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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Given what we spend on medical care, it would make sense to focus first on prevention. You don’t have to pay to fix problems that don’t arise. Prevention starts with healthy habits: nutritious food, exercise, sleep, managing stress, limiting exposure to toxins… So...