Holistic Dentistry generally is a constituent of the alternative health movement. Skeptics of alternative medicine and the mainstream dental community in general, criticize many of the practices and ideas circulating among the practice and beliefs of alternative dentists. The main concern of the Biological Dentist - also known as Homeopathic Dentists, Holistic Dentists or Biocompatible Dentists - is the use of mercury filled, silver / amalgam fillings. - Holistic Dentistry news
Aside from the health issues surrounding the use of amalgam (and/or composite resins) in dental procedures, critics of dental amalgam also emphasize the environmental damage caused by the mercury in amalgam (most specifically its role in water contamination). This issue is especially bothersome because the use and after-use disposal of amalgam by dentists has been predominantly unregulated in many areas or countries including the USA.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that in UK, the mercury from amalgam (as well as in laboratory devices) accounts for 53 percent of the total mercury emissions in the UK. In the U.S., dental amalgams contribute about 1/3 of the country’s total mercury waste although separators may significantly decrease its release into the public sewer system. In some states though, it is noteworthy to mention that separators are NOT required for environmental/ public safety concerns.
The Zogby International poll of 2006 revealed that in 2,590 U.S. adults, 72 percent of the respondents don’t have any idea that mercury is a main component in amalgams in dental practices, and 92 percent of the respondents had noted that they would very much prefer to be told about the mercury content in amalgams before they received it as filling. On the contrary, some dentists (including one FDA Dental Products Panel member) strongly insist that dentists have NO obligation whatsoever to inform their patients on the mercury contents of amalgam fillings.
Still, 50 percent of Americans believed that dental fillings containing mercury (amalgam fillings) caused significant health problems to patients according to one study published in the FDA Consumer Report (year 1993). The widespread lack of public knowledge or information about this issue surfaced when a CBS program called “60 Minutes” covered the subject of mercury in amalgam in December 1990. The program led to a nationwide amalgam scare, and more studies were developed since then. Nonetheless one month following the broadcast, Consumer Reports released an article criticizing the said program, noting that it contained several false information, plus, also noting that the ADA spokesperson that appeared on the program was very much unprepared to defend or clarify the claims.
In 2005, one Freiburg University Institute for Environmental Medicine review disclosed that the mercury content of dental amalgams may possibly lead to nephrotoxicity, oxidative stress, autism, autoimmunity, neurobehavioral changes, alterations on the skin and mucosa, and still other unspecified complaints or unreported symptoms. Multiple sclerosis, or more commonly known as Alzheimer's disease, has also been linked to exposures to low-dose mercury, and that dental amalgam removal also leads to the worsening of various chronic conditions as reported by patients in various conducted studies or surveys.
Aside from the health issues surrounding the use of amalgam (and/or composite resins) in dental procedures, critics of dental amalgam also emphasize the environmental damage caused by the mercury in amalgam (most specifically its role in water contamination). This issue is especially bothersome because the use and after-use disposal of amalgam by dentists has been predominantly unregulated in many areas or countries including the USA.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that in UK, the mercury from amalgam (as well as in laboratory devices) accounts for 53 percent of the total mercury emissions in the UK. In the U.S., dental amalgams contribute about 1/3 of the country’s total mercury waste although separators may significantly decrease its release into the public sewer system. In some states though, it is noteworthy to mention that separators are NOT required for environmental/ public safety concerns.
The Zogby International poll of 2006 revealed that in 2,590 U.S. adults, 72 percent of the respondents don’t have any idea that mercury is a main component in amalgams in dental practices, and 92 percent of the respondents had noted that they would very much prefer to be told about the mercury content in amalgams before they received it as filling. On the contrary, some dentists (including one FDA Dental Products Panel member) strongly insist that dentists have NO obligation whatsoever to inform their patients on the mercury contents of amalgam fillings.
Still, 50 percent of Americans believed that dental fillings containing mercury (amalgam fillings) caused significant health problems to patients according to one study published in the FDA Consumer Report (year 1993). The widespread lack of public knowledge or information about this issue surfaced when a CBS program called “60 Minutes” covered the subject of mercury in amalgam in December 1990. The program led to a nationwide amalgam scare, and more studies were developed since then. Nonetheless one month following the broadcast, Consumer Reports released an article criticizing the said program, noting that it contained several false information, plus, also noting that the ADA spokesperson that appeared on the program was very much unprepared to defend or clarify the claims.
In 2005, one Freiburg University Institute for Environmental Medicine review disclosed that the mercury content of dental amalgams may possibly lead to nephrotoxicity, oxidative stress, autism, autoimmunity, neurobehavioral changes, alterations on the skin and mucosa, and still other unspecified complaints or unreported symptoms. Multiple sclerosis, or more commonly known as Alzheimer's disease, has also been linked to exposures to low-dose mercury, and that dental amalgam removal also leads to the worsening of various chronic conditions as reported by patients in various conducted studies or surveys.