Mercury-Free Dentists — Pioneers and Catalysts for 21st Century Health Care from Dr. Mercola
Mercury-Free Dentists — Pioneers and Catalysts for 21st Century Health Care from Dr. Mercola
August 18, 2018
Story at-a-glance
Amalgam, also
called “silver fillings,” is a consumer fraud. By referring to the color
of the compound rather than its content, consumers everywhere have been
tricked into placing a known neurotoxin in their mouths
Because of this
cover-up by organized dentistry, aided and abetted by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration,57 percent of Americans are unaware that amalgam is
a mercury filling; 23 percent believe amalgam is made of silver; and
only 11 percent of people say their dentist ever told them that amalgam
contains mercury
There is no known safe level of exposure for mercury. Ideally, exposure should be zero
By Dr. Mercola
We finish up this, our eighth, Mercury-Free Dentistry Week,
with a documentary by Elizabeth Hong and Daniel Montoya. "Mercury
Undercover" exposes the very real dangers of mercury toxicity, and its
connection to amalgam fillings.
Amalgam, also called "silver fillings," is in fact a massive consumer
fraud. By referring to the color of the compound rather than its
content, consumers everywhere have been tricked into placing a known
neurotoxin in their mouths.
Think about it: If your dentist said, "OK, I'm going to put a large
mercury filling into this molar," you'd probably sit up and say, "Hey
doc, maybe we should talk about this!"
Most people are aware that mercury is hazardous to health, but if
they don't know that amalgam contains mercury, then they cannot object
to it in the first place. And that's exactly how the dental industry and
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) want it.
Most Americans Are Deceived by Inaccurate Term
In a report titled, "Measurably Misleading"1
Consumers for Dental Choice, led by Charlie Brown, former attorney
general of West Virginia, reveals how the FDA and the dental industry
have deceived you about amalgam.
A Zogby poll, commissioned by Consumers for Dental Choice, reveals
that Americans are indeed fooled by the terms "silver fillings" and
"amalgam."
Fifty-seven percent of Americans are unaware that amalgam is a
mercury filling, and 23 percent believe amalgam is made of silver. Also,
a mere 11 percent of people say their dentist ever told them that
amalgam contains mercury.
The FDA is responsible for addressing consumer fraud that occurs in
medicine and health. But when it comes to mercury fillings, the agency
has refused to take corrective action. Not only that, it actually
condones, not condemns, the marketing of amalgam as "silver fillings."
Hence, the deception continues.
Dental Mercury Fuels Chronic Inflammation in Your Body
Indisputable evidence exists that dental amalgams readily release
mercury in the form of vapor when you eat, drink hot liquids, brush your
teeth, or otherwise stimulate your teeth.
As noted in a 2010 scientific review2
on mercury exposure and children's health, there is no known safe level
of exposure for mercury. Ideally, exposure should be zero, so any
dentist insisting that mercury exposure from amalgam is "minimal" or
"inconsequential" is really not acting in an ethical manner.
The mercury vapors released from the amalgam in your teeth readily
pass through your cell membranes, across your blood-brain barrier, and
into your central nervous system. Effects can be psychological,
neurological, and/or immunological.
At above average doses, brain functions such as reaction time,
judgment, and language can be impaired. At very high exposures, mercury
can affect your ability to walk, speak, think, and see clearly.
One 2012 study3
evaluating the effects of mercury on cognition in otherwise healthy
adults found that those with blood mercury levels below 5 µg/L had the
best cognitive functions. Mild impairment was evident at blood mercury
levels of 5 to 15 µg/L and above 15 µg/L, cognition was significantly
impaired.
Mercury is also known to cause kidney damage, which is why it's so
important to have your mercury fillings removed by a properly trained biological dentist. As explained by mercury expert Chris Shade, Ph.D., mercury
can also displace other elements such as zinc and copper, by attaching
to the receptors that would otherwise hold these essential minerals.
Overall, mercury has a very strong ability to dysregulate your entire
system, which is part of the reason why mercury toxicity symptoms are
so difficult to pin down. For example, I've written about one case in
which a woman diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
came to realize she was actually suffering from mercury toxicity. She
recovered after undergoing an appropriate detoxification protocol.
Putting an End to FDA's Concealment of Mercury
For decades, the FDA and American Dental Association (ADA) have
successfully concealed the fact that amalgam is made of 50 percent
mercury, and that there are health risks associated with mercury
fillings. It's time for the truth to be acknowledged.
The Minamata treaty on mercury
, thanks to an aggressive and strategic three-year campaign by Brown
and his team, includes a mandate that every ratifying nation scale down
amalgam use –- and start immediately. The United States ratified the
Minamata Convention, which entered into legal force a year ago this
week, on August 16, 2017.
The FDA's stance on amalgam is in direct violation of the Minamata
Convention, as its amalgam rule advocates more mercury fillings for
Americans, not less! Thus, Consumers for Dental Choice created a petition to FDA, signed onto so far by over 45,000 people.
Why Do Half of All American Dentists Still Use Mercury Amalgam?
When Consumers for Dental Choice was founded, only 3 percent of
dentists were mercury-free. The organization has been instrumental in
catalyzing change in the industry. Today, more than 50 percent of
dentists in America have stopped using mercury filings. Unfortunately,
we seem to have stalled out at around 50 percent of dentists who still
insist on using amalgam.
"We think the pro-mercury dentists have stabilized because they won't learn anything new and the profits are so easy," Brown says.
Indeed, dentists make more money per chair per day when using mercury
fillings. For factory-style dentistry, where the teeth represent dollar
signs instead of part of a human being, dentists drill, fill and bill.
And of course, since amalgam damages tooth structure and cracks
teeth, pro-mercury dentists continue to profit from amalgam long after
its initial placement. The good news is that in virtually every
community in America you can now find a mercury-free dentist, and I urge
you to keep looking until you find one. You can use the seven links at
the bottom of this page to help you find one.
"Never go to a dentist that uses mercury fillings on anybody; on
the welfare child, on the young, on the old, on the black or white, or
the Asian, or on anyone. Do not go to that dentist. Don't give them one
dollar, one euro, one pound, one peso, or one Australian dollar. Go to a
mercury-free dentist; the men and women who only put safe materials in
everyone's mouth," Brown advises.
For Decades, the ADA Forbade Dentists to Reveal Truth About Amalgam
The ADA's longstanding effort to keep consumers uninformed is another
factor that has kept the secret going for so long. The ADA owns two
patents on amalgam: patent numbers 4,018,600 and 4,078,921.
The patents have now expired, but while they were in effect the ADA
went to incredible lengths to wipe out mercury-free dentistry and quash
dissent from the emerging critics of mercury-based dentistry. It went so
far as to adopt a "rule of conduct" that actually prohibited dentists
from discussing mercury with their patients:
"Based on available scientific data, the ADA has determined that
the removal of amalgam restorations from the non-allergic patient for
the alleged purpose of removing toxic substances from the body, when
such treatment is performed solely at the recommendation or suggestion
of the dentist, is improper and unethical."
Yes, the ADA said it is unethical for a dentist to tell the truth to
his patients. This gag rule, enforced by state dental boards, clearly
violated the First Amendment. It was finally undone by Consumers for
Dental Choice, starting in 1998, and by dentists who boldly stepped
forward over the years. Still, the effects linger.
Mercury Has No Place in 21st Century Dentistry
As noted in the Consumers for Dental Choice report "Measurably Misleading"4
a majority of consumers are not given even the most basic information
about amalgam — the fact that it contains mercury. The central deception
revolves around referring to mercury fillings as "silver" or "amalgam."
Still
to this day, many dentists will not use the "M" word, mercury, in
talking to their patients for fear of jeopardizing their license, thanks
to the ADA's rule of conduct (above). For a long while now, mercury has
been dentistry's greatest controversy and its great little secret.
Fortunately, dentists worldwide are now moving toward mercury-free
dentistry. Indeed, it's time for dentists everywhere to "grab the bull
by the horn" and tell their patients that amalgam is about 50 percent
mercury. The word "silver filling" is a deception, and "amalgam" is an
ambiguity.
Both terms need to be replaced with the truthful description of
"mercury filling." Mercury-free dentistry is the future, but to get
there, consumers need to be told the truth, and that means that dentists
need to speak out and make their voices heard in their communities.
Bringing Mercury-Free Dentistry to the US
Working with talented environmental, consumer, and health leaders,
Consumers for Dental Choice has launched mercury amalgam phase-out
campaigns in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America to complement the
North American campaign. The world and American campaigns are
synergistic, each helping feed the other. In the United States, efforts
are also being redoubled, with a focus on forcing the FDA to uphold the
promise made by the nation when it signed the Minamata treaty on mercury
pollution.
It's quite simple really. The United States of America has made a
promise to the international community to immediately begin reducing the
use of amalgam.
Consumers for Dental Choice and its leader Charlie Brown continue
their full-court-press campaign to bring mercury-free dentistry to the
U.S. and worldwide. If you wish to stay informed, I encourage you to
follow them on Facebook. You can also receive their announcements by joining their mailing list at ToxicTeeth.org.
Three Ways You Can Help the Campaign for Mercury-Free Dentistry
This is the week we can get Consumers for Dental Choice the funding
it deserves to achieve these aims. I have found few NGOs as effective,
and none as efficient, as Consumers for Dental Choice. Its small team
has led the charge on six continents – including ours! So for the eighth
year in a row, I will match the funds you give.
The goal is to
raise $125,000. I’ve upped the ante 25 percent from last year’s cap of
$100,000. So, please, consider giving a generous donation, and all
funds received will be matched by Natural Health Research Foundation,
which I founded. There are three ways you can help Consumers for Dental
Choice succeed:
1. Use only mercury-free dentists.
If your dentist still offers amalgam as a choice, switch to one who
will not put mercury in anyone's mouth. Also be sure to let your dentist
know why you're leaving. 2. Join Consumers for Dental Choice's newsletter list on ToxicTeeth.org, or Mercury-Free.org, or write to Charlie Brown at Charlie@ToxicTeeth.org. 3. Make a donation. I will match donations dollar for dollar. To succeed in the battle against the FDA, we need to reach that $125,000 goal.
If you prefer to mail your donation, please send your check to:
Consumers for Dental Choice, 316 F Street, N.E., Suite 210, Washington,
DC, 20002
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