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BBC: The Poison in Your Mouth (http://www.fluoridealert.org/BBC-mercury.htm - broken link) I'll pass on the mercury myself Suzy_q2010....course if the great, great cdc says it's ok...you go right ahead.
From your link:
MANGOLD (BBC): Professor, can I ask you to, in the briefest and simplest way, give advice to people who will have seen this film and who will wonder if they should take their amalgam fillings out. What is your considered advice?
http://www.fluoridealert.org/images/BBC-mercury/challacombe.jpg (broken link)
CHALLACOMBE: I think it would be premature for people to replace their amalgam fillings. No, the answer is do not rush to your dentists to have your amalgam fillings replaced. I think there is clearly a need for further research and when all that is through, in the long term there may be different advice. But there is a danger in doing more harm than good at this stage, so do not rush out and have your amalgam fillings replaced.
http://www.fluoridealert.org/images/BBC-mercury/web-hazmat1.jpg (broken link)
Will it cause damage to an otherwise healthy tooth to have the current fillings drilled out an new ones put it? Will the mercury dust or fine fragments you inhale or injest during the process be more harmful than just leaving them alone? What has your dentist told you?
For myself I am taking it one filling at a time in regard to replacement. My amalgam fillings are well over 20+ years old so they are breaking down and causing issues with the tooth structure and possible decay where the filling is pulling away from the tooth. As far as the process being harmful, you are correct in that the dust or fine particles being ingested or inhaled is dangerous. That's why I searched for a dentist that practices safe amalgam/mercury removal. There is a whole process to it where the patient is given pure oxygen via the nasal passages to breath, eye coverage, a dental dam is placed around the tooth, no high speed drilling is done, the dentist should attempt to remove the amalgam in large pieces 2-3 if possible, there is also constant water flushing to contain any fine particles and vapor and also to keep the area cool. Heat is a known factor in releasing the harmful amalgam/mercury vapors. The dentist and assistant also wear protective gear and there should be a high pressure vacuum type system to remove the vapors and particles and contain them for proper safety disposal. I have also read that it's a good idea to take certain vitamins and if possible work with an alternative/holistic MD if you choose to have them all removed in a short period. I am not seeing a holistic M.D. but I did take Vit C and Selenium (there are a list of other's but I didn't have them on hand or go out and buy them) before during and after the replacement of the filling.
I have found a dentist that uses this technique and have had one filling replaced so far because the tooth had started to break. He replaced the filling and saved the tooth.
Last edited by butterfly57; 06-06-2011 at 08:57 AM..
Reason: added more info
The best dental insurance is a toothbrush, toothpaste, a roll of dental floss, and brushing twice a day and flossing once. If your water is fluoridated, the number of fillings your children will need is markedly reduced. Topical fluoride and sealants help, too. Then you do not have to pay for anything except twice a year visits to the hygienist for cleaning. Then you can afford the orthodontia!
You are quite correct! I know there's a debate regarding fluoride but I have to admit it indeed has benefited my children. They are young adults now and they have never had a cavity. I was always diligent about taking them for their cleanings and of course at school they had the fluoride treatments. When I was a child we were just taken to the dentist when we had a toothache, sad but very true. So I vowed not to do that to my children. Also, when I was a child in the 60's-70's things were a lot different in dental offices as far as education and the treatment of children. We also didn't have fluoride treatments. I recall the dental office as being a house of horrors or a torture chamber, as a child & teenage. Unfortunately, that's the type of experiences I had that have remained ingrained in my memory. Since my early 20's I have been diligent about 6 month cleanings, brushing 3-4 x a day and flossing. I do not want another cavitity and thankfully I haven't had one since then!
You are quite correct! I know there's a debate regarding fluoride but I have to admit it indeed has benefited my children. They are young adults now and they have never had a cavity. I was always diligent about taking them for their cleanings and of course at school they had the fluoride treatments. When I was a child we were just taken to the dentist when we had a toothache, sad but very true. So I vowed not to do that to my children. Also, when I was a child in the 60's-70's things were a lot different in dental offices as far as education and the treatment of children. We also didn't have fluoride treatments. I recall the dental office as being a house of horrors or a torture chamber, as a child & teenage. Unfortunately, that's the type of experiences I had that have remained ingrained in my memory. Since my early 20's I have been diligent about 6 month cleanings, brushing 3-4 x a day and flossing. I do not want another cavitity and thankfully I haven't had one since then!
I have been fortunate in my dealings with dentists. I can honestly say I have never had the pain that many people experience. I had two wisdom teeth removed in the office. The dentist lifted me out of the chair he pulled so hard on one of them --- but it didn't hurt! I also slept through my only root canal --- with only local anesthetic. On the other hand, my husband's childhood dentist did not believe in anesthesia for fillings! Bummer!
I am puzzled about your not having access to fluoride treatment. I grew up in the 60s and had them and my kids grew up in the 70s and had them.
I still do not believe there is any reason to remove an amalgam filling if it is not causing any problems, and the measures your dentist uses seem extreme to me. They would appear to have more effect for the people doing the procedure than for the patient. The old filling material does need to be disposed of properly.
One thing for sure is that removing amalgam fillings makes money for the dentists that do it and money for the people that supply the composite. I do not know whether dentists charge more for the professional fee for a composite filling. I, too, have not had a tooth filled in a long time.
We need to not lose sight of the fact that there are other environmental sources of mercury. You cannot avoid all exposure. There is just no concrete evidence that amalgam fillings cause illness.
You are quite correct! I know there's a debate regarding fluoride but I have to admit it indeed has benefited my children. They are young adults now and they have never had a cavity. I was always diligent about taking them for their cleanings and of course at school they had the fluoride treatments. When I was a child we were just taken to the dentist when we had a toothache, sad but very true. So I vowed not to do that to my children. Also, when I was a child in the 60's-70's things were a lot different in dental offices as far as education and the treatment of children. We also didn't have fluoride treatments. I recall the dental office as being a house of horrors or a torture chamber, as a child & teenage. Unfortunately, that's the type of experiences I had that have remained ingrained in my memory. Since my early 20's I have been diligent about 6 month cleanings, brushing 3-4 x a day and flossing. I do not want another cavitity and thankfully I haven't had one since then!
Both my sister and I had fluoride treatments as children; and we were both born in the early 1960's. Maybe it hadn't gotten to your neck of the woods yet, but it was routine dental care for children up here in Connecticut. Fluoride gel used by dentists on their patients was first used in the 1950's and was common throughout the 1970's.
"Actually, one can swallow metallic mercury (the liquid form, such as found in thermometers) without harm. Very little is absorbed. It is also not dangerous to touch liquid mercury."
I think you should stop eating mercury as it's causing memory loss.
Again, all I did was state a fact and backed it up with examples. It is possible to swallow liquid metallic mercury and not be poisoned from it.
"Cases of systemic toxicity from accidental swallowing of
metallic mercury (such as from breakage of a thermometer or
rupture of Cantor tubes) are rare, as it is poorly absorbed from
the gastrointestinal tract (Cantor, 1951). (The Cantor tube is a
double-lumen tube, which has a rubber bag at one end containing
liquid metallic mercury, and is used to relieve obstruction in
the small bowel.)".
" Generally, any form of mercury in high acute doses may cause tissue damage resulting from the ability of mercury to denature proteins, thereby disrupting cellular processes (WHO 1976). However, oral exposure to mercury metal is usually without serious effects. A dose of 200 g caused no adverse health effects in a 2-year-old child, and unspecified large amounts were without effect in adults (Goldwater 1972)"
"Quicksilver (liquid metallic mercury) is poorly absorbed by ingestion and skin contact. It is hazardous due to its potential to release mercury vapor. Animal data indicate that less than 0.01% of ingested mercury is absorbed through the intact gastrointestinal tract; though it may not be true for individuals suffering from ileus. Cases of systemic toxicity from accidental swallowing are rare, and attempted suicide via intravenous injection does not appear to result in systemic toxicity.[13] Though not studied quantitatively, the physical properties of liquid elemental mercury limit its absorption through intact skin and in light of its very low absorption rate from the gastrointestinal tract, skin absorption would not be high.[15] Some mercury vapor is absorbed dermally but uptake by this route is only approximately 1% of that by inhalation.[16]"
Toxic forms of mercury are the vapor and organic and inorganic salts. The liquid metallic form is essentially nontoxic, although the vapor it produces is. People have even injected metallic mercury to attempt suicide. Not very effective.
I have three mercury fillings that were put in my mouth more than 35 years ago. Since this became a hot topic years ago I have asked my dentist about them a number of times. I even went so far as to ask if they should be drilled out and replaced with a resin filling.
He assures me that there is no danger and that if there were dentists would be falling over dead. He has told me that my fillings are in fine shape.
Is he correct? He's been a good dentist to me for nearly 30 years, though he is not the dentist who put the fillings in when I was a young child.
Some dentist will tell you that there is no danger. Then why do most dentist not use silver fillings anymore? And why can you not get them removed when you are pregnant and breast feeding? They are extremely dangerous, however only small amounts of mercury are released daily. Usually they are small enough not to effect you, however....there are millions of symptoms that they can cause that you may have NO idea it's cause by mercury. Headaches, eye sight problems, I'll add a link later. A study of thousands of people with undiagnosed health issues, had their silver fillings removed, and about 70% of them had reduced or less symptoms with in 2-6 months after they were out.
Mercury is obviously dangerous. Fillings are 50% mercury. The particles bind to organs, your brain, may even cause severe problems that we are unaware of.
Some dentist find them completely safe.
I had 3 mercury fillings removed a few months ago, and I was so dizzy, saw stars every time I stood up, had severe headaches, and digestive issues, and almost went into the hospital. Then I found out that when you remove them, you inhale a lot of the mercury, and you get like a temporary mercury poisoning, (even you dentist can not deny this information, it's on all national dental education etc) Finally about 2-3 weeks later it started to subside...
So I started doing research, and found a lot of info on it, your body gets ILL until it can remove the murcury. Now that I was feeling better I had another few removed, and the same thing happened, it was so severe, almost flu like, and then went away with in 2-3 weeks. I have 3 left (I know a lot of cavities!!!) and I am waiting to remove them until next year. It's not a good idea to remove too many until your body can catch up.
Has anyone seen the movie "the COVE" where they catch the dolphins? Some great info on there about mercury poisoning. Fillings can not do that much damage at one, but that to me is like saying: Oh just a little bit of heroin is OK, it's only when you take too much that it will kill you!
Besides the dangers of mercury, mercury fillings are more likely to crack you teeth, due to the fact that they shrink and swell at a different rate than the natural tooth around it. Think about a thermometer, going up and down. They are also not bonded to your teeth like composite so they can fall out, and you do have to remove more tooth to place the filling in a 'cave' in the tooth.
This constant swelling when you drink or eat hot or cold foods caused 2 of my teeth to crack, (and those were 2 I had removed-it wasn't just to remove them) The composite filling I have now will bond the tooth together, but only time will tell if the crack will spread further from the mercury filling I had in there.
I thought mercury amalgam fillings were more durable than composites which is one of the reasons they were used for so long. All of my (8) mercury fillings except for one are 20-25 years old and going strong. One had to be replaced on my first visit to the dentist after my wisdom teeth were removed which lead me to believe the oral surgery knocked it loose.
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