Is Mercury safe in Fillings?

[Ganoderma]

I was always told not so by non scientific folks. an the dentists i went to in the last 10 years all opted not to do them, didnt say why though.

 

so I am wondering if there is danger or not from someone who knows....the FDA declared them safe....but they are not very trust inspiring with all the nasty things they have in their history....

 

FDA Declares Mercury Amalgam Fillings Safe for All by Mike Adams the Health Ranger

 

any thoughts (i am aware of this articles extreme bias, but thats not in question here)

[freeztar]

I was always told not so by non scientific folks. an the dentists i went to in the last 10 years all opted not to do them, didnt say why though.

 

so I am wondering if there is danger or not from someone who knows....the FDA declared them safe....but they are not very trust inspiring with all the nasty things they have in their history....

 

FDA Declares Mercury Amalgam Fillings Safe for All by Mike Adams the Health Ranger

 

any thoughts (i am aware of this articles extreme bias, but thats not in question here)

 

I went to one dentist who recommended the mercury. I asked about the dangers and he explained the basic chemistry of compounds, the mercury is bonded. That was good enough for me.

 

I switched dentists after a couple years and my new dentist asked if I would like to get my mercury fillings removed. "Why?", I asked. Well, the mercury is bad for you. "But isn't it a stable compound?", I asked. Yes, but it can break down in the body and studies have shown that mercury fillings are not good.

 

I opted to keep them.

 

Mercury is a component of the amalgam used for "silver" fillings. The other major ingredients are silver, tin, copper, and zinc. When mixed, these elements bond to form a strong, stable substance. The difference between bound and unbound chemicals can be illustrated by a simple analogy. Elemental hydrogen is an explosive gas. Elemental oxygen is a gas that supports combustion. When combined, however, they form water, which has neither of these effects. Amalgam's ingredients are tightly bonded to each other. Although the types of chemical bonds in water and amalgam differ, saying that amalgam will poison you is just as wrong as saying that drinking water will make you explode and burst into flames.

 

Very sensitive instruments can detect billionths of a gram of mercury vapor in the mouth of a person with amalgam fillings. However, the minuscule amount of mercury the body absorbs from amalgams is far below the level that exerts any adverse health effect [1-6]. One study found that people with symptoms they related to amalgam fillings did not have significant mercury levels. The study compared ten symptomatic patients and eight patients with no reported health complaints. The symptom group had neither a higher estimated daily uptake of inhaled mercury vapor, nor a higher mercury concentration in blood and urine than in the control group. The amounts of mercury detected by the tests were trivial [6]. Some studies have shown that the problems patients attribute to amalgam restorations are psychosomatic in nature and have been exacerbated greatly by information from the media or from a dentist [7-11]

 

An extensive review published in 1993 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services concluded that "there is scant evidence that the health of the vast majority of people with amalgam is compromised or that removing fillings has a beneficial effect on health." [12] In January 1998, the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs issued a report on dental amalgam safety, with emphasis on studies that had been published since the 1993 review. The report concluded:

 

Millions of people have amalgam restorations in their mouths, and millions more will receive amalgam for restoring their carious [decayed] teeth. Over the years, amalgam has been used for dental restorations without evidence of major health problems. Newly developed techniques have demonstrated that minute levels of mercury are released from amalgam restorations, but no health consequences from exposure to such low levels of mercury released from amalgam restorations have been demonstrated. Given the available scientific information and considering the demonstrated benefits of dental amalgams, unless new scientific research dictates otherwise, there currently appears to be no justification for discontinuing the use of dental amalgam [13].

The "Mercury Toxicity" Scam:: How Anti-Amalgamists Swindle People

[UncleAl]

*Properly compounded* mercury amalgam fillings are safe - and preferred over composites for chewing surfaces. However, minor formulation and compounding excursions can give an amalgam that slightyly swells over time - a decade - and cracks the tooth. Fluoridation of water has made the incidence of dental caries so small that it makes no difference what goes in. There is no justifcation short of idiosyncratic allergic response for drilling out competent amalgam fillings.

 

It is vastly amusing that the fluoridation "debate" ("a foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual, and certainly without any choice.)" has been resolved. Bottled water is not fluoridated (1 ppm fluoride). Juvenile caries have returned.