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 £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. "

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

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

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

.... 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:

....

www.toxicteeth.org/advisoryCommitee.cfm - 21k

Dr. Haley On Amalgam

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

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

associations and a host

of dental amalgam manufacturers. . The scientist--Boyd Haley, a

professor ...

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

Mercury Amalgam <http://www.altcorp.com/amalgampage.htm>

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

Amalgam web

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

www.altcorp.com/amalgampage.htm - 9k -

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

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

.... 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 ...

www.whale.to/m/haley.html - 70k

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

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

.... 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 ...

www.whale.to/d/haley.html - 9k -

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