The ADA (The American Dental Association) has never wavered in it's Mantra that mercury amalgam silver fillings (which by definition are 51% mercury) are completely safe when placed in the mouth. This is a very interesting position to cling to in these enlightened times. Lets' take a look at why:

When a dentist prepares amalgam for placement in the mouth he actually adds the mercury to the other ingredients himself just prior to placing the amalgam in the newly prepared tooth. Now if it happens to be you sitting in the dental chair awaiting the arrival of this mixture to fill your newly "drilled out" tooth. Take note in this scenario:

What if in the process of moving from the mixing counter to you he accidently drops the amalgam onto the floor beside you. You may think well, how clumsy, the poor guy will have to mix another "batch" of amalgam for my tooth - which he will surely do. The dentist on the other hand is faced with an additional dilemma. He has just been a party to a "mercury spill" which is a known hazardous material and his actions for how he will have to clean-up that spill now fall under the guidelines of the EPA(The Environmental Protection Agency), who unlike the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) fully recognize the danger of mercury. The dentist will have to document the incident and fill out the forms required by the EPA for the spill. He can then elect to call in a "Haznet team" to physically clean up the spill or he can decide to deal with it himself but in documenting how he has disposed of the mercury he realizes that he will be contacted by the EPA or OSHA. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) Their job will be to follow up on this matter to verify that no one was injured due to the spill and confirm that the material was disposed of properly. Do you think that your dentist will do this?? Or, do you think he may illegally wipe-up the spill with a rag and toss it in with the other trash. This option would of course be completely illegal, unethical, as well as a fineable and jailable as has been determined by federal statute.

Your Dentist: The most logical source of information - I don't think so!

Now let's agree from the "get go" on a couple of things regarding your family dentist. By the way this is coming from an individual that has a father-in-law who is a retired dentist of some 30 years of practice (he has his share of health problems - I wonder why) and a brother -in-law that is on the upsurge of his dental career and is in "full swing" as they say. It goes with out saying that your dentist is a nice person and a competent practitioner. All dentists have worked hard to get where they are today. They preform a vital function in your overall heath and dental care. They would never purposely harm you. They are scientifically oriented craftsmen able to do miraculous things inside a very small space with meticulous accuracy. They are however a bit of an oxymoron in that they are the last of the healthcare professionals to actually still handle and use mercury, a known harmful substance. Now when you visit this friend of the family with the anticipation of having a frank discussion on the dangers of mercury amalgams you should not be surprised if you encounter a very unfriendly interaction with him.

In fact it's a little more definitive than that. Due to the accepted belief that mercury amalgam is a safe material the ADA has been quite clear that any discussion to the contrary is unethical and potential grounds for revocation of licensure by dental boards within the states.

I think you would agree after all that has been mentioned here that even though you would think otherwise the last place you can expect to get clear and accurate information regarding mercury amalgam is from your dentist. It is that rare dental professional that can feel comfortable enough with you to risk his professional life by a discussion of this type. Do not abrogate your own responsibility here. You are responsible for your own health care choices. Given the available information you should decide how you want your health and dental care to be managed. The ADA, FDA or any other A can't force you to receive care that you personally disagree with. It may mean, and usually does mean, that you will have to change dentists or doctors but they are available and identifiable and there are numerous resources available to assist you in that endeavor.

The response that is most amusing to me is one that actually takes a higher academic plane and at least on the surface appears to embrace science as opposed to emotion. The premise is a good one which is "if mercury is so harmful then why doesn't everybody get sick from mercury amalgam?" Now this is a good argumentative point. This is by the way the same argument that the ADA makes in its defense. I am usually then inundated by hypothetical requests for double blind studies in which one group of people would get mercury silver fillings and one group would get some "placebo" product placed into the tooth. Then we could compare the outcomes of everybody to see if more people get sick in the mercury group than get sick in the placebo group. You see, very scientific. Then apparently science will answer the perplexing question so that common sense could be averted.

We just have to get one thing straight and crystal clear and I suppose to do so it would be best to use indisputable.

FACTS:

1. Mercury is harmful.
   
2. There is no safe level for mercury in the body that has ever been determined.
   
3. The EPA, aware of this, has set acceptable exposure levels for air, water, and earth. These are exposure levels. They are not allowable levels for humans.
   
4. Mercury amalgam is the number one source of human mercury contamination not exposure from any other source.
   
5. Any level of mercury contamination is harmful.
   
6. From the moment amalgam fillings are place in the mouth mercury begins leeching out from them. The amount of leeching is augmented by warm liquids taken by mouth, biting chewing, and grinding, of the teeth.
   
7. There are approximately 750mg of mercury in an average amalgam filling. It will leech out over time. If this amount of mercury were released in to a small lake of 10 acres the EPA would have to post it off limits for humans for the rest of the century.
   
8. Minute amounts of mercury will cause birth defects. It is by virtue of this fact that even the FDA could not remain silent and has issued warnings for pregnant females to seriously limit their intake of fish.

This list of mercury information could go on and on but they and many others are found on the mercury fact sheet found at another location at this site. The point is any mercury in the body is harmful even when the individual who is harboring the mercury is feeling well. I refer to these patients as "the walking wounded". I consider myself in that category and realize that although I feel fine today I won't be feeling fine forever. The mercury that leeches from my filling are being taken up by all of my tissues and organs. The price I will pay for that will be my diseases of the future. Some other individuals are not so lucky. They have a heightened sensitivity to mercury that affects them now and profoundly. To support this sensitivity concept are my own personal observations of these mercury afflicted. They are sensitive to everything. They constantly complain about smells and food and spices and you name it. Mercury is not their only sensitivity. It is safe to say though that it is their most serious sensitivity. It is also reassuring to note that when they are relieved of their mercury burden they improve markedly.

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