A Victory for Health -- FDA Forced to Admit That Mercury Fillings are Hazardous

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Dr. Mercola
June 26 2008

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A Victory for Health -- FDA Forced to Admit That Mercury Fillings are Hazardous

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally admitted that metal dental fillings containing mercury can cause health problems in pregnant women, children and fetuses.

As part of the settlement of a lawsuit filed by several consumer advocacy groups, the FDA agreed to alert consumers about the potential risks on its Web site and to issue a more specific rule next year for fillings that contain mercury.

The FDA’s Web site now states that: "Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses."

Charles Brown, a lawyer for advocacy group Consumers for Dental Choice, said the agency‘s move represented an about-face. According to Brown, “Gone, gone, gone are all of FDA‘s claims that no science exists that amalgam is unsafe … The impact of the re-writing of its position on amalgam can hardly be understated. FDA‘s website will no longer be cited by the American Dental Association in public hearings.”

Sources:

eMax Health

Reuters June 4, 2008

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

This is indeed an authentic health victory.

Finally, the FDA has owned up to the fact that permanently installing a toxic substance like mercury inside of your mouth is not such a good idea, at least for those most at risk:

Pregnant and nursing women
Children
Fetuses
People with already high levels of mercury bioburden
Those who are sensitive to mercury exposure

Dental amalgam fillings -- which are made from about 50 percent mercury and the rest an amalgam of silver, tin, copper, zinc and other metals -- have been used for more than 150 years, in an estimated 100 million fillings each year in the United States alone.

I don’t know how it’s gone on that long.

Mercury is a potent toxin that can damage your brain, central nervous system and kidneys. Children and fetuses, whose brains are still developing, are most at risk, but really anyone can be impacted. I find it quite ironic, not to mention unsettling, that the metallic mercury used by dentists to manufacture dental amalgam is shipped as a hazardous material to the dental office. Any amalgam leftover is also treated as hazardous and requires special precautions to dispose of.

Yet, most dentists will readily implant this hazardous material directly into your mouth, with assurances that it’s perfectly safe and harmless.

Now, at least the FDA has admitted the obvious: mercury fillings are dangerous.

As Usual, the American Dental Association Stands Its Ground

When asked whether silver mercury fillings are safe, the American Dental Association (ADA) states on its Web site:

“Yes. Dental amalgam has been used in tooth restorations worldwide for more than 100 years. Studies have failed to find any link between amalgam restorations and any medical disorder. Amalgam continues to be a safe restorative material for dental patients.”

So clearly they are not ready to admit they’re wrong. The economic consequences of all those lawsuits would devastate the profession. If they ever decided to agree with the new research and become more open-minded, my guess is that they would have to be bailed out by the U.S. Congress, which would shift the financial burden to the U.S. taxpayer, NOT the ADA.

They maintain that mercury fillings are “highly resistant to wear,” but what they don’t tell you is that when amalgam fillings are placed in teeth or removed from teeth, they release mercury vapor. More importantly, every time you chew food or brush your teeth, these fillings also release toxic mercury vapor.

Just How Much Mercury Do These Fillings Release?

Remember, any kind of stimulation can cause these fillings to release mercury. Eating, drinking, brushing your teeth, grinding your teeth, chewing gum, anything. If you want to see the vapors released for yourself, watch this shocking video.

Mercury vapor from the amalgams passes readily through cell membranes, across the blood-brain barrier, and into your central nervous system, where it causes psychological, neurological, and immunological problems.

For an interesting comparison, consider that scientists recently made a wise warning about eating mercury-contaminated seafood. Well, eating such seafood will expose you to about 2.3 micrograms of mercury a day. A single dental amalgam filling, meanwhile, releases as much as 15 micrograms of mercury per day.

But that’s not all. The average person has eight amalgam fillings and could absorb up to 120 micrograms of mercury per day. Clearly this is cause for urgent action to be taken. I was NO different. I had 16 fillings by the time I was in college.

What to Do if You Have Mercury Fillings

I do not believe that pregnant women and children are the only ones who need to worry about the mercury in silver dental fillings. I highly suggest that if you need to get a filling, you see a biological dentist who can recommend a truly inert material that will not harm your health.

I also recommend that you have any existing amalgam fillings removed … but avoid making the mistake I did 20 years ago by having it done by a non-biological dentist. You see, when you have these fillings removed you can be exposed to significant amounts of mercury vapors if the dentist doesn’t know what he or she is doing.

Although they may be more than technically competent and one of the most skilled dentists the earth has ever seen, if they haven’t received training in how to remove mercury safely let me strongly assure you they will harm you.

My mercury exposure from having this done improperly nearly caused me to lose both my kidneys and go on dialysis. Fortunately, I have access to some of the best medical minds on the planet and I was able to have the problem reversed.

For this reason, I suggest you get healthy BEFORE having your fillings removed, as you want your detoxification mechanisms optimized prior to removal.

Once you’re ready to go ahead with it, I’d say only about 5 percent of dentists know how to remove these fillings safely, so do your research and seek out a highly qualified biological dentist. Some things that need to be done to keep you (and your dentist) safe during the procedure include:

Providing you with an alternative air source and instructing you not to breath through your mouth
Using a cold-water spray to minimize mercury vapors
Putting a rubber dam in your mouth so you don’t swallow or inhale any toxins
Using a high-volume evacuator near the tooth at all times to evacuate the mercury vapor
Washing your mouth out immediately after the fillings have been removed (the dentist should also change gloves after the removal)
Immediately cleaning your protective wear and face once the fillings are removed
Using room air purifiers

Meanwhile, if you’re concerned about the mercury burden in your body, I highly recommend reviewing my Mercury Detoxification Protocol, which details the things you can do right now to help detoxify your body of this toxic substance.

Related Links:

Are "Silver" Dental Fillings Safe?

Is Toxic Mercury Exposure Ruining Your Life?

Mercury Toxicity and Systemic Elimination Agents

Community Comments (64)

Posted On Jun 09, 2008

Great to see that progress is being made here as the burden of heavy metal in the body is very dear to me. But I will tell you that running to the dentist, even a qualified biological dentist, to have your fillings removed is definitely NOT the answer right away as I have seen some very serious causal related health problems like MS, ALS, severe dizziness, tinnitus(really any neurological disorder) when patients have took it upon themselves to have their mercury fillings removed without a toxicity exam to determine the current burden in the body. I will explain. I used to think that running to the dentist was a logical first step but there is a much better & safer way. Most people already have high levels of mercury in various body (esp. neuro) tissues to begin with. The real problem is the Lifetime accumulation IN the tissues from the teeth and not in the teeth themselves. If levels are high to begin with and you add in the vapor exposure from the removal process, even if done correctly...this becomes a recipe for disaster which can easily cause severe & resistant health conditions. The sickest people I have ever seen were these cases. I believe in working with biological dentists that will address the fillings once we get the mercury levels low enough in the tissues so as to not cause any problems from the removal process...much smoother & safer this way. I'm not convinced yet that everyone needs to have their fillings removed since it's the lifetime exposure that is the real issue. I've seen a lot of patients that had their health restored once the accumulated metals were removed and they still have their fillings in place & do great on a simple maintenence dose to keep the tissues clean. Very cost effective this way too which everybody loves!

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NutritionalHealingCenters

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Posted On Jun 09, 2008

One more thing. When one visits a biological dentist I feel it is a Must that they are trained and very capable of biocompatibility testing of all restorative materials they use (preferably by means of kinesiology or muscle response testing). It seems that the acrylics will often test best biologically for the body based on what I've learned from some biological dentists who do this work. The Composites (aka white fillings) that everyone seems to think is a safer option are not really at all safer in my opinion as I've learned that composites are often made up of Aluminum and Bisphenol-A (a known hormone disruptor) among other mixed resins. I predict Aluminum toxicity will be on the rise in the future as a result of composites but it's probably too soon to know for sure.

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DrJon

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Posted On Jun 09, 2008

This makes a ton of sense! Thanks for another information packed post NHC about your work with metal toxicity.

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KAC

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Posted On Jun 26, 2008

I was in a dentist office asking about the restorative materials used for filling the tooth since I was familiar with biocompatibility testing. He literally threw me out of his office. So beware...later he told me that he wasn't familiar with biocompatibility testing and wanted to know more about it.

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ellie phillips

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Posted On Jun 26, 2008

The biggest problem for silver fillings is the chemistry of your mouth.

If you have an acidic mouth (if you drink acidic drinks or have an acidic saliva) your fillings will release more mercury and be more likley to break down and release mercury.

Check your mouth acidity with pH testing paper and also check the acidity of liquids you drink. Acidity is one factor but also note that silver fillings will release mercury when in contact with hydrogen peroxide- so beware if you rinse your mouth with peroxide or use whitening agents.

Before you remove any fillings - rid your mouth of the bacteria of dental disease - the bacterial infection that build plaque and leads to cavities. This infection does not go away just because fillings are changed. White fillings attract more bacteria and plaque. Check out xylitol or at least read more about it.

Also do not forget white fillings have generally a seven year life span are not themselves totally harmless and some may release Bisphemol-A - another important concern(mentioned in another blog comment. I agree with some others here - that taking out fillings is certainly NOT something to rush and do - clean your mouth ( from a bacterial standpoint), make sure you have a good oral care routine and consider what you are going to replace them with. With good mouth chemistry fillings will last much longer and possibly a lifetime.

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weety

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Posted On Jun 26, 2008

How do you go about lowering the levels of mercury in the body tissues (esp. neuro) with amalgams still in place, to a safe level! I have 17 amalgams, and I am suffering from Tinnitus + EHS.

I am confused, people say don't chelate whilst amalgams are still in and you say you can! How do you safely chelate mercury from your body with amalgams still in the mouth without pulling more mercury from the teeth?

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grrrlgenius

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Posted On Jul 02, 2008

KAC- I can't believe you went back? Were you hurt when he threw you? ;)

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Posted On Jun 09, 2008

I had 4 old mercury fillings replaced by a regular dentist because they were 30 yrs old while I was pregnant..I asked the dentist if it was ok because I was 17 weeks pregnant..He said it would be more dangerous NOT to do it...

Found out that my son at 19 weeks gestation had a displastic kidney that was later absorbed by the body...when I asked the maternal fetal specialist what causes such birth defects the doctor stated that it's the most common birth anomally...most people walk around with only one functioning kidney and don't ever find out...

when pressed, she told that it comes from metal poisoning, specifically Mercury...And I still remember her jokingly asking me.."you didn't chomp down on a mercury thermometer did you??"....I said, NO...not thinking about the fillings...and she never even asked me about the amount of amalgams in my mouth or getting fillings replaced....

It wasn't until years later that I put two and two together!!!!

They now say that 1 in 10 women has enough mercury in her mouth to cause her fetus a problem.....The ADA was the last agency in the world to admit that mercury in amalgams is bad....did they ever come right out like the FDA and actually admit it though????

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Charisse

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NutritionalHealingCenters

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Posted On Jun 09, 2008

Although I'm sorry to hear that your son was affected, great job on putting the amalgam - dysplatic kidney correlation together. I have seen this all too often. Unfortunately this is also exactly how autism or cerebral palsy can manifest itself among other so called birth defects. Unfortunately I have learned a long time ago that regular conventional dentists simply don't respect the dangers of mercury enough in order to learn and provide the necessary precautions to protect the patient, themselves, and their own staff from the tremendous vapor exposure that often occurs during the process.

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Posted On Jun 09, 2008

It's a good start. Though millions of people already and still have the silver fillings. Fortunately, my dentist didn't use it on me.

The FDA always knew mercury was harmful. It really doesn't take a genius to know it's one of the most toxic substances on the planet. If someone shattered a thermometer and its mercury leaked, the whole building would have to be evacuated.

So...vaccines. We know mercury in any form is highly poisonous. Why is it, I wonder, that the pharmaceutical industry's mercury is "not harmful"? The FDA banned the use of mercury in antibiotics and animal products, but it's perfectly fine to inject it into children and pregnant women on scheduled basis? It doesn't matter whether ethylmercury thimerosal hurts children/causes autism or not, mercury should never be injected into a person, let alone children and pregnant women.

No. The drug makers do not have the right to say they're off the hook, given that vaccines also has dozens of harmful chemicals and toxic metals.

Autism. How many times do we hear of children losing their minds after getting their shots? All these cases from a born healthy child cannot be all coincidental.

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All Under Heaven

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Posted On Jun 26, 2008

It's high time the FDA stopped lying to the public, and frankly, it's disgusting that they have spend so many years deliberately and knowingly deceiving people. Bear in mind that they would never have told the truth, without the court ordering them to. The evidence about mercury fillings poisoning people has been well established for more than 20 years. Most civilized countries outlawed them years ago. (One caution for those thinking of replacing them with acrylic composites --- the plastics used in composites are also toxic. They mimic estrogen and cause hormonal imbalance in the body.) So jumping on the composite bandwagon is not always the best policy. Some people are actually waiting for their mercury fillings to drop out, and not replacing them at all. Teeth do sometimes heal, given an opportunity... they can even heal over from the damage dentists do to them, if they're not stuffed with mercury, composites and other toxic junk.

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Nils

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Posted On Jun 09, 2008

This is very good news. I hope this also helps the case against vaccines. As for my fillings, I have been told that it may be more dangerous to remove them, unless the dentist has special training for doing so . Once I finish school, I will be on the look out for the right dentist. I can't wait to get these things out!!!

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seg

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Posted On Jun 09, 2008

Copy and pasted from my Biological dentist website ,hope this helps:

There are a series of steps and precautions that must be followed in order to minimize mercury exposure to the patient, dentist, and dental assistant. We will review these aspects with you in detail during the consultation process.

1. Keep the fillings cool.
Mercury amalgam removal must be conducted under a continuous and capacious quantity of cold water spray.

2. Provide an alternative air source.
All patients having mercuryamalgam removal procedures are given an alternative air source and instructed not to breathe through their mouth during treatment. A nasal hood with oxygen is used throughout the mercury amalgam removal procedure.

3. Section off that portion of the mouth.
A rubber dam is always used during the mercury amalgam removal procedure to prevent inhalation or ingestion of mercury particulate (pieces that are larger than vapour).

4. Use a high volume evacuator.
Once the removal process has started, mercury vapour and particulate will be continuously released from the tooth during the removal procedure. A high volume evacuator (suction) tip is kept near the tooth at all times during the removal procedure to evacuate any vapour and particulate from the area. Particles of mercury alloy are washed and vacuumed away as soon as they are generated.

5. Keep the treatment room air pure and flowing.
We have air purifiers, ionizers and ceiling suction fans for everyone's well being. The rooms have been built with amalgam removal procedures in mind, and there is a high turnover of airflow in each treatment room at all times.

Further detoxification is best done in conjunction with your health care provider.

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Rurouni Kenshin

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Posted On Jun 10, 2008

Vitamin C IV also is part of the Huggins Protocol I believe.

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kimkc

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Posted On Jun 26, 2008

I had 4 very old, amalgam fillings removed over 18 months recently by a dentist who followed similar procedures as listed. I couldn't believe the difference after one of the fillings was removed...I don't have peripheral vision distortion when driving a car like I have had since I started driving as a teenager. Birds, branches waving, people's activity in a busy town, etc. don't bother me now after just one of my fillings was removed. The change happened within a week as it was very noticeable. Besides the visual issues, I also had sound modulation problems growing up especially in early elementary school after kindergarten and 1st grade immunization. I now know that these ADD issues were dental fillings and immunization problems which also caused my ear infections, tonsillitis, thrush on my tongue and many other immune system problems immediately after immunizations. I did well in school, sports and socially so no one would have been concerned that I had problems focusing and thatI had to work extra hard to succeed. I have a 5 year-old now labeled "Asperger" daughter that is recovering from late on-set regressive autism. I have been trying to educate others about immunizations, diet, mercury fillings, and send Dr. Mercola's links constantly to people. Those that have seen my daughter's and other children's huge improvements are slowly coming on-board including the school district but we have lots of work to do to get more people educated on the environmental dangers ruining health and well-being.

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mitmesswcd

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Posted On Jun 29, 2008

I have some mercury fillings left-some removed, not safely. For the past several months I have been drinking Kombuchu tea after I read that it helps to detox heavy metals. I only drink about 5 oz. per day, but I will up that to 24ozs so as to detox and continue to detox the mercury that is released daily.

I do have one gold crown, so as not to have the white filling put in.

clara

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