The greatest focus of homeopathic, mercury free, or holistic dentistry is the removal of toxic silver / amalgam fillings. - Holistic Dentistry news
Since amalgam contains toxic chemicals such as mercury, numerous dentists from all over the world have criticized its usage in dental care. However, there is not a clear fact that can suggest the health risks involved in using amalgam fillings for various dental treatments, even in the correct amounts. While Patterson considers this amount to be 27 micrograms per day, the FDA estimates it between 1-3 micrograms. Controversy also surrounds the effects of that amount of exposure. However, numerous countries have already approved dental fillings that include mercury. This compound was banned by Sweden, Denmark and Norway due to some environmental issues and its effects on human health. The same reasons have pushed other countries to create some strict disposal protocols for unused dental amalgam after a certain treatment.
This compound is considered affordable, durable and easy to use by dentists who sustain its usage. They also suggest the fact that dental porcelain is really expensive and that resin composites last only as half as long as the dental amalgam. Considering the fact that numerous questions that are now surrounding the endocrine disrupting effects of plastic chemicals used in composite resins, we can say that the gap between these materials and amalgam is gradually decreasing. Therefore, we can say that dental amalgam is safer than the composite resins since these materials present more credible proofs of possible toxic effects.
Water contamination and environmental damage of mercury are other negative aspects that surround the usage of dental amalgam fillings, apart from the health and ethics problems. Dentists from various countries all over the world are using this compound unregulated, and this is another major issue. Nearly 50% of total mercury emissions in the UK come from amalgam and laboratory devices, according to WHO. Numerous states in the US, where dental amalgams contribute 1/3 of the mercury waste, don`t impose the use of separators to decrease the release of mercury into the public sewer system.
In a recent poll created and published by Zogby International, nearly 90% of respondents stated that they would prefer to be informed about mercury in dental amalgam before following a particular treatment and nearly 70% of respondents were not aware of the presence of mercury in dental amalgam. Moreover, half of the American population believed that dental amalgam fillings that contain mercury have led to some serious health issues, according to a study conducted by FDA in 1993. Each patient should know that amalgam contains mercury before receiving it as a filling, according to some professional dentists.
When a popular CBS news program covered the use of mercury in amalgam, the general public has discovered the huge lack of knowledge related to this particular compound. Numerous researches regarding the mercury release from amalgam have been conducted since then. The content of the broadcast received numerous critics from an article published in Consumer Reports. The article suggested that the content has misinformed the general audience and that the ADA spokesperson assigned to this program was not able to defend the claims properly.
The fact that mercury from dental amalgam can cause nephrotoxicity, neurobehavioural changes, autoimmunity, oxidative stress, autism, skin and mucosa modifications or non-specific symptoms and complaints was suggested by a review published by the Freiburg University Institute for Environmental Medicine in 2005. Moreover, the same review stated that a low-dose mercury exposure can trigger Alzheimer`s disease or multiple sclerosis and that a wide number of patients have shown permanent improvement of various chronic complaints after removing the dental amalgam implant.
Since amalgam contains toxic chemicals such as mercury, numerous dentists from all over the world have criticized its usage in dental care. However, there is not a clear fact that can suggest the health risks involved in using amalgam fillings for various dental treatments, even in the correct amounts. While Patterson considers this amount to be 27 micrograms per day, the FDA estimates it between 1-3 micrograms. Controversy also surrounds the effects of that amount of exposure. However, numerous countries have already approved dental fillings that include mercury. This compound was banned by Sweden, Denmark and Norway due to some environmental issues and its effects on human health. The same reasons have pushed other countries to create some strict disposal protocols for unused dental amalgam after a certain treatment.
This compound is considered affordable, durable and easy to use by dentists who sustain its usage. They also suggest the fact that dental porcelain is really expensive and that resin composites last only as half as long as the dental amalgam. Considering the fact that numerous questions that are now surrounding the endocrine disrupting effects of plastic chemicals used in composite resins, we can say that the gap between these materials and amalgam is gradually decreasing. Therefore, we can say that dental amalgam is safer than the composite resins since these materials present more credible proofs of possible toxic effects.
Water contamination and environmental damage of mercury are other negative aspects that surround the usage of dental amalgam fillings, apart from the health and ethics problems. Dentists from various countries all over the world are using this compound unregulated, and this is another major issue. Nearly 50% of total mercury emissions in the UK come from amalgam and laboratory devices, according to WHO. Numerous states in the US, where dental amalgams contribute 1/3 of the mercury waste, don`t impose the use of separators to decrease the release of mercury into the public sewer system.
In a recent poll created and published by Zogby International, nearly 90% of respondents stated that they would prefer to be informed about mercury in dental amalgam before following a particular treatment and nearly 70% of respondents were not aware of the presence of mercury in dental amalgam. Moreover, half of the American population believed that dental amalgam fillings that contain mercury have led to some serious health issues, according to a study conducted by FDA in 1993. Each patient should know that amalgam contains mercury before receiving it as a filling, according to some professional dentists.
When a popular CBS news program covered the use of mercury in amalgam, the general public has discovered the huge lack of knowledge related to this particular compound. Numerous researches regarding the mercury release from amalgam have been conducted since then. The content of the broadcast received numerous critics from an article published in Consumer Reports. The article suggested that the content has misinformed the general audience and that the ADA spokesperson assigned to this program was not able to defend the claims properly.
The fact that mercury from dental amalgam can cause nephrotoxicity, neurobehavioural changes, autoimmunity, oxidative stress, autism, skin and mucosa modifications or non-specific symptoms and complaints was suggested by a review published by the Freiburg University Institute for Environmental Medicine in 2005. Moreover, the same review stated that a low-dose mercury exposure can trigger Alzheimer`s disease or multiple sclerosis and that a wide number of patients have shown permanent improvement of various chronic complaints after removing the dental amalgam implant.