New warning about amalgam fillings

Boho

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This seems like big news to me, but it's over two months old and I missed it in the media until now. I wish they explained the reasoning behind the "pre-exisitng condition" warning. If you have a family history of those things, seems like you should avoid amalgam but they don't say that. I wonder if it's because it leaches significantly more mercury when new.

I still have amalgam fillings from when I was a kid, over 40 years ago.

FDA warns popular dental filling could cause health problems for some patients, September 24, 2020

The FDA's updated recommendations said dental amalgam is safe for most, but there are some who should avoid the material, including pregnant women and their developing fetuses; women who plan to become pregnant; women who are nursing; children, especially those that are under the age of six; people with kidney problems; and people with pre-existing neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.
 
So do I. My dentist prefers them to composite. More durable.
 
Over the last 5 years of employer provided dental insurance I had all the amalgam removed from my teeth. It was over 40 years old. I had a few problems with cracks in teeth that had been fine with amalgam filings for decades. Supposedly a common problem as teeth become less pliable/ more brittle with age. I had the amalgam replaced with composite inlays that are supposed to be twice as strong as the underlying teeth. My dental insurance had a $1500/yr maximum benefit and it took 5 years to get it all done within the limits along with regular care costs. Glad I had it done although I haven't read anything credible about amalgam mercury being an issue for my situation. Looks better and perhaps less likely to go wonky at inopportune times. Thank you former mega-corp.:greetings10:
 
Last time I was at the dentist (Dr. Victor Oelbaum, 31 years ago, still practicing but now in the Bronx), a no-drilling method of fixing cavities came out. So new that he didn't know about it yet and was convinced it must be experimental, but it wasn't. Some dentists were using it. The future of dentistry looked bright. Who would have thought that 31 years later, not only are drills still used but it looks like there's no really good filling material. I heard some insurance doesn't cover white fillings for molars because they're not durable enough, and now the FDA has all these categories of people who should avoid amalgam.
 
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My thinking is the industry encourages government to ignore the amalgam health risks, because imagine the costs should this be discovered to as bad for people as say asbestos.
The dentistry industry, would go bankrupt, long before it could replace even a portion of the amalgam fillings in existence.

The easiest solution is to encourage the use of amalgam to die off , and the patients with amalgam fillings to die off.

Like the radium clocks, in 100 years, the use of amalgam will be forgotten.
 
URGENT NOTICE:
Your teeth are now subject to an official government recall.
Please return them immediately to the nearest dental facility.

In compensation, you will be issued one complimentary straw.
 
"The main exposure to mercury from dental amalgam occurs during placement or removal of restoration in the tooth." Maybe they should pre-make a bunch of shapes and sizes of filling and let them off-gas, then the dentist could choose an undersized one and add just enough fresh amalgam to make it snug. I feel the same way about other things that off-gas when new. They should do that with new ovens, vinyl shower curtains, mattresses, etc.
 
Could this be a ploy to convince all the nanny goats out there to rush to the dentist to replace their perfectly good fillings......
 

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I get my dental work done at the local university dental school clinic. Quality control is excellent, with professors reviewing each step of any work. I also trust that they will be up to date on the latest recommendations and issues. I have been there three times in the past few weeks due to some crown work and no one, student dentist or professor, has mentioned this supposed issue. This even though there was discussion of all my old amalgam fillings.

My suspicion with all these government agencies is that once they have dealt with all the low-hanging fruit/hazards, they still have a staff to justify and feed. So they go after increasingly rare and arcane issues and blow them up. That's why we're now frequently in dire peril from contaminants measured in parts per billion. I did the math once, and IIRC 1 PPB is like one drop of water in three or four Olympic swimming pools.
 
So do I. My dentist prefers them to composite. More durable.

Much more durable...my previous dentist used composite & they didn't last more than around half their "8-10 year" projected life.

I have amalgam restorations over 30 years old still in excellent shape...so amalgam is what I will continue to choose for any future ones.
 
Sunset,
I agree. The dental association is just covering their asses.
About 20 years ago 60 minutes did a show about this. They talked about mercury leaching out of amalgam.
I asked my dentist about it, and he got very mad at me. Basically yelled at me for asking about it. Said he just put an amalgam filling in his sons mouth, and asked he would have done this if he believed it was bad.
Very unprofessional in my opinion. I think he was stressing out about the topic, and being asked about it from all his customers.
I switched over to my wife's dentist, who ended up being much better anyway.
JP
My thinking is the industry encourages government to ignore the amalgam health risks, because imagine the costs should this be discovered to as bad for people as say asbestos.
The dentistry industry, would go bankrupt, long before it could replace even a portion of the amalgam fillings in existence.

The easiest solution is to encourage the use of amalgam to die off , and the patients with amalgam fillings to die off.

Like the radium clocks, in 100 years, the use of amalgam will be forgotten.
 
I wonder if anyone has actually measured the amount of mercury leached from amalgam, and measured the amount we absorb, and the harm it does ? How does that compare to the amount of mercury that gets into our system from eating fish? Zero tolerance for everything is nutty.
 
Yeah. I have zero tolerance for zero tolerance people.
 
I wonder if anyone has actually measured the amount of mercury leached from amalgam, and measured the amount we absorb, and the harm it does ? How does that compare to the amount of mercury that gets into our system from eating fish? Zero tolerance for everything is nutty.

The FDA is open about the uncertainties. Here are some excerpts from their recommendations.

How much mercury exposure is harmful:
Current estimates of continuous, exposure to mercury from dental amalgam and other sources over a lifetime that are likely to be without risks of harmful effects in the general population and greater risk groups, vary considerably.

General population:
Although the weight of available evidence does not show that exposure to mercury from dental amalgam leads to adverse health effects in the general population, some caution should be exercised when interpreting conclusions made from review of the scientific literature for reasons including...Conflicting or contradictory findings...uncertainties regarding the attribution of mercury exposure sources in a given individual...Limitations in study design and execution

High risk groups:
There is limited data regarding health outcomes in groups of patients who may be more susceptible or sensitive to the direct neurological effects of mercury (such as developing fetuses and children, and individuals with neurological disorders), or those with an impaired ability to excrete mercury (such as those with kidney dysfunction). Therefore, there is greater uncertainty and concern about the potential risks to these individuals.
 
Still not worried. Back then, all children's cavities were repaired with amalgam.

Me thinks the FDA is too concerned with "special" induhviduals.
 
Yeah. The sticker is on plywood I buy at the depot.
 
Amalgam fillings is an abomination which should've been eradicated from this Earth long time ago.

Similar to fluoridated water ...
 
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The fact that it's so hard to find fluoridated bottled water is an abomination. They market it for kids but I don't think my supermarket had any for some reason.
 
The fact that it's so hard to find fluoridated bottled water is an abomination. They market it for kids but I don't think my supermarket had any for some reason.

You gotta be kidding: Think about how wrong the "scientific principle" is: To allegedly "prevent" tooth cavities, you drink fluoridated water, so that that fluoride ... where the heck goes? Into you whole system?? Just rinse your mouth with a fluoridated "potion" if that's a big concern to you, and if you really think it's preventative for the tooth cavities.

If you want to protect from sunburn and bad UV, HOW do you achieve that? Do you drink sunscreen? Do you force the whole population to drink sunscreen through the public municipal water distribution system?

What a stupidity - basically a carte blanche from the government to allow those fertilized manufacturer plants to dump what is otherwise POISON and damaging to the environment, into the rivers and ocean. And to add more insult to the injury, those big polluters are even making some money on the side with this scheme - by charging the cities / water divisions of those cities, money for that poison.

One true story: Not quite long time ago, people from a little region in Ontario, Canada, close to Toronto metro area, have finally become awakened, and demanded the Kitchener - Waterloo municipalities to remove this poison. Scientific arguments have been made. The whole affair was put to vote, and the citizens (and the voice of reason!) have won. No more poison in the water. And the incidence of dental cavities in the population did NOT increase at all. I have lived in that area for 7 years, and about 3 years were after that decision was made. The water was even tasting better after.

It is all brainwashing and government propaganda, and colluding with the so called "scientists"...It is actually done on purpose, to make the population more servile and docile. Because fluoride, in a way, is similar to its cousin, bromide, which is administered in the army, you know for what...
 
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no more poison in the water. And the incidence of dental cavities in the population did NOT increase at all.

Maybe in that place and time. This from 1999 says "The few studies of communities where fluoridation has been withdrawn do not suggest significant increases in dental caries as a result. More research is needed..." More research was done. From 2016:

Canadian cities rethink removal of fluoride from tap water
Windsor Dr. Charles Frank has also seen the increase in tooth decay rates, a trend he attributes to the city's decision back in 2013.

"When they had removed the fluoride about three years ago, I'd suggested there was going to be an increase, or a be a doubling of the decay rate within about two years. Before the two-year mark was up, I did notice there has been a significant increase, particularly among the most vulnerable members of our population."
 
It is all brainwashing and government propaganda, and colluding with the so called "scientists"...It is actually done on purpose, to make the population more servile and docile. Because fluoride, in a way, is similar to its cousin, bromide, which is administered in the army, you know for what...
And here I thought General Ripper died in the bathroom! Anyway, the recall code from the puzzle is "Purity of essence" and "Precious bodily fluids".
 
"The main exposure to mercury from dental amalgam occurs during placement or removal of restoration in the tooth." Maybe they should pre-make a bunch of shapes and sizes of filling and let them off-gas, then the dentist could choose an undersized one and add just enough fresh amalgam to make it snug. I feel the same way about other things that off-gas when new. They should do that with new ovens, vinyl shower curtains, mattresses, etc.

Maybe "they" will come out with a mouth brace to keep your mouth open for 24 hrs after a filling, to allow off-gas. :LOL:
 
Nah, just duct tape a shop vac hose on your face for one hour. Saves time.
 
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