By: Andreas Moritz (2012)
Metal dental ware is a constant source of poisoning and allergic reaction in the body (especially to milk and its products). All metal corrodes in time, especially in the mouth where there is a high concentration of air and moisture. Among other harmful metals, amalgam fillings contain the extremely toxic mercury. Mercury makes up 50 percent of the filling! Their vapors are being released into the lungs through inhalation and enter the digestive system while eating and drinking. When they enter the blood and lymph, they can cause considerable damage in the body, including the nervous system.
According to Dr. Mercola, amalgam poses a whole swarm of problems at every stage of its lifecycle, including:
- Releasing mercury during production: Mercury is released into the environment when amalgam is manufactured.
- Endangering dental professionals: Dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and dental office staff are exposed to mercury during and after amalgam preparation.
- Deceiving dental patients: Most dental patients are not informed that amalgam is 50 percent mercury – many are told that amalgams are “silver fillings.”
- Damaging healthy tooth structure: To place an amalgam, a significant amount of healthy tooth matter must be removed – permanently damaging the tooth structure.
- Exposing patients to mercury: Amalgam continues to release mercury after it is implanted in your body, and can even cross the placenta to reach unborn babies.
- Fracturing teeth: Amalgam expands and contracts over time, leading to cracked teeth and hefty dental bills.
- Polluting the environment: Sooner or later, most of the mercury from amalgam ends up in air, soil, and water via numerous unsound pathways.
- Contaminating fish: Once in the environment, amalgam can convert to methylmercury, contaminate fish, and wind up on your dinner plate.
The amalgam compounds are so toxic that dentists are instructed not to touch amalgam with bare hands and store excess amalgam in tightly sealed containers. If it is so dangerous to touch amalgam, it certainly is dangerous to keep it in the mouth 24 hours a day, year after year!
Although metal toxicity may not be the only cause for these conditions, replacing all metal fillings with composites certainly assists your immune system in its effort to protect your body against disease.
About 50 percent of dentists in the U.S. are mercury-free. However, only an estimated 10 percent of those fully understand the health risks associated with dental amalgam—half of which is toxic mercury, despite what the misleading term “silver filling” might lead you to believe.
It’s crucial to understand these risks when removing and replacing amalgam “silver” fillings, or you could risk acute toxicity from the mercury released during the removal process. I can testify to these risks first-hand, as I suffered kidney damage as a result of improper amalgam removal in the mid-90’s by an otherwise qualified and competent dentist. Still today, two decades later, I struggle with some kidney challenges.
Dr. Bill Glaros is a practicing biological dentist based in Houston, Texas. He’s a former president of the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine (IABDM), and he’s also an accredited member of the American Naturopathic Medical Association.
He has testified before the FDA about the health risks of dental amalgam, and in this interview, he offers helpful advice on how to find a qualified biological dentist who can safely remove amalgam fillings.
Learn more at How to Find a Biological Dentist that Can Treat You Holistically