By Dr. Mercola
For the sixth year in a row, we now celebrate Mercury-Free Dentistry
Week. With us again is Charlie Brown, president of Consumers for
Dental Choice and former attorney general for West Virginia.
As in previous years, we will match your donations to Consumers for
Dental Choice, dollar for dollar up to $100,000, between now and August
28, 2016. I do this because eliminating dental mercury is such an
important effort for both human and environmental health.
Nearly 20 years ago, Brown committed his life to this advocacy to help
improve the lives of millions of people, and your generous donations are
what allows him to continue.
"Certainly things took off after you ][Dr. Mercola] really
dug in to start helping us six years ago. I really appreciate that," Brown says. "About 20 years ago … only 3 percent of dentists would even admit to be mercury-free.
A mercury triangle ruled; the triangle being the [U.S.] Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) … the American Dental Association (ADA) and
the state dental boards.
The state dental boards ordered silence on behalf of dentists.
Dentists who spoke up — and there were many courageous dentists — were
at risk, and several of them did lose their dental licenses. My work
[began by] representing those [dentists]."
Conspiracy of Silence
As explained by Brown, the conspiracy of silence was necessary because
no one would want amalgams in their mouth if they understood that half
of it was toxic mercury.
To "white-wash" the truth, they called it "silver fillings,"
misleadingly based on the color rather than the composition of the
material, which is 50 percent mercury.
In reality, amalgam
is a primitive pre-Civil War pollutant that cracks your teeth and
leaches toxic heavy metal vapors into your tissues. Its only advantage
is that the dentist can make more money per chair per day, as people
with amalgams end up needing more frequent restoration work.
Amalgam is also easy for the less competent dentists, as illustrated
by a dental association president's public admission at a meeting on
amalgam before federal and state government officials and dental school
deans to which Charlie was invited:
"As a dental association president told me, amalgam is
'forgiving,' meaning, [the pro-mercury dentists] can do a terrible job
and still finish the day and get the patient out of the chair, out of
the office, and charge them," Brown says.
Meanwhile, it has no advantages for the patient. Not even in terms of
cost. Composite materials are only about 20 percent more expensive than
amalgam, and on small cavities, there's no difference in price. Some
materials, such as ionomers, are actually less expensive than amalgam.
"Twenty years ago, composites weren't very good. Today they are much
better than amalgam. Technologically, amalgam is now terrible compared
to the alternatives. It's not tooth friendly. You remove good tooth
matter. Obviously you put in toxin.
The alternatives have it all over amalgam. What keeps amalgam in place is the inaction of the FDA," Brown says.
Are Composite Materials Safe?
Some health advocates have raised concerns about composites as well,
noting that some may leach bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates and other
plastic chemicals. According to Brown, not all composites will contain
BPA, and even those that do are likely far safer than amalgam.
"It's not really BPA," he says. "It can combine to produce
BPA once it is outgassed. [But] the outgassing is not the same as having
BPA inside your plastic food [container]. It's not in there."
According to Brown, some composites may contain a precursor to BPA,
which can enter the environment just like dental mercury, but European
scientists have concluded that — unlike the mercury in amalgam — the
amount of environmental pollution is very small and does not pose an
environmental problem.
As for health risks, there are risks anytime you place anything in your
mouth or body, but mercury is the most vaporous of the heavy metals.
Meaning, it vaporizes easily and can enter your brain. It's also one of
the most toxic of the heavy metals.
"It is the only metal [whose man-made uses are] condemned [by] a
treaty … the Minamata Convention on Mercury. That's the game-changer.
That's the death [knell] now for mercury fillings," Brown says.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury Was a Game Changer
The Minamata Convention on Mercury was negotiated by well over 100
nations from every continent under the coordination of the United
Nations Environmental Program (UNEP).
The World Health Organization (WHO) also agrees the treaty needs to
be globally implemented and has reviewed the international guidance on
amalgam produced by UNEP.
Consumers for Dental Choice was instrumental in getting dental
amalgam included in this treaty. The Minamata Convention focused on
environmental mercury pollution.
In recognition of that, Brown assembled a grand coalition of
talented environmental, consumer and dental leaders worldwide; ensured
they were present at every plenary and regional session, and effectively
made the case for including a road map for mercury-free dentistry.
We helped subsidize Brown's travel expenses during that five-year
process, as meetings were held all over the world. Your donations also
helped in this critical endeavor.
"It was so important, because we needed to be at [all the meetings].
The governments did not expect amalgam to be in the treaty. They told
me that afterward.
They [the governments] just thought it was too high a climb for us
with the World Dental Federation — the American, British, Canadian,
European and Australian Dental Associations — telling their delegates,
'Don't do this.' [But] we outpointed them.
They [the pro-mercury faction of dentists] brought in these white
guys from Europe and North America to talk down to the rest of the
people in the world. We brought in a team from all over the world —
women and men of all colors and races
… Basically, we brought everybody. We brought dentists,
environmentalists, consumer advocates and professors. The World Dental
Federation, which had been used to simply talking down to people and
saying, 'We're dentists … We like amalgam' — their position has been
rejected unilaterally."
Please Continue Supporting Consumers for Dental Choice
Getting dental mercury into the Minamata Convention is a great
illustration of what can be done when you have committed, dedicated
advocates, like Consumers for Dental Choice, who are able to
strategically maneuver through the bureaucratic morass. Consumers for
Dental Choice is by far one of the best, most organized grassroots
advocates out there. All of this work was done with about $1
million-worth of donations over five years. It's rare to get that kind
of "payout" when donating to a cause.
One million dollars is a relatively small amount when you consider
that being included in this treaty provides potent leverage to finally
get this toxin out of dentistry, so your children and grandchildren can
grow up without mercury poisoning their mouths.
Many talented men and women have dedicated themselves to this cause,
joining Consumers for Dental Choice in their efforts around the world.
These include Shahriar Hossain in Bangladesh, Dominique Bally in Côte d'Ivoire, Maria Carcamo in Uruguay, Marie Grosman in France and Michael Bender from Vermont.
"These people have made huge commitments as a talented team, top
to bottom. They are environmental leaders. They are journalists,
dentists, lawyers and physicians [such as]-Dr. Mark Mitchell in
Connecticut, who have said, 'We're going to work together. We're going
to phase out amalgam,' and we're working with Mercola.com. The momentum
is just tremendous."
At this point, it's becoming increasingly important for patients and
parents to just say NO to amalgam, and to demand mercury-free dentistry.
Do not let your dentist talk you out of it. Don't let the insurance
company deny your claim. If you're on Medicaid, stand firm and demand
mercury-free dentistry.
""Consumers in North America must assert ourselves to the
dentist, to the corporate interest, the insurance companies, and say,
'Not for me. Not for my child. No amalgam,'" Brown says.
Minamata Update
The Minamata Convention
was signed in late 2013 by well over 100 nations. Consumers for Dental
Choice did not wait; it hit the track running to implement the amalgam
provision of the treaty, pointing out to the 100-plus nations signing
it: "If you signed it, you should be ready to obey it."
The next legal step is ratification. So far, 30 nations have
ratified the treaty, including the U.S. We need 50 to make it legally
binding. Brown is confident another 20 or more nations will sign the
treaty. If the European Union (EU) signs on, which they're expected to
do in early 2017, they'll get up to 28 countries in one fell swoop.
"When the EU approves it, the members will jump in. We'll jump from
30 to 50 very fast. We'll get there. Next year, we will start
implementing," Brown says. "One of the advantages of the way
toxin treaties are done is that it's done by consensus. The disadvantage
is the language gets dumbed down, if you will, to make sure everybody
agrees. You keep weakening it. The advantage is everybody's onboard …
No country has said, 'We don't want this treaty' … I'm happy to
say the African countries, after the seventh and final meeting of the
negotiation session, passed a resolution [of priorities]. [The] No. 1
priority was mercury in gold mines … … No. 2 was mercury amalgam. They
want mercury-free dentistry."
African civil society has passed the Abuja Declaration for
Mercury-Free Dentistry for Africa (named after the capital of Nigeria).
Asia is equally serious. Asian civil societies and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) have passed the Dhaka (Bangladesh) Declaration for
Mercury-Free Dentistry for Asia.
"I have been to several countries on both of those continents and I
see serious action, probably a lot more focused attention than in our
government or the Canadian government," Brown says. "That's because, I think, [those] people are more affected by toxins … [and] there's less bureaucracy."
Demand Your Choice
Today, about 50 percent of dentists offer mercury-free dentistry, up
from 3 percent two decades ago. To accelerate change, Consumers for
Dental Choice is now focusing its attention on insurance companies. The
theme for this year's Mercury-Free Dentistry Week is to "demand your
choice." Demand mercury-free dentistry from your dentist and from your
insurance company. If they refuse, switch dentists; switch insurance.
At present, many insurance companies, including Delta Dental and
Aetna, will typically only pay for amalgam in your back teeth,
according to Brown — even though composite, not amalgam, has become the
standard and mainstream filling material in North America today. Since
mercury-free dentists will not give you an amalgam filling, the
insurance company profits, because it is you, not it, who must dig into
your pocket to pay the bill.
"They sell an artificially low-price policy to get you in," Brown says.
"That's a bait and switch. It's time to hold Delta accountable. It's
time to hold Aetna and all these guys — Equitable, Humana, all of them —
accountable. Our campaign right now is to demand your choice …
Challenge yourinsurance company; demand your claim be
paid, and work with your mercury-free dentist to do that. We have the
paperwork if you push the 'Demand Your Choice' button … We can change
this from the grassroots up. We're not going to wait on the FDA. Hell
will freeze over first. We're going to simply change the market."
More People Becoming Aware That Amalgam Is Mercury
The conspiracy of silence kept consumer knowledge at bay for a long
time. Fortunately, Zogby polls show the number of people who know
amalgam is mercury has doubled in the last eight years. And once they
know it, they don't want it.
"We want to embolden everybody. Stand up. Demand your choice. Demand
mercury-free dentistry no matter where that dentist is doing it. The
smarter choice is don't even go to a dentist that uses mercury. Go
straight to a mercury-free dentist," Brown says.
Make no mistake about it, we're making a difference. With your help and
support, we can eliminate dental mercury and end this needless poisoning
and environmental destruction. It's time to stop putting a neurotoxin
in the mouth of young children.
Unfortunately, we'll still be left with the dilemma of treating those
who have mercury dental amalgams in their mouths. I'm a classic example
myself. My parents were well-intentioned, but I had no idea what healthy
food was until much later in life, and about half of my teeth had
mercury filings by the time I was in college.
My first exposure to the truth was a 60-Minutes segment with Mike
Wallace in the early 1990s. I decided to have my fillings removed, but
few dentists understood the dangers of removing amalgams in the mid-90s.
I saw a good dentist, but because he didn't follow safety protocols, I
ended up absorbing a large amount of mercury during the removal process.
The toxic load subsequently caused kidney damage. It took a long time,
but I've been able to resolve that with a low-protein, high-fat diet.
Many others are not so lucky and end up struggling with long-term health
problems when amalgams are removed incorrectly. Below, you'll find more
resources to help you find a dentist qualified to safely remove dental
mercury.
Mercury-Free Dentistry Convention
There are three organizations for mercury-free dentists in the U.S.:
International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine (IABDM)
International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology(IAOMT)
Holistic Dental Association
For the first time ever, members of all three of these organizations will meet together for a biological dentistry convention
in Reno, Nevada, on September 9 and 10, 2016. If you're a dentist, I
strongly recommend attending as I will be presenting the keynote speech
there. This is a chance for dentists to discuss and learn about
mercury-free dentistry and the Consumers for Dental Choice campaign.
Brown and I will both speak at this conference.
Fight for a Mercury-Free Environment
Even if you've already made the switch to mercury-free dentistry, please
continue supporting Consumers for Dental Choice, as we still need to
convince the other 50 percent of dentists (and insurance companies) to
eliminate mercury. We also still have the problem of mercury pollution,
and dental mercury is a primary source. It must end.
"As the European health environment scientists' committee [known as
SCHER] said, 'Amalgam is a secondary poison. It is getting into the fish
the children then eat.' All of us have to work to end amalgam use for
everybody. It's not just in the interest of other people. It's [in our
own interest] that we not [consume] mercury in our vegetables or mercury
in our fish," Brown says.
Amalgam is the No. 1 use of mercury, by far, compared to any other
use of mercury, in the U.S., in Canada and in Europe. Tens of thousands
of dentists have seen the light and vowed never to put mercury in
anyone's mouth ever again. It's high time the rest follow. It's an
outrage that so many dentists still continue its use. And it's a
travesty that dental mercury has been allowed to decimate one of the
healthiest foods on the planet, which is seafood.
Larger fish now have such high levels of mercury; they're no longer
safe to eat on a regular basis. The omega-3 fat DHA, specifically, is a
magnificent nutrient for your brain and your tissues, but it's now
poisoned with mercury. Mercury contamination really limits your ability
to stay healthy.
"It's time for all of us to get in this game together," Brown says. "Don't go to a dentist who uses mercury fillings. Even if they don't use it on you,
they are polluting the environment. They are harming the potential
child. No child should ever have mercury in their mouths, whether
they're in Canada or Kenya, whether they're in India or Indiana. We
simply should not [give] mercury fillings to any child."
Take Action: Support Consumers for Dental Choice
We support several other non-profit organizations and Consumers for
Dental Choice is probably one of the most frugal, making funds stretch
as far as they can possibly be stretched. This man will walk for miles
rather than taking a taxi. Brown travels on an incredibly tight budget,
yet he's highly effective.
From my perspective, it's a privilege to support such an impactful
organization. Ultimately, when we're on our deathbed, the main question
will be, "What did you do with your life?" You have to leverage
yourself and align with organizations like Consumers for Dental Choice
in order to really make a difference. Remember, until August 28, 2016, I
will also match your donation dollar for dollar, up to $100,000. So
please, consider Consumers for Dental Choice as part of your
philanthropic efforts.
If you're not in a position to make a donation, remember you can still
make a difference by contacting your insurance company and making sure
they cover mercury-free dentistry on ALL your teeth. Also be sure to
share this information with your family, friends and social networks.
Spread the word. We definitely need your help in creating awareness.
Help create a demand for mercury-free dentistry.
And vote with your pocketbook by restricting your choices of
dentists to mercury-free dentists. Last but not least, I want to
personally thank Charlie Brown for all his past, current and future
efforts in making such a major difference in changing the lives of so
many!
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