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Silver amalgam fillings

Arran

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.

Parents

  • Dentists have to dispose of silver amalgam fillings as toxic waste. They are no longer permitted to just throw them in the bin like they used to do. I read somewhere about crematoria staff having to remove teeth containing silver amalgam fillings before burning the body because otherwise it would release mercury vapour into the atmosphere.

    A mercury free dentist told me that NHS dentists use amalgam for the following reasons.

    1. The NHS offers a minimalist utilarian service rather than one to the patient's personal requirements. White fillings are perceived as cosmetic when amalgam does the job of filling a cavity.

    2. Training. Dentistry courses in Britain consider amalgam as the standard mass-market filling material so all dental students are required to be proficient at installing amalgam fillings in order to graduate. White fillings are considered as cosmetic dentistry so students only are trained to install them if they choose to study cosmetic dentistry rather than just general dentistry. Many private dentists are proficient at installing white fillings and their workmanship is to a high standard. Many NHS dentists lack experience of installing white fillings so often end up doing a poor job. The reason why amalgam fillings were considered to be more durable is because so many white fillings were poorly installed by dentists who lacked experience of installing them.

    3. Cost. The costs concern training NHS dentists how to properly install white fillings more so than the cost of installing white fillings over amalgam fillings in patients.

    4. Ideology. Adults have to pay for amalgam fillings (Band 2) but children can have them free of charge. The reason why children can have as many amalgam fillings they require free of charge is because of the ideology of the NHS from the 1940s of providing free healthcare. If the cost of providing white fillings for children is an issue then both white and amalgam fillings can be made chargeable (Band 1?) to give patients a choice but this flies in the face of the 1940s ideology and could be seen as an injustice to children from poor families who will struggle to afford them.

Reply

  • Dentists have to dispose of silver amalgam fillings as toxic waste. They are no longer permitted to just throw them in the bin like they used to do. I read somewhere about crematoria staff having to remove teeth containing silver amalgam fillings before burning the body because otherwise it would release mercury vapour into the atmosphere.

    A mercury free dentist told me that NHS dentists use amalgam for the following reasons.

    1. The NHS offers a minimalist utilarian service rather than one to the patient's personal requirements. White fillings are perceived as cosmetic when amalgam does the job of filling a cavity.

    2. Training. Dentistry courses in Britain consider amalgam as the standard mass-market filling material so all dental students are required to be proficient at installing amalgam fillings in order to graduate. White fillings are considered as cosmetic dentistry so students only are trained to install them if they choose to study cosmetic dentistry rather than just general dentistry. Many private dentists are proficient at installing white fillings and their workmanship is to a high standard. Many NHS dentists lack experience of installing white fillings so often end up doing a poor job. The reason why amalgam fillings were considered to be more durable is because so many white fillings were poorly installed by dentists who lacked experience of installing them.

    3. Cost. The costs concern training NHS dentists how to properly install white fillings more so than the cost of installing white fillings over amalgam fillings in patients.

    4. Ideology. Adults have to pay for amalgam fillings (Band 2) but children can have them free of charge. The reason why children can have as many amalgam fillings they require free of charge is because of the ideology of the NHS from the 1940s of providing free healthcare. If the cost of providing white fillings for children is an issue then both white and amalgam fillings can be made chargeable (Band 1?) to give patients a choice but this flies in the face of the 1940s ideology and could be seen as an injustice to children from poor families who will struggle to afford them.

Children
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