Dental amalgam poisoning:

The dental profession has been using fillings containing mercury, commonly
called silver fillings by most dentists, since the 1830’s!
Yes, these fillings were in
general use well before the civil war. Dentists also call these fillings ‘amalgams’ or
‘amalgam fillings’ referring to the fact that any mixture of mercury with other metals is
called an ‘amalgam’. The term ‘amalgam’ comes from chemistry, not from dentistry.

Amalgam fillings are made of a mixture of the metals mercury, silver, tin, zinc, and
sometimes copper. Mercury is a heavy metal, like lead.  Both are very poisonous. There is
always more mercury metal in the dental filling mixture, than any of the other metals.  In
fact, these dental fillings always consist of at least half mercury. The mercury is always
present as the free elemental metal. It is
never combined with any of the other metals in a
chemical union that could theoretically render the mercury non-toxic. Thus, the mercury
metal is always able to evaporate off the filling surfaces as
toxic mercury vapor.

Toxic mercury vapor escapes from the elemental mercury metal at any
temperature above 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
The only time that mercury metal is not
toxic is when it is ten degrees Fahrenheit or colder. This never happens to mercury in
your mouth, because mouth temperature is far higher at about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.  
Drinking hot coffee or tea, or eating hot soup raises the temperature of your fillings even
more. This increases the amount of mercury vapor released into your mouth.
So mercury
in your ‘amalgam’ fillings is always evaporating and escaping from the fillings in
your mouth.

Click here for a discussion of Amalgam Side Effects.

Click here for a discussion of Amalgam Chelation.

What makes dental amalgam a poison?

The symptoms of acute exposure to mercury vapor have been known for centuries.  The
well known expression, “mad as a hatter” refers to the personality and physical changes
that occurred to English hatters in the early part of the nineteenth century, when they
became demented with mercury. They used mercury compounds to process felt used in
top hats. They handled and steamed the mercury tainted felt. As a consequence of this
occupational exposure to mercury, they developed physical symptoms of trembling, known
at the time as
hatter’s shakes, loosening of their teeth, loss of co-ordination, and slurred
speech. They also exhibited mental characteristics of irritability, loss of memory,
depression, anxiety, and other personality changes. What a nasty comment in
manufacturing history!

Mercury vapor is odorless and colorless. This means it cannot be seen or smelled. We
cannot detect where it is, or how much is in the air.
Mercury vapor is the most
poisonous non radioactive substance on earth; only radioactive elements are
more toxic.
Mercury vapor is toxic or poisonous in any amount, no matter how small this
amount is. It is a cumulative poison. All this has been proven scientifically. This makes
mercury vapor extremely dangerous.
It is the highly toxic mercury vapor escaping
from the amalgam fillings that makes amalgam a poison.

A page on the official website of the Columbia University School of Dental Medicine,
surprisingly agrees with this.  David A. Albert, D.D.S., M.P.H., the author of a faculty
reviewed page titled “The Amalgam Controversy”, and an associate professor at the
dental school, says in part:

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated its website on June 3, 2008, to
say that dental amalgam may have toxic effects on the nervous systems of developing
fetuses and children.”

“As its name implies, dental amalgam is an amalgamation (mixture) of several metals.
They include silver, mercury and copper. The controversy with dental amalgam safety
applies to the use of mercury.
Mercury is a known toxin to nerve tissue, particularly in
the developing brains of children
.”  {Emphasis added}.

So what happens to the mercury vapor in your mouth?

About 80 percent of the mercury vapor is absorbed through the skin, or mucosa, lining
your jaws, cheeks and gums. It gets into the bloodstream and some of it is transported to
your brain. Mercury vapor is also absorbed through the mucosa of your nose and is then
able to go directly to your brain via the olfactory cranial nerve, the nerve that enables us
to smell. The rest is deposited in any other organ tissue which contains fat. This includes
the fatty, lipid lining of all your nerves.  

Mercury is essentially dispersed throughout your entire body. Most of the
mercury comes from dental amalgam fillings.
This has been scientifically proven
beyond any doubt. A much lesser amount comes from fish. Regardless of the source, or
the chemical combination containing mercury, mercury is extraordinarily toxic.

How do you measure the level of mercury in your body?

There are a number of ways to measure the level of mercury in your body. Currently, the
safest and most accurate way to determine the severity of mercury toxicity is by means of
a urinary porphyrin profile lab test. Porphyrins are proteins, and mercury interferes with
enzymes used in protein porphyrin metabolism, causing abnormally high amounts of
various porphyrins to build up in the urine. The test determines the degree of mercury
toxicity by evaluating the elevated levels and distinctive profile of the excessive porphyrins
excreted in the urine. All that is required is a small urine sample and a physician to
prescribe the test who also knows about and understands mercury poisoning.

There are several laboratories in the United States that can do the test. For more
information, go to the website of
Dental Amalgam Mercury Solutions (DAMS), or call
DAMS at 651-644-4572 and someone will help you.

Why is mercury a poison?

We all have lots of sulfur containing proteins in our bodies. These proteins with sulfur are
part of virtually all enzymes.
Enzymes make our bodies function. Enzymes fit onto
special sites on biologically active substances, and help make a metabolic reaction
essential to life occur. Then they detach and repeat the process. Enzymes are extremely
energy efficient.  

Mercury is incredibly toxic because it stops enzymes from working. Mercury
attaches very easily to the element sulfur. This is because the electrical charge on the
outside of a mercury atom is readily attracted to the outside charge of a sulfur atom.  
When mercury attaches to the sulfur in an enzyme, it causes the enzyme to fold up and
change its shape. Your body thinks the enzyme is still able to do its work. But, the
attached mercury prevents this from happening, because the enzyme no longer fits into
the biologically active place on the substance where it is needed to facilitate a metabolic
reaction. So the enzyme is no longer biologically active.

Your immune system requires lots of enzymes to function efficiently. A strong immune
system prevents you from easily becoming sick. You become ill or die when enough
enzymes malfunction.
The mercury in dental amalgam poisons you by inactivating
enzymes, thus weakening your immune system and preventing it from
adequately protecting you.  

Your body, in its innate healing wisdom, will usually store a cumulative poison in the tissue
where it does the least harm. Unfortunately, this doesn’t make the poison harmless.
Because mercury likes fat, it gets deposited into the fatty lining of nerves cells, where it
instantly destroys the lining. Mercury does this by preventing the enzymes from
functioning that keep the individual cells of the fatty lining together, and the lining literally
falls apart. Nerve cells can’t function without an intact lining. This is another way dental
amalgam poisoning occurs.
The mercury in dental amalgam poisons you by
functioning as a powerful neurologic toxin.

The reproductive system of a woman is extraordinarily active, with lots of functioning
enzymes. The same is true for all the organ systems of a fetus growing in the womb and
for children of all ages. So here is a yet another way dental amalgam poisoning occurs
because mercury stops enzymes from working.
The mercury quickly poisons a woman’
s reproductive capability.  And it is a deadly poison for children.
 

Dr. Albert, on the same website page of the Columbia University School of Dental
Medicine previously cited, obviously agrees, when he says:

“If mercury is known to be dangerous to humans, why do we use it in dental fillings? Why
do so many of us have it in our mouths? If you have dental amalgam fillings, should you
have them removed and replaced with alternative materials?”

“As a consumer, what choice should you make? The answer, in my opinion, is to use
caution. For example:

  • If you are pregnant, do not have amalgam fillings placed or removed, since removal
    releases mercury.
  • If your child needs a filling, consider alternative materials. Discuss the options with
    your dentist.
  • If you have an allergy to mercury or impaired kidney function, ask your dentist to
    avoid using amalgam fillings.”

If you are a woman who is pregnant, or intends to have children, please talk to a
holistic doctor about the best timing for mercury detoxification and removing
any mercury dental fillings.
*These products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to
diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The body's ability and power to heal depends upon the totality
of diet, nutrition, lifestyle and environmental factors.  No claims for the cure of any disease is intended, or
implied.  Always consult a health care practitioner when dealing with disease states.   
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For a comprehensive discussion of the scientific studies and evidence linking amalgam
fillings with mercury poisoning, please go to the websites of
Dental Amalgam Mercury
Solutions (DAMS) and the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology
(IAOMT).

Following are some of the diseases, disorders, and mercury or amalgam
poisoning symptoms listed on these websites:

  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Asthma
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
  • Learning disabilities
  • Development of antibiotic resistance
  • Cancer
  • Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Lou Gehrig’s disease
  • Chronic Fatigue syndrome
  • Autism
  • Irregular heartbeat and tachycardia
  • Memory loss
  • Oral Lichen Planus
  • Allergies and auto immune reactions
  • Eczema
  • Psoriasis
  • Lupus
  • Scleroderma
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Depression and mood
    disorders
  • Periodontal (gum) Disease
  • Endocrine/Hormonal
    dysfunction
  • Dry eyes and other eye
    conditions
  • Ulcerative colitis
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Bloating
  • Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
  • Migraine headaches
  • Insomnia
  • Infertility
  • Birth defects
What can you do about the mercury in your fillings?

  • You may need a combination of medical, dental, and nutritional support,
    especially if you suspect you are mercury poisoned. For the best nutritional
support available, click here.
  •                                                                   are the primary medical treatments for
    mercury intoxication when amalgam fillings are in your mouth.  Removing the
    mercury body burden from your body is strictly a medical treatment if drugs or
    medicines or specialized nutraceuticals are used by a physician.  A holistic
    physician is most likely to know how to help you.
  • The
    organization that supports holistic physicians.  ACAM has a “Find a Physician”
    feature on the home page to help you find a holistic physician, especially if you do
    not already use a physician who is trained in the removal of heavy metals.
  • The
    professional organization that supports dentists, physicians, scientists and other
    health care professionals who want scientific support for their holistic, biocompatible
    approach to health care, especially as it concerns oral health.  The IAOMT has a
    “Find a Doctor” search feature on the home page for both physicians and dentists.  
    Please understand that only a physician can legally treat you for mercury
    poisoning. A dentist cannot do this. However, only a dentist can remove your
    fillings, which are the primary source of your mercury exposure, so you need both a
    physician and a dentist who are well trained on all aspects of mercury used in
    dentistry.  Removing and replacing the mercury fillings in your teeth is best
    accomplished by an accredited dentist who is a member of the IAOMT.  If you want
    your fillings replaced, you must be the one to ask and discuss this with your
    dentist (currently, many dental boards do not permit dentists to start a discussion of
    mercury in dental fillings).  Ask the dentist how he or she will protect you from
    mercury vapors when the fillings are being removed.  The IAOMT has an excellent
    protocol (on their website) for doing this correctly.

  • The  
    page for a holistic member dentist.  
Holistic Dental Association (HDA) can also be used to search on the home
The symptoms of amalgam poisoning:

Mercury is a very complex poison and an equally complex metal. Many people throughout
the world have been unnecessarily exposed to it, and thus poisoned by it.  
Mercury
doesn’t cause disease. It poisons people who accumulate it in their body.
Because mercury indiscriminately poisons enzymes, the symptoms of mercury
poisoning can mimic almost any disease known.

The mercury in amalgam fillings is released in relatively small concentrations over a long
period of time. This is called chronic micro-mercurialism, in contrast to the more acute
exposures that humans were exposed to before dental amalgam was invented more than
a century and a half ago. We can thank the dental profession for this relatively new way to
be poisoned by mercury. The result is that the scientific understanding of just what
happens to people who are exposed to small amounts of mercury for a good part of their
lives, is still incomplete. Trying to connect mercury toxicity with symptoms that may occur
years later is scientifically elusive.

Some people, because of their genetic makeup, have more sulfur containing enzymes
than others. They are the luckier ones because they can spare some of the extra
enzymes with sulfur that are inactivated by mercury. These people appear to be almost
immune to the effects of mercury. The more sulfur atoms we have in our body, the more
poisonous mercury we can tolerate before enough enzymes are affected to cause us to
become clinically sick. The fewer sulfur atoms we have, the more susceptible we are to
mercury. Given enough time, everyone chronically exposed to mercury will develop
symptoms.

Generally speaking, the symptoms of amalgam poisoning mirror the toxic affects of
mercury on human organ systems. Since mercury is primarily a reproductive, neurologic,
and enzymatic poison, we would expect women to experience difficulties with pregnancies,
both men and women to succumb to disorders that are associated with brain and nerve
dysfunction, and virtually all so called “chronic” diseases to be on the increase.
Historically, that is exactly what has been happening.  

There is considerable body of scientific evidence that many neurologic diseases with
unexplained causes are actually a form of chronic mercury poisoning. The problem is that
neither the medical nor the dental professions, nor government regulatory agencies have
been looking at mercury as a significant contributing factor. Heavy metal poisoning with
mercury is as invisible now as lead, and asbestos were a few years ago. To complicate
matters, mercury is never the only toxin found in humans. Many of the symptoms of
mercury poisoning are partly the result of interactions of mercury with other toxins. Often
this makes the poisonous affects of mercury much worse.

To sum it all up, mercury plays havoc with all organ systems essential to life and
survival. Mercury destroys brain tissue. Mercury inhibits kidney function.
Mercury damages your cardiovascular system. Mercury interferes with
pregnancy. Mercury impairs your entire immune system.  So do you think
amalgams are safe, after reading this?
Dr. Paul Gilbert
Dr. Paul Gilbert
How will nutritional support help me?   

If a poorly functioning immune system is unable to adequately cope with
environmental stresses and the resultant sensitivity to toxins, then it is
reasonable to assume that a vibrantly healthy immune system will behave the
opposite way, and enable you to better deal with all kinds of stresses, including
any metals in your mouth.

For information on nutritional support to keep you healthy, please click on this
link.

Here is the solution for strengthening your immune system to make it vibrantly healthy:

  • Consume the right kinds of foods and drinks when you can.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Avoid toxins as much as possible.
  • Make up for the health creating deficiencies in your life style by adding all
    natural, organic, green whole food supplements to your diet.*

To find out more about supplements to keep you healthy, please
click on
this link.

Why should you make up for the health creating deficiencies in your life style by adding all
natural remedies like organic, green whole food supplements to your diet?
The answer
lies in the fact that the human body is a marvelously designed living organism
with the ability to grow, regulate, repair, and defend itself when given natural,
high quality, full spectrum nutrients derived from natural and organically grown
foods.
A well fed body is able to resist disease better than a poorly fed body. In other
words, a well nourished body doesn’t make mistakes. Supplements made from these
foods uniquely enhance the quality or your body’s physical, mental, and emotional well
being, because they accomplish the same things that natural and organically grown foods
do. When you add all natural, organic, green whole food supplements to your diet, you
strengthen and support your immune system by elevating the health of your entire body.
At the same time, you raise the level of health of your mouth!  And like most people, you
may find that these supplements can also help you:

  • look younger
  • live longer
  • feel a whole lot better
  • manage your weight

Take charge of your health and your weight! If controlling your weight has been a
frustrating goal, common sense dictates that
you need to be healthy in order to be
thin. You must focus on your health, if you want to successfully manage your
weight
. So, whichever weight control program you choose to follow, you can make it a
better plan by including our health giving, all natural organic green whole food
supplements.

Whatever health benefits you are seeking, you are invited to try these products and see
for yourself how they can elevate you to a new level of confidence regarding the health of
your mouth and the rest of your body. That means greater peace of mind for you.

To find out more about supplements to keep you healthy, please click on
this link.
The purpose of this page is to answer questions
about dental amalgam poisoning and its symptoms.
Healthy Teeth 'n' Gums
Amalgam Poisoning
• HEALTHY TEETH ‘n’ GUMS WAKE UP YOUR SMILE •
Dr. Paul Gilbert
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Holistic, Professional
Dental Health Consultation
--------------------
Click here for my
suggested dental health
supplement program.
EXCLUSIVE OFFER
Holistic, Professional
Dental Health Consultation
--------------------
Click here for my
suggested dental health
supplement program.