three dental fillings each, and 25% of Americans have 11 fillings or more.

The study used data from nearly 15,000 people and found that among those with more than eight fillings, their blood mercury levels were more than double those of people without amalgam fillings.

Many dentists still don’t acknowledge that there is a risk, since they listen to what the ADA and the FDA tells them.

4 in 10 People May Be Especially Vulnerable to Mercury’s Toxic Effects:

It’s not only pregnant women and children who are at risk from mercury exposure. Anyone can potentially be harmed, including the 4 in 10 people with certain genetic variants, which makes them especially vulnerable to long-term, low-level release of mercury from fillings.

Initial results, published in 2006, found a genetic variant CPOX4, appeared to affect susceptibility for specific neurobehavioral functions associated with mercury exposure.

A related study of 330 children with the CPOX4 variant, published in 2012, found that those with mercury fillings, performed significantly worse on annual tests of memory, concentration and other neurological activities compared to children who received mercury-free fillings.

There are at least a dozen common genetic polymorphisms that may worsen the effects of mercury on behavioral process in children, researchers noted. Males appear to be particularly susceptible to the effects, as girls were able to excrete more of the mercury in their urine.

In response to these findings, the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks, advised dentists to consider alternatives to amalgam.

But in the U.S., even though the FDA described the study as “well-conducted,” it said the evidence wasn’t yet strong enough to justify an amalgam ban.

Hair Mercury Concentrations May Reveal Contamination From Mercury Fillings:

A study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology revealed that hair mercury concentrations may be the result of diverse sources of exposure, including dental mercury.

I do order hair analysis for mercury as well as for other toxins and mineral deficiencies for my patients, as part of my Science Based Nutrition practice.

Removing Your Mercury Fillings & Finding a Qualified Biological Dentist:

You can potentially get a lot of mercury into your system when you get amalgam fillings removed. For this reason, it's important to find a qualified biological dentist who is trained in safe amalgam removal.

You can find tips to help you find a biological dentist here.

The Mercury Tri-Test:

Chris Shade, Ph.D., is one of the foremost experts in the world on the subject of heavy metal detoxification. Dr. Shade has developed a patented liquid chromatographic mercury speciation technology that differentiates and identifies the exact source of your mercury, whether it's from your dental amalgams or from eating contaminated seafood, or both.

The test he developed is called the Mercury Tri-Test, because it looks at three different kinds of samples: blood, hair and urine. You always have more mercury in your tissues than in your blood, but there's a steady state or ratio between what's in your blood and what's in your tissues. The Mercury Tri-Test is the only clinical test of its kind. The test costs $350.00.

For More Information on the Mercury Tri-Test

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