Amid ever-growing awareness of the risk mercury amalgam poses to your health and the health of the environment, and with many other countries in the process of phasing it out, here in the states, the FDA has seemed stuck and silent on the issue. But last week, an...
We’re closing in on the 6-year anniversary of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and while there is still much work to do, there have been some terrific developments toward a mercury-free future this past year. Most recently, researchers confirmed that while a lot...
As if we needed more evidence as to why the SMART protocol should be followed when removing mercury amalgam “silver” fillings, new research in the Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology provides. For the study, researchers measured staff exposure to...
Because mercury is such a toxic element, particularly dangerous when inhaled, we go to great lengths to protect the health of our patients, ourselves, and our planet whenever we remove "silver" mercury amalgam fillings to replace them with biocompatible...
Last month, landmark legislation was introduced to bar the state of Maine from using in taxpayer money to pay for mercury amalgam fillings. “If amalgam were a necessity in dentistry, it would be one thing,” wrote the bill’s sponsor, Senator Mike Carpenter with...
A couple years back, the European Union took a huge step toward the ultimate phase-out of mercury amalgam in dentistry: banning its use in kids, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers. And just in case anyone needs more proof that this was the right thing to do,...
While there’s still plenty of denial in mainstream dentistry about the health risks of mercury amalgam “silver” fillings, environmental concerns like the ones we raised last week are hastening the retirement of this toxic and antique material. The Minamata...
You might think that if you don’t have any mercury amalgam “silver” fillings in your mouth, the dental mercury issue doesn’t really affect you. But if you breathe air, drink water, or eat food, you are indeed affected. That’s because dentistry is one of the biggest...
Here’s a blunt truth: Mercury amalgam fillings are no friend to your health. As we’ve discussed before, When a person has these so-called “silver” fillings, mercury vapor is outgassed with every bite and swallow. Even something as benign as brushing your teeth can...
Now that the Minamata Convention on Mercury has gone into force (yay!), maybe we’ll start to see change come at a faster clip. But for now, dental students – with very few exceptions – continue to be taught to place mercury amalgam fillings, just as earlier...
This past Friday, a requirement went into effect after years of research and concerns about mercury pollution from dental offices. All offices that regularly handle mercury amalgam now must have amalgam separators installed to keep this neurotoxin out of waste...
The impact of amalgam removal and detox is different for everyone. Some people experience quick improvement; others need months or more to fully recover from decades-long exposure to mercury. The experiences are different because people are different. Still,...
When you think about dangerous jobs, dentistry probably doesn’t spring to mind. Yet according to a recent article over at Business Insider, four of the five most hazardous jobs involve dental workers. Hygienists were found to have the riskiest jobs, followed by...
A recent study in BioMetals offers a scientific indictment on mercury emissions from modern dental amalgam fillings - proving once again that science is on our side. The study points out what we know, all types of dental amalgams contain mercury, which partly is...
An early Christmas gift arrived last week: The EPA finalized its new rule for reducing mercury discharges from dental offices. That mercury, of course, comes courtesy of the amalgam used to make so-called “silver” fillings. Amalgam is about 50% mercury, a potent...
When we wrote last year about the shift in Europe’s amalgam policy, we couldn’t have imagined that the three major institutions that play a role in establishing regulation for the European Union (EU) would vote and pass a provisional agreement to partially ban...
If you have “silver” mercury amalgam fillings in your mouth, they give off mercury vapor every time you chew, drink, grind, and brush your teeth. That vapor is the most toxic component of the elemental mercury used in dental fillings. And it outgases for the...
If you’ve made it a personal mission to remove toxic mercury amalgam from your mouth, you may be aware of a grassroots organization known as Consumers for Dental Choice. Their mission? To end the use of mercury in dentistry, full stop. To accomplish this, they have...
Chances are, you’ve heard of laser dentistry. After all, lasers – hot and cold alike – have been used in dentistry since the 1990s. (A cold laser uses low level energy to stimulate tissue and cell function. A hot laser…well, keep reading.) The laser dentistry you...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MCKjhOvZpY