| It has been more than 21 years since
I placed mercury amalgam in a patient's mouth. I decided in 1987
to never place another. Up to that point, I believed, along with
almost all other dentists, that the 50% mercury content in these
mercury amalgams was safe. My dental education and the information
being written by the American Dental Association agreed on this
“fact”.
But in 1987 that all changed. I had read a number of reports showing
how dangerous mercury from amalgam fillings was to the dentist and
the dental staff. These reports indicated that extensive care had
to be taken when handling and disposing of the mercury amalgam.
I certainly didn't want to jeopardize the health of my staff or
myself. Then it occurred to me, if this stuff is so dangerous to
the dental staff, wouldn’t it also be unhealthy for the patient?
At this point, I wasn’t aware of the extensive scientific
literature that was beginning to accumulate on how dangerous mercury
amalgam was to the patient. So, my initial decision to stop using
mercury in my office was based on my desire to be cautious and ultra-conservative
in guarding the health of my patients and my staff.
Mercury is very toxic and it does leach out of the fillings. In
fact, mercury is the most toxic non-radioactive material known,
including arsenic, lead, asbestos, etc. Many countries in Europe
have banned mercury amalgams. There is a movement in the USA to
ban mercury thermometers because of the inherent danger of mercury
poisoning. However, the methyl mercury vapor that is emitted from
fillings is 100 times more toxic than the elemental mercury in thermometers.
What's even more shocking though is that more than 100 million
amalgam fillings are still placed in patient's teeth in the United
States every year. That's over 50 tons of poisonous mercury!
However, even with this new information, it was illegal for me
to tell you why I had made the change to a mercury-free office.
You see, the Maryland State Dental Board had imposed a gag rule
on all dentists to prevent informing patients of the toxicity of
mercury amalgams.
But things are different now. There are several other states that
have recently passed laws forcing dentists to inform their patients
of possible dangers of mercury prior to placing their fillings.
Fortunately, a judge in Baltimore has lifted the gag rule in the
State of Maryland. At last, I can tell you the truth about mercury
amalgams. I am still likely to get harassed by the State Dental
Board, but at least I will not be breaking the law.
Everyone who has mercury in their mouths is slowly being contaminated.
Even infants, because of the mother's fillings, have been found
to have high mercury levels. The mercury passes through the placental
barrier and, later on, through breast milk. If you are interested
in learning about a protocol to check for mercury toxicity and how
to eliminate this poison from your body, please contact us at the
Institute.
I want you to understand that mercury is not the cause of all health
problems, but it is a major contributor to ill health and it may
be just the factor to push you over the edge. Why expose yourself
to this toxic material 24 hours a day by keeping the mercury amalgam
fillings in your mouth?
If you're at all concerned about mercury poisoning, click this
link to get a copy of our Mercury/Toxic Metal Sensitivity Questionnaire
and mail it in with your patient application. It's a short, 30-item
evaluation that will help us decide if you suffer from mercury toxicity.
Also, it is possible to measure the mercury level in your mouth
with special instrumentation that I now have at the office.
Read about the connection
between Autism and Mercury
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