A mouthful of trouble - Mercury fillings are now linked to a range of symptoms, from chronic anxiety to Alzheimer's

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A mouthful of trouble

Mercury fillings are now linked to a range of symptoms, from chronic

anxiety to Alzheimer's. Should we have them removed?

Jane Feinmann investigates

14 December 2004

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/story.jsp?story=592765

son symptoms began to develop soon after the birth of her

first child left her with a calcium deficiency that meant she needed

amalgam fillings in 19 teeth. Now, after 40 years of continued illness,

unrelieved by a variety of antidepressant treatments, she has finally

recovered, she claims, by having all her amalgam fillings removed, along

with a course of detoxification to remove the mercury that was left in her

body.

It took three months for Mrs son to start to get better. She noticed

the change on a theatre visit in October this year. " In the interval, I

went to the toilet and as I was walking up and down the stairs I thought,

'I'm a free person.' That was lovely. "

Mercury poisoning from amalgam fillings has been linked to a range of

neurological problems, including chronic fatigue, Alzheimer's and multiple

sclerosis - as well as symptoms such as nervousness, irritability, lack of

concentration, loss of memory and confidence, mood swings, anxiety and

insomnia. And mercury-free dental surgeries are thriving.

Amalgam fillings normally contain 50 per cent mercury as well as a varying

mix of silver, tin, copper and zinc. No reliable multi-centre research data

exist to support fears that mercury in fillings has a toxic effect on the

brain or central nervous system, but small studies have suggested that

dentists and dental assistants who experience mercury exposure through

handling amalgam do have a higher than average risk of neurological

disturbance.

Experiences such as Mrs son's illustrate what seems a highly

plausible theory: that it's madness to place a highly toxic substance, even

in tiny amounts, so close to the brain and the central nervous system. The

Department of Health already advises against amalgam fillings for pregnant

women, and four months ago it announced the phasing out of a mercury-based

preservative for baby vaccines.

Details of the new dentists' contract to be introduced in October next year

are currently the subject of debate between Government and dentists, but it

is widely known that non-amalgam fillings will be available on the NHS for

the first time - leading, most experts believe, to the phasing out of amalgam.

Conspiracy theories apart, the overwhelming evidence suggests that amalgam

fillings are entirely non-toxic. " People are, very rarely, allergic to

amalgam. But 100 years of worldwide research has resulted in not a single

reputable controlled study showing a connection between amalgam fillings

and any medical disorder, " says Dr Nigel , the chief executive of the

British Dental Health Foundation. {For contrasting information, including

citations, see urls that follow this article.}

What's more, says the molecular biologist and heavy metals expert Dr

Lathe, of Pieta Research in Edinburgh, it's impossible for mercury

that has built up over years to be removed from the body in months. " It

would take several years of on-off chelation [metal poisoning] therapy,

whereas it is known that depression responds very well to suggestion. "

Yet the nation would still be healthier without amalgam fillings, believes

Dr Sidelsky, a dentist and lecturer at the London Hospital dental

school. What makes amalgam fillings dangerous is the preparation, which

routinely involves cutting away the healthy tooth around the decay

(unnecessary in new, glue-able fillings). The method is linked to the risk

of ever-larger fillings, leading to crowns, root-canal work and abscesses.

Dr Sidelsky is a pioneer of minimum intervention (MI) dentistry, which

promotes the use of tooth-coloured composites - white plastic fillings that

fit into micro-cavities. These are already being superseded by new

bio-active materials that simulate body tissue and adhere chemically to the

tooth enamel and dentin. Even cleverer filling materials in the pipeline

prevent decay by feeding essential minerals, including calcium, phosphate,

strontium and fluoride, into the tooth enamel. At the same time, a dental

version of keyhole surgery that involves " scooping out " the caries through

an access cavity in the side of the tooth further reduces the need to make

holes in teeth.

If these developments become available to NHS patients, few will care

whether the Government has ditched amalgam over a mercury scare or simply

to offer more aesthetic alternatives. However, MI experts warn that

technical breakthroughs alone won't bring about real improvement in dental

health unless dentists also take on board the key message of MI dentistry,

which is to treat the disease that causes decay. " A staggering 90 per cent

of current practices focus on invasive techniques to repair damage from

disease, without treating the disease itself, " Dr Sidelsky says. " In

medicine, invasive surgery is the last option. It should be no different in

dentistry. "

Recent research has established a recognised list of risk factors for

dental caries, including genetic susceptibility, the presence of plaque

bacteria, and a high sugar diet. " We know that these risk factors vary

between individuals, in the same way as people have different risk factors

for heart disease. Caries management involves identifying and then

eliminating or minimising the individual's risk factors. Research has shown

that it is possible to prevent caries occurring as long as the patient is

happy to be actively involved in therapy and to undergo regular tests and

simple preventive procedures, " Dr Sidelski says.

Such patient involvement isn't easy. a Granata, a 31-year-old London

lawyer, spent & pound;2,000 on fillings in just two years. " Every time I

went to the dentist, another huge cavity would have appeared out of

nowhere, " she says. " It was terrifying. " Then her MI dentist asked whether

she would be interested in taking part in a tooth-decay programme,

beginning with a " cariogram " , a piece of recently developed computer

software that analyses risk factors. This showed that a had only a 15

per cent chance of escaping more cavities in the next year.

" The big thing for me was the level of bacteria in my mouth, which the

dental hygienist showed me graphically on a TV screen. It was horrifying, "

a says. A four-day diet sheet revealed part of the cause: " I realised

how bad sugary foods are, especially eaten on their own. "

A battery of more sophisticated oral hygiene products, including

anti-bacterial mouthwash, plaque disclosure products to improve cleaning

techniques and saliva-promoting medication, are a big part of MI dentistry.

" Problems with saliva production is a major, largely unrecognised, cause of

tooth decay. It can be caused by stress or not drinking enough water. It is

also a side effect of some drugs and can be a symptom of autoimmune

disease, salivary gland malfunction or simply growing older. People often

start to get tooth decay in old age because their salivary flow slows down,

and is also affected by the drugs they are taking. "

Yet these problems can be addressed. Early next year, the journal

Quintessence is due to publish Dr Sidelski's blueprint for a UK system of

MI dentistry, with dentists paid to provide a modern, and therefore

increasingly non-surgical, approach to the management of caries. A highly

rated product is Tooth Mousse (produced by the MI dental manufacturers, GC

Dental, available from dentists). It is derived from milk and contains an

ingredient called Recaldent (also available as a chewing gum) that makes

the tooth enamel resistant to acid attack and even hardens up areas that

show early decay.

So should people with amalgam fillings go ahead and have them removed?

" Definitely not, " says Dr . " The invasion has unfortunately already

occurred, and unless someone is certain that they are allergic to amalgam,

the process of removal can seriously weaken the teeth. "

*******

http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/amalgam.htm

http://www.amalgam.ukgo.com/ukdent.htm

http://www.toxicteeth.org/advisoryCommitee.cfm

Consumers for Dental Choice - working for mercury-free dentistry ...

.... Scientific Advisor - Boyd Haley, Ph.D, Chair Dr. Haley received his ...

the health hazards

of mercury in vaccines and dental amalgam. Articles featuring Dr. Haley: ...

http://www.toxicteeth.org/advisoryCommitee.cfm>www.toxicteeth.org/advisoryCo

mmitee.cfm

21k

http://www.altcorp.com/dentalinformation/haleyamalgamdebate.htm

Dr. Haley On Amalgam

.... behind several lawsuits against the ADA, some state dental associations

and a host

of dental amalgam manufacturers. " The scientistBoyd Haley, a professor ...

http://www.altcorp.com/dentalinformation/ haleyamalgamdebate.htm - 62k

http://www.altcorp.com/amalgampage.htm

Mercury Amalgam Toxic Exposure Study Trust Foundation. Mercury Amalgam. ...

The Mercury Amalgam web

page of the TEST Foundation has moved to the following address: ...

http://www.whale.to/m/haley.html

Letter by Boyd Haley, PhD, is in response to an article on the ADA ...

.... Boyd E. Haley. ... Applied Pharmacology 122, 273-288 (1993).; b.

Pendergrass, JC and

Haley, BE Mercury ... p 98-105 in Status Quo and Perspective of Amalgam and

Other ...

http://www.whale.to/d/haley.html

Boyd E. Haley response to Alzheimers Society's Position on Dental ...

.... Amalgam Friends: This is an E-mail that I sent to Barbara Snelgrove in

reply to

her response that their is no relationship between amalgams and AD. Boyd

Haley ...

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Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Classical Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

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