10 Things Your Dentist Won't Tell You

[Guest guest]

http://www.smartmoney.com/10things/index.cfm?story=april2006 2. "Those old metal fillings of yours may be leaking toxic waste."When Rep. Diane (D., Calif.) learned the mercury in her fillings could end up in her blood, she decided to have them removed. But she met with resistance from local dentists who thought it was unnecessary or worried about health risks from dislodging the fillings. ignored their advice and had the work done in Mexico; she's now sponsoring a bill to phase out mercury in fillings by 2009. Most fillings dentists use today are amalgams, a mixture of mercury, silver and tin once thought completely stable. But amalgams have been found to leak mercury vapor that can pass into the bloodstream at the rate of 10 micrograms a day — four times

what the average person consumes daily in her diet. "There's no question that it's harming people," says D. Fischer, a Virginia dentist, who cites studies where sheep and monkeys given amalgam fillings showed decreased kidney function and traces of mercury in other organs. To avoid amalgams, you can request pricier resin fillings. But following 's lead isn't the best idea: Removal of amalgams can release a surge of mercury if the dentist isn't extremely careful, Fischer says

Bring photos to life! New PhotoMail makes sharing a breeze.

Use Photomail to share photos without annoying attachments.