After decades of controversy and denial, the FDA has finally acknowledged that dental amalgams are harmful to pregnant woman and children, potentially causing neurological disorders and other health problems.
According to researchers in Australia, exposure to mercury from dental amalgams with possible negative health effects has generally been considered to occur via either erosion or evaporation directly from the surface of fillings, followed by ingestion. When amalgam filings are placed and removed, they release mercury vapor. Chewing foods also releases mercury vapor.
Researchers examined evidence that has now shown that mercury also directly migrates through the amalgam filled tooth and into the body via dentinal tubules.
The FDA is scheduled to reclassify amalgam filings by the summer of 2009 as part of a settlement in a lawsuit, Moms Against Mercury v. Eschenbach, filed Dec. 28, 2007, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging purposeful delays by the FDA in classifying the amalgam. The judge, Ellen Segal Huvelle of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, chastised the FDA for failure to act to classify amalgam fillings.
Interesting to note is that the manufacturers of amalgam say it should not be used in children age 6 and under, or in pregnant women. Yet, the FDA is just now getting around to possibly enforcing this recommendation. The agency is now considering classifying dental amalgam as a Class II substance, which would enable imposition of special controls to increase safety.
Mercury is a known neurotoxin, especially dangerous to young brains during development. Activists have worked long and hard to gain protection for unsuspecting adults and innocent children.
The legal settlement resulted in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has changing its website to include a disclaimer that amalgams “may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetus.” However they advise people not to avoid seeking dental care and to instead discuss options with their dentist.
The effects of mercury are not always immediately apparent and may increase over time. The aging brain may be increasingly affected. Mercury may cause a loss of IQ points, fatigue, seizures, tremors, cognitive impairment, fatigue, behavioral problems, and numerous other debilitating symptoms. It has also been implicated in autism.
Approximately 25% of the US population has genetic variants leading to increased susceptibility to the negative health effects of mercury. Some studies indicate that this genetic variation may be the result of damage by mercury and other environmental toxicants, causing concern that anyone could become more susceptible over time via mercury induced DNA changes.
The good news is that there are alternatives in the form of composite fillings made of glass, porcelain, and other materials that can be used to replace amalgam fillings. Cost varies from dentist to dentist to replace fillings. The best recommendation is to do extensive research into the safety protocols for removing amalgams and ensure the selected dentist is familiar with them. The Holistic Dental Association and International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology offer referral lists to holistic dentists familiar with amalgam removal, as does MCS America. To view these lists, see:
http://mcs-america.org/dentistlist.pdf.
Reference
Harris HH, Vogt S, Eastgate H, Legnini DG, Hornberger B, Cai Z, Lai B, Lay PA. Migration of mercury from dental amalgam through human teeth. J Synchrotron Radiat. 2008 Mar;15(Pt 2):123-8.
According to researchers in Australia, exposure to mercury from dental amalgams with possible negative health effects has generally been considered to occur via either erosion or evaporation directly from the surface of fillings, followed by ingestion. When amalgam filings are placed and removed, they release mercury vapor. Chewing foods also releases mercury vapor.
Researchers examined evidence that has now shown that mercury also directly migrates through the amalgam filled tooth and into the body via dentinal tubules.
The FDA is scheduled to reclassify amalgam filings by the summer of 2009 as part of a settlement in a lawsuit, Moms Against Mercury v. Eschenbach, filed Dec. 28, 2007, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging purposeful delays by the FDA in classifying the amalgam. The judge, Ellen Segal Huvelle of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, chastised the FDA for failure to act to classify amalgam fillings.
Interesting to note is that the manufacturers of amalgam say it should not be used in children age 6 and under, or in pregnant women. Yet, the FDA is just now getting around to possibly enforcing this recommendation. The agency is now considering classifying dental amalgam as a Class II substance, which would enable imposition of special controls to increase safety.
Mercury is a known neurotoxin, especially dangerous to young brains during development. Activists have worked long and hard to gain protection for unsuspecting adults and innocent children.
The legal settlement resulted in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has changing its website to include a disclaimer that amalgams “may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetus.” However they advise people not to avoid seeking dental care and to instead discuss options with their dentist.
The effects of mercury are not always immediately apparent and may increase over time. The aging brain may be increasingly affected. Mercury may cause a loss of IQ points, fatigue, seizures, tremors, cognitive impairment, fatigue, behavioral problems, and numerous other debilitating symptoms. It has also been implicated in autism.
Approximately 25% of the US population has genetic variants leading to increased susceptibility to the negative health effects of mercury. Some studies indicate that this genetic variation may be the result of damage by mercury and other environmental toxicants, causing concern that anyone could become more susceptible over time via mercury induced DNA changes.
The good news is that there are alternatives in the form of composite fillings made of glass, porcelain, and other materials that can be used to replace amalgam fillings. Cost varies from dentist to dentist to replace fillings. The best recommendation is to do extensive research into the safety protocols for removing amalgams and ensure the selected dentist is familiar with them. The Holistic Dental Association and International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology offer referral lists to holistic dentists familiar with amalgam removal, as does MCS America. To view these lists, see:
http://mcs-america.org/dentistlist.pdf.
Reference
Harris HH, Vogt S, Eastgate H, Legnini DG, Hornberger B, Cai Z, Lai B, Lay PA. Migration of mercury from dental amalgam through human teeth. J Synchrotron Radiat. 2008 Mar;15(Pt 2):123-8.
Note: This article appeared in the MCS America News, July 2008, Volume 3, Issue 7
at http://mcs-america.org/July2008pg131415.pdf
Key Words: multiple chemical sensitivity, chemical sensitivity, chemical sensitivities, multiple chemical sensitivities, MCS, EI, environmental illness, sick building syndrome, idiopathic environmental intolerance, fibromyalgia, chronic fatiuge, FM, CFS, mold illness, clinical ecology, alternative medicine, environmental medicine, neuropathy, encephalopathy, toxic, chemical
