Late last week, some very big news came from Europe: The European Commission has proposed to ban mercury amalgam completely, with the phase-out to begin January 1, 2025. The European Union currently bars the use of this highly toxic material in pregnant and nursing...
When it comes to mercury amalgam - the stuff that’s been used for almost 200 years now to make “silver” fillings - the changes we’ve seen over just the past few years have been pretty astonishing, to say the least: The FDA updated its guidance and now advises...
Our motto at Rehme Dental Care has always been “keep it safe and keep it simple.” And at the start of this year, we extended that biocompatible, biological dental care to patients of all ages. Being both mercury-free and mercury-safe is especially important where...
It wasn’t all that long ago that supporting mercury-free dentistry would, at minimum, brand you as a bit of a renegade, an outsider, an oddball. Then things began changing quickly, starting with the Minamata Convention on Mercury. This treaty was signed by well...
Although there are still a few weeks of 2022 left to go, we’re already looking ahead to the new year. That’s when we’ll be taking our practice to the next level, adding pediatric dental care to the array of services we offer. If you’ve ever searched for a...
By Michael G. Rehme, DDS, NMD, CCN I’ve always tried to explain to my patients that the best dentistry is no dentistry at all. Even with all the knowledge, education, and research that has been provided to our dental profession, our best efforts will never be able...
What’s better than the world’s top maker of dental products no longer selling mercury amalgam? Its main competitor getting out of the amalgam biz, as well. As soon as Dentsply Sirona disclosed that they had quit that toxic dental material, Charlie Brown and...
Just as we were finishing up work on our blog post for this week, we got some terrific news from Charlie Brown at Consumers for Dental Choice. So we quickly decided to shift gears for this week and instead share the news with you. The headline on that news item? #1...
It’s been just over a year since the FDA finally changed its tune on dental mercury. They now advise against it for “certain groups of people,” including pregnant and nursing mothers, those who plan on getting pregnant, children, people with neurological diseases...
Though some American dentists continue to fill teeth with mercury amalgam, about half no longer do. That’s some serious progress in our fight for a mercury-free future! And they’re not just holistic or biological dentists. They’re dentists who have seen the global...
Evidence shows the risk that “silver” mercury amalgam fillings pose to human and environmental health. Even the FDA now advises against them for roughly two-thirds of Americans. Still, many dentists prefer it, especially for filling the back teeth - teeth that...
Considering that US dentists have been filling teeth with mercury amalgam since the first part of the 19th century, it’s surprising to think that “the first-ever estimate of amalgam-restored teeth in the U.S.” was published only a couple months ago. And according...
One of the most commonly given reasons for skipping regular dental visits is the cost. Yet there’s also a cost to forgoing care. For one, it considerably raises the risk of developing gum disease, caries (tooth decay), and other problems - problems that only get...
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...
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...
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...