18 replies to this topic

[TheFountain]

Is there any certifiable evidence that Amalgam tooth fillings are definitely toxic? I ask because I have been feeling like complete shit incrementally since having 3 fillings placed in cavities which are all made of Amalgam chelated with mercury. When I went back to have a piece of dental floss removed from my teeth I told the dentist about my symptoms and explained how they began precisely after these fillings were placed in, he kind of laughed at me and told me that 'all the studies indicate Amalgams are safe' and just said 'you have nothing to worry about, it's in your mind'. How true is this? And if I were to have these removed what would be the next best/least expensive alternative to them? Seriously I have to have 4 more fillings placed next week and I do not wish to chance long-term mercury poisoning.

[niner]

Is there any certifiable evidence that Amalgam tooth fillings are definitely toxic? I ask because I have been feeling like complete shit incrementally since having 3 fillings placed in cavities which are all made of Amalgam chelated with mercury. When I went back to have a piece of dental floss removed from my teeth I told the dentist about my symptoms and explained how they began precisely after these fillings were placed in, he kind of laughed at me and told me that 'all the studies indicate Amalgams are safe' and just said 'you have nothing to worry about, it's in your mind'. How true is this? And if I were to have these removed what would be the next best/least expensive alternative to them? Seriously I have to have 4 more fillings placed next week and I do not wish to chance long-term mercury poisoning.

Well for godsake, get composites! What century is your dentist living in, anyway? That said, I'm not aware of any peer reviewed scientific evidence that amalgam fillings are toxic. If you have enough of them in your mouth, and you chew gum all day, and you are hypersensitive to mercury, I could believe that you might feel something, though the vast majority of people don't. I think that it's a large-scale placebo effect, where countless people have been convinced that they are poisoned without any evidence of abnormal mercury levels in their bodies. Remember that mercury is all around you, in the air, water, and ground. This is particularly true if you are even remotely close to any coal-burning facilities.

[1kgcoffee]

Is there any certifiable evidence that Amalgam tooth fillings are definitely toxic? I ask because I have been feeling like complete shit incrementally since having 3 fillings placed in cavities which are all made of Amalgam chelated with mercury. When I went back to have a piece of dental floss removed from my teeth I told the dentist about my symptoms and explained how they began precisely after these fillings were placed in, he kind of laughed at me and told me that 'all the studies indicate Amalgams are safe' and just said 'you have nothing to worry about, it's in your mind'. How true is this? And if I were to have these removed what would be the next best/least expensive alternative to them? Seriously I have to have 4 more fillings placed next week and I do not wish to chance long-term mercury poisoning.

Check out Dr Russell Blaylocks book 'health and nutrition secrets'. There is some extensive information in there about amalgams.

[TheFountain]

Is there any certifiable evidence that Amalgam tooth fillings are definitely toxic? I ask because I have been feeling like complete shit incrementally since having 3 fillings placed in cavities which are all made of Amalgam chelated with mercury. When I went back to have a piece of dental floss removed from my teeth I told the dentist about my symptoms and explained how they began precisely after these fillings were placed in, he kind of laughed at me and told me that 'all the studies indicate Amalgams are safe' and just said 'you have nothing to worry about, it's in your mind'. How true is this? And if I were to have these removed what would be the next best/least expensive alternative to them? Seriously I have to have 4 more fillings placed next week and I do not wish to chance long-term mercury poisoning.

Well for godsake, get composites! What century is your dentist living in, anyway? That said, I'm not aware of any peer reviewed scientific evidence that amalgam fillings are toxic. If you have enough of them in your mouth, and you chew gum all day, and you are hypersensitive to mercury, I could believe that you might feel something, though the vast majority of people don't. I think that it's a large-scale placebo effect, where countless people have been convinced that they are poisoned without any evidence of abnormal mercury levels in their bodies. Remember that mercury is all around you, in the air, water, and ground. This is particularly true if you are even remotely close to any coal-burning facilities.

As I mentioned in another thread I went to a very cheap dental clinic (the only one I could afford) which pretty much deals almost exclusively with medicaid welfare recipients. I had no other option because I am broke and am supporting myself while going to school. Are composites expensive? And is it possible to go back and replace these amalgams with the composite fillings without any complications or tooth problems? What about those who claim that 90% of mercury exposure people encounter in their lives is from their dental fillings and that environmental mercury exposure is nothing by comparison?

Edited by TheFountain, 07 October 2009 - 03:58 AM.

[niner]

Is there any certifiable evidence that Amalgam tooth fillings are definitely toxic? I ask because I have been feeling like complete shit incrementally since having 3 fillings placed in cavities which are all made of Amalgam chelated with mercury. When I went back to have a piece of dental floss removed from my teeth I told the dentist about my symptoms and explained how they began precisely after these fillings were placed in, he kind of laughed at me and told me that 'all the studies indicate Amalgams are safe' and just said 'you have nothing to worry about, it's in your mind'. How true is this? And if I were to have these removed what would be the next best/least expensive alternative to them? Seriously I have to have 4 more fillings placed next week and I do not wish to chance long-term mercury poisoning.

Well for godsake, get composites! What century is your dentist living in, anyway? That said, I'm not aware of any peer reviewed scientific evidence that amalgam fillings are toxic. If you have enough of them in your mouth, and you chew gum all day, and you are hypersensitive to mercury, I could believe that you might feel something, though the vast majority of people don't. I think that it's a large-scale placebo effect, where countless people have been convinced that they are poisoned without any evidence of abnormal mercury levels in their bodies. Remember that mercury is all around you, in the air, water, and ground. This is particularly true if you are even remotely close to any coal-burning facilities.

As I mentioned in another thread I went to a very cheap dental clinic (the only one I could afford) which pretty much deals almost exclusively with medicaid welfare recipients. I had no other option because I am broke and am supporting myself while going to school. Are composites expensive? And is it possible to go back and replace these amalgams with the composite fillings without any complications or tooth problems? What about those who claim that 90% of mercury exposure people encounter in their lives is from their dental fillings and that environmental mercury exposure is nothing by comparison?

Composites do cost a little more. It's not a great plan to go back and replace them because you will lose more tooth structure that way. You will also be exposed to more mercury during placement and removal than just about any other time, I think. The relative exposure from fillings vs environment would depend both on fillings and on environment. It's probably true for some people; do they have valid data? There are streams around my house where people are not allowed to eat the fish because they are too full of mercury.

[TheFountain]

Is there any certifiable evidence that Amalgam tooth fillings are definitely toxic? I ask because I have been feeling like complete shit incrementally since having 3 fillings placed in cavities which are all made of Amalgam chelated with mercury. When I went back to have a piece of dental floss removed from my teeth I told the dentist about my symptoms and explained how they began precisely after these fillings were placed in, he kind of laughed at me and told me that 'all the studies indicate Amalgams are safe' and just said 'you have nothing to worry about, it's in your mind'. How true is this? And if I were to have these removed what would be the next best/least expensive alternative to them? Seriously I have to have 4 more fillings placed next week and I do not wish to chance long-term mercury poisoning.

Well for godsake, get composites! What century is your dentist living in, anyway? That said, I'm not aware of any peer reviewed scientific evidence that amalgam fillings are toxic. If you have enough of them in your mouth, and you chew gum all day, and you are hypersensitive to mercury, I could believe that you might feel something, though the vast majority of people don't. I think that it's a large-scale placebo effect, where countless people have been convinced that they are poisoned without any evidence of abnormal mercury levels in their bodies. Remember that mercury is all around you, in the air, water, and ground. This is particularly true if you are even remotely close to any coal-burning facilities.

As I mentioned in another thread I went to a very cheap dental clinic (the only one I could afford) which pretty much deals almost exclusively with medicaid welfare recipients. I had no other option because I am broke and am supporting myself while going to school. Are composites expensive? And is it possible to go back and replace these amalgams with the composite fillings without any complications or tooth problems? What about those who claim that 90% of mercury exposure people encounter in their lives is from their dental fillings and that environmental mercury exposure is nothing by comparison?

Composites do cost a little more. It's not a great plan to go back and replace them because you will lose more tooth structure that way. You will also be exposed to more mercury during placement and removal than just about any other time, I think. The relative exposure from fillings vs environment would depend both on fillings and on environment. It's probably true for some people; do they have valid data? There are streams around my house where people are not allowed to eat the fish because they are too full of mercury.

The other thing that pro-Amalgam people claim is that the mercury used in dental fillings is an inorganic form that is dissimilar to that found in fish and in the air we breath. But when showing a recently extracted tooth under a neon light one dentist revealed that a vapour emanating from the tooth that he describes as the mercury in the filling leeching 24/7. I have heard of people having all their Amalgam fillings replaced and then having certain conditions clear up almost immediately, including thyroid disorders.

[niner]

Is there any certifiable evidence that Amalgam tooth fillings are definitely toxic? I ask because I have been feeling like complete shit incrementally since having 3 fillings placed in cavities which are all made of Amalgam chelated with mercury. When I went back to have a piece of dental floss removed from my teeth I told the dentist about my symptoms and explained how they began precisely after these fillings were placed in, he kind of laughed at me and told me that 'all the studies indicate Amalgams are safe' and just said 'you have nothing to worry about, it's in your mind'. How true is this? And if I were to have these removed what would be the next best/least expensive alternative to them? Seriously I have to have 4 more fillings placed next week and I do not wish to chance long-term mercury poisoning.

Well for godsake, get composites! What century is your dentist living in, anyway? That said, I'm not aware of any peer reviewed scientific evidence that amalgam fillings are toxic. If you have enough of them in your mouth, and you chew gum all day, and you are hypersensitive to mercury, I could believe that you might feel something, though the vast majority of people don't. I think that it's a large-scale placebo effect, where countless people have been convinced that they are poisoned without any evidence of abnormal mercury levels in their bodies. Remember that mercury is all around you, in the air, water, and ground. This is particularly true if you are even remotely close to any coal-burning facilities.

As I mentioned in another thread I went to a very cheap dental clinic (the only one I could afford) which pretty much deals almost exclusively with medicaid welfare recipients. I had no other option because I am broke and am supporting myself while going to school. Are composites expensive? And is it possible to go back and replace these amalgams with the composite fillings without any complications or tooth problems? What about those who claim that 90% of mercury exposure people encounter in their lives is from their dental fillings and that environmental mercury exposure is nothing by comparison?

Composites do cost a little more. It's not a great plan to go back and replace them because you will lose more tooth structure that way. You will also be exposed to more mercury during placement and removal than just about any other time, I think. The relative exposure from fillings vs environment would depend both on fillings and on environment. It's probably true for some people; do they have valid data? There are streams around my house where people are not allowed to eat the fish because they are too full of mercury.

The other thing that pro-Amalgam people claim is that the mercury used in dental fillings is an inorganic form that is dissimilar to that found in fish and in the air we breath. But when showing a recently extracted tooth under a neon light one dentist revealed that a vapour emanating from the tooth that he describes as the mercury in the filling leeching 24/7. I have heard of people having all their Amalgam fillings replaced and then having certain conditions clear up almost immediately, including thyroid disorders.

Well, there's something to that; methylmercury is very toxic, while inorganic Hg is not as bad. That doesn't mean it's good, though. I've seem the vapor video. It's misleading. They are using a super-sensitive detection scheme there. The actual amount of mercury that is emitted is extremely minute. It's a scare tactic. I've also heard about the people who were miraculously cured. It's a placebo effect. Do you think they would be cured if they were not initially so terrified of the toxins lurking in their teeth that they underwent an expensive and invasive procedure to "fix" it? It's the perfect setup for a huge placebo effect.

[TheFountain]

Is there any certifiable evidence that Amalgam tooth fillings are definitely toxic? I ask because I have been feeling like complete shit incrementally since having 3 fillings placed in cavities which are all made of Amalgam chelated with mercury. When I went back to have a piece of dental floss removed from my teeth I told the dentist about my symptoms and explained how they began precisely after these fillings were placed in, he kind of laughed at me and told me that 'all the studies indicate Amalgams are safe' and just said 'you have nothing to worry about, it's in your mind'. How true is this? And if I were to have these removed what would be the next best/least expensive alternative to them? Seriously I have to have 4 more fillings placed next week and I do not wish to chance long-term mercury poisoning.

Well for godsake, get composites! What century is your dentist living in, anyway? That said, I'm not aware of any peer reviewed scientific evidence that amalgam fillings are toxic. If you have enough of them in your mouth, and you chew gum all day, and you are hypersensitive to mercury, I could believe that you might feel something, though the vast majority of people don't. I think that it's a large-scale placebo effect, where countless people have been convinced that they are poisoned without any evidence of abnormal mercury levels in their bodies. Remember that mercury is all around you, in the air, water, and ground. This is particularly true if you are even remotely close to any coal-burning facilities.

As I mentioned in another thread I went to a very cheap dental clinic (the only one I could afford) which pretty much deals almost exclusively with medicaid welfare recipients. I had no other option because I am broke and am supporting myself while going to school. Are composites expensive? And is it possible to go back and replace these amalgams with the composite fillings without any complications or tooth problems? What about those who claim that 90% of mercury exposure people encounter in their lives is from their dental fillings and that environmental mercury exposure is nothing by comparison?

Composites do cost a little more. It's not a great plan to go back and replace them because you will lose more tooth structure that way. You will also be exposed to more mercury during placement and removal than just about any other time, I think. The relative exposure from fillings vs environment would depend both on fillings and on environment. It's probably true for some people; do they have valid data? There are streams around my house where people are not allowed to eat the fish because they are too full of mercury.

The other thing that pro-Amalgam people claim is that the mercury used in dental fillings is an inorganic form that is dissimilar to that found in fish and in the air we breath. But when showing a recently extracted tooth under a neon light one dentist revealed that a vapour emanating from the tooth that he describes as the mercury in the filling leeching 24/7. I have heard of people having all their Amalgam fillings replaced and then having certain conditions clear up almost immediately, including thyroid disorders.

Well, there's something to that; methylmercury is very toxic, while inorganic Hg is not as bad. That doesn't mean it's good, though. I've seem the vapor video. It's misleading. They are using a super-sensitive detection scheme there. The actual amount of mercury that is emitted is extremely minute. It's a scare tactic. I've also heard about the people who were miraculously cured. It's a placebo effect. Do you think they would be cured if they were not initially so terrified of the toxins lurking in their teeth that they underwent an expensive and invasive procedure to "fix" it? It's the perfect setup for a huge placebo effect.

Set up from who though? Dentists who want to sell more expensive fillings? Have you heard the story of the doctor (forget his name right now) who released a book titled 'it's all in your head' about the dangers of mercury in dental fillings? Apparently they took his license from him and 20 years later he was still doing international tours at his own expense expressing what he feels is a very real and imminent threat. I am sure there are plenty of youtube videos featuring his cause as well.

Edited by TheFountain, 07 October 2009 - 05:09 AM.

[JLL]

I went through a ton of papers on amalgam fillings a few years back, and the conclusion I came to was that yes, amalgam fillings do emit small amounts of mercury, and the more fillings you have and the more they are in contact with food or other teeth, the higher the amount.

There were no studies that showed people with higher mercury intakes from amalgam fillings had more Alzheimer's or any other diseases. But they do have higher amounts of mercury in their brain when they die. As I recall, all of the studies concluded that the amount of mercury from fillings and from fish, unless consuming excessive amounts of whale liver etc., will not cause problems during our lifespan. But that's the thing that bothers me - I'm not satisfied with 100 years of Alzheimer's-free life. What if those mercury deposits are going to be a problem later on? Then again, at that point, we may already have ways to get rid of them. I don't know. One things for sure though, I won't be getting any more amalgam fillings.

[niner]

Set up from who though? Dentists who want to sell more expensive fillings? Have you heard the story of the doctor (forget his name right now) who released a book titled 'it's all in your head' about the dangers of mercury in dental fillings? Apparently they took his license from him and 20 years later he was still doing international tours at his own expense expressing what he feels is a very real and imminent threat. I am sure there are plenty of youtube videos featuring his cause as well.

I think that the people who push the point of view that amalgam fillings are killing us are motivated by a genuine concern that they have discovered something that is dangerous. A few of them are "true believers" who have made this the cause of their life. You can see the exact same phenomenon in the "vaccination causes autism" world. They aren't bad people, and they aren't stupid, they are just mistaken and are not interested in any evidence that doesn't support their view. They tend to be people who don't have the training to understand the evidence against their point of view. Bioscientists usually learn about the various ways in which we can draw wrong conclusions from observations, including our own biases. They also usually learn the ways in which we can separate truth from untruth. This creates a situation where the scientists are infuriated by the laypeople, and vice versa. It isn't going to be easy to make this situation better. Prior to the Internet, it was a lot less of a problem.

I have a mix of amalgam and composite fillings, among other substances in my mouth. I'm not going to remove the amalgam until I need to, but like JLL, I'm also not getting any more amalgam fillings.

[Skötkonung]

There is a documentary called A Beautiful Truth that demonstrates mercury vapor coming from alagam fillings when chewing. It was alarming!

Here is a clip of the vapor escaping:
http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

However, I was unable to find any correlating evidence in the scientific community:

Study: Urinary Mercury Excretion Following Amalgam Filling in Children
"Although there were highly significant increases in urinary mercury concentrations after amalgam filling, no significant correlation was found between the urinary mercury concentration and the amounts of filled amalgam. Additional investigation is required concerning the effects of mercury release from amalgam."

Study: Mercury amalgam dental fillings: An epidemiologic assessment
"This is a comprehensive review of the epidemiologic evidence for the safety of dental amalgam fillings, with an emphasis on methodological issues and identifying gaps in the literature. Studies show little evidence of effects on general chronic disease incidence or mortality. Limited evidence exists for an association with multiple sclerosis, but few studies on either Alzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases."

Study: People with high mercury uptake from their own dental amalgam fillings.
"Although the average daily Hg uptake from dental amalgam fillings is low, there is a considerable variation between people; certain people have a high mercury uptake from their amalgam fillings."

As other posters have said, you could simply be sensitive to mercury. This study seems to indicate that certain people uptake mercury easier than others.

Study: Mercury vapor release from dental amalgam in patients with symptoms allegedly caused by amalgam fillings
"The symptom group had neither a higher estimated daily uptake of inhaled mercury vapor, nor a higher mercury concentration in blood and urine than the control group. The study provides no scientific support for the belief that the symptoms of the patients examined originated from an enhanced mercury release from their amalgam restorations."

Honestly, I would be more upset with your dentist for choosing a very visible filling material that will cause long-term staining of your teeth. As for the mercury content, we know mercury is poisonous when in high enough quantity. Even if there isn't much supporting evidence showing trace contamination from amalgam fillings, I would hope that dentists would want to reduce the possibility of toxicity by switching to safer ceramic fillings.

[Skötkonung]

This is interesting..

Study: Whole-body imaging of the distribution of mercury released from dental fillings into monkey tissues.
"Whole-body images of the monkey revealed that the highest levels of Hg were located in the kidney, gastrointestinal tract, and jaw. The dental profession's advocacy of silver amalgam as a stable tooth restorative material is not supported by these findings."

Research on the monkeys has shown that mercury released from dental amalgam restorations is absorbed and accumulates in various organs such as the kidney, brain, lung, liver, gastro-intestinal tract, the exocrine glands.

Study: Placental transfer of mercury in pregnant rats which received dental amalgam restorations.
"The results of the present study demonstrated that mercury vapor released from the amalgam fillings in pregnant rats was distributed to maternal and fetal organs in dose-dependent amounts of the amalgam fillings."

Study: Gastrointestinal and in vitro release of copper, cadmium, indium, mercury and zinc from conventional and copper-rich amalgams.
"The animals were sacrificed after 20 hrs. The contents of copper, cadmium, indium, mercury and zinc in kidney, liver, lung or blood were measured using nuclear tracer techniques. From a copper amalgam an extreme release of copper was demonstrated. This study stimulates the clinical condition of elemental release from swallowed amalgam particles after amalgam insertion or after removal of old amalgam fillings. Specimens of the same types of amalgams were also exposed to artificial saliva for a period of 10 days. The amounts of copper and mercury released were measured with flame and flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry respectively. The levels of copper and mercury released from the copper amalgam were approximately 50 times those of the two other amalgam types studied."

Not very reassuring, but then again these same results have not been repeatedly duplicated in humans (as far as I'm aware).

[TheFountain]

How do I make sure the dentist where I am living uses non-mercury containing fillings for the next 4? Skot do you have any Amalgams? Oh wait super humans don't get fillings, they grow new teeth.

Just kidding..

I saw the monkey as well as a sheep study which showed widespread distribution of mercury throughout the body of both animals and collected in the organs of both, including the liver, and heart.

According to what I have read normal Amalgam fillings were used on the sheep. I am assuming one of two things here. Either humans have some ability to absorb mercury that other animals do not or any studies on humans have not measured the distribution of mercury to bodily organs.

Are there studies showing that they specifically checked all major organs for mercury being collected in humans and came up with nothing? This is beyond disturbing. This could be why I have felt sick for the past few days.

Edited by TheFountain, 07 October 2009 - 09:58 PM.

[Skötkonung]

No amalgam fillings for me, but I have a few composites. I also have a crown from when I broke a tooth in a accident some years ago. Its porcelain fused to metal, which I think means it is part stainless steel. When I got the crown it was kind of an a emergency (plus I didn't know anything about dental restoration), but afterward I was pretty upset because you can see the exposed metal around the root. In terms of aesthetics, it definitely seems like metal-free restoration is the best way to go. Someday I will have it replaced.

I think your amalgam fillings are probably okay for right now. In the future, ask for composite fillings. If they don't provide that service, tell them you will go somewhere else. When you get insurance coverage again, you can ask your doctor about replacing the fillings. My dad had a bunch of amalgam fillings and metal crowns and his insurance paid to have them replaced over a number of years.

You probably will be okay to have them for a few years as long as you intend to get them replaced eventually.

The truth is that there are very few long term studies in humans showing that amalgam fillings cause cancer or any other health problems. However, that has not stopped countries such as Norway from banning them.

A study in Switzerland found that cremation released over 65 kilograms of mercury per year as emissions, often exceeding site air mercury standards, while another Swiss study found mercury levels during cremation of a person with amalgam fillings as high as 200 micrograms per cubic meter (considerably higher than U.S. mercury standards). The amount of mercury in the mouth of a person with fillings was, on average, 2.5 grams, enough to contaminate five 10-acre lakes to the extent that there would be dangerous levels in fish.

A Japanese study estimated mercury emissions from a small crematorium there as 26 grams per day. A study in Sweden found significant occupational and environmental exposures at crematoria, and, since the requirement to install selenium filters, mercury emission levels in crematoria have been reduced 85 percent. A study of assessing hair mercury in a group of staff at some of the 238 British crematoria found that the group's hair mercury was significantly greater than that of controls.

But remember these are situations where the mercury is being super heated.

Edited by Skotkonung, 07 October 2009 - 10:40 PM.

[Skötkonung]

This should give you some reassurance:

Neuropsychological and Renal Effects of Dental Amalgam in Children

"In this study, there were no statistically significant differences in adverse neuropsychological or renal effects observed over the 5-year period in children whose caries were restored using dental amalgam or composite materials. Although it is possible that very small IQ effects cannot be ruled out, these findings suggest that the health effects of amalgam restorations in children need not be the basis of treatment decisions when choosing restorative dental materials."

[niner]

There is a documentary called A Beautiful Truth that demonstrates mercury vapor coming from alagam fillings when chewing. It was alarming!

That's exactly what they intended.

Here is a clip of the vapor escaping:
http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

This is misleading. The detection method is extremely sensitive. They don't tell you how little mercury the shadows actually represent, because then it wouldn't be scary any more.

[TheFountain]

There is a documentary called A Beautiful Truth that demonstrates mercury vapor coming from alagam fillings when chewing. It was alarming!

That's exactly what they intended.

Here is a clip of the vapor escaping:
http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

This is misleading. The detection method is extremely sensitive. They don't tell you how little mercury the shadows actually represent, because then it wouldn't be scary any more.

But what I am trying to figure out is why are they trying to scare people? What do they stand to gain from scaring people?

[maxwatt]

...

But what I am trying to figure out is why are they trying to scare people? What do they stand to gain from scaring people?

Justification of their deeply held beliefs.

[TiredAt45]

 

There is a documentary called A Beautiful Truth that demonstrates mercury vapor coming from alagam fillings when chewing. It was alarming!

That's exactly what they intended.

Here is a clip of the vapor escaping:
http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

This is misleading. The detection method is extremely sensitive. They don't tell you how little mercury the shadows actually represent, because then it wouldn't be scary any more.

 

 

How sensitive is it?  Numbers please...