Does the NAS have any recommendations and advice about silver amalgam fillings which contain mercury, either for children with ASD or mothers of children yet to be born?
Both the NHS and the BDA steadfastly and adamantly insist that silver amalgam fillings are 100% safe and pose absolutely no health risks. The ADA and the FDA in the US also hold the same stance. This is despite independent research over the decades revealing that silver amalgam fillings do indeed leak out mercury. After all, amalgam is an alloy and not a compound. Any materials scientist will tell you that metals can and do dissolve out of alloys. The toxic effects of mercury on the human body is well known by toxicologists who are the world's experts on the subject. There really is no maximum safe limit for mercury as it is a toxic element that has no biological functions in humans or mammals. Very few dentists have formally studied toxicology so they only have rudimentary knowledge of the subject.
If silver amalgam is a safe material for filling teeth then it will also be a safe material to make toys out of, or dummies for babies. Therefore there is no logic to ban toys made of silver amalgam then allow the same material to be used to fill the teeth of a child who will play with the toys.
Amalgam is also the only filling material available for back teeth from an NHS dentist and children can have an unlimited number of amalgam fillings free of charge. White fillings (even for children) for back teeth are only available privately and patients must pay for them. An increasing number of countries in Europe and the developed world no longer permit dentists to install silver amalgam fillings in children or women of child bearing age unless there are exceptional circumstances.
