A “silver” filling, or dental amalgam, is not a true alloy. Amalgams are made up of 50% or more mercury. The amalgam also consists of approximately 35% silver, 9% tin, 6% copper and a trace of zinc. More than 100 million mercury fillings are placed each year in the U.S. alone and here in Australia over 90% of dentists still use them for restoring posterior teeth.
Mercury is a highly toxic heavy metal and is considered as dangerous as lead and arsenic yet the dental profession is trained that it is perfectly safe once it is mixed in with the other metals. However, mercury evaporates as a vapour every time you chew, grind, and swallow, brush your teeth or the fillings get warm. The average person swallows around 3000 times a day, swallowing brings your teeth into contact causing friction on any existing amalgam fillings.
People with amalgam fillings exceed all the occupational exposure limits for mercury allowances set in all European and North American countries. Adults with four or more amalgams run a significant health risk from the mercury, while in children as few as two amalgams will contribute to health problems.
A single dental amalgam filling with a surface area of only 0.4 sq.cm, that’s 2mm by 2mm, is estimated to release as much as 15 micrograms of mercury per day primarily through mechanical wear and evaporation. With the average individual having eight amalgam fillings the absorption goes up to 120 micrograms of mercury per day. Compare this to estimates of the daily absorption of all forms of mercury from fish and seafood which is 2.3 micrograms and from all other foods, air and water which is 0.3 micrograms per day. Therefore we are exposed environmentally to a lot less to mercury from food etc. than we are from our amalgam fillings.
Currently many countries such as Germany, Sweden and Denmark severely restrict the use of amalgams with Norway about to follow suit.
What Happens to the Mercury Vapour from Amalgam?
The mercury escapes continuously during the entire life of the filling primarily in the form of vapour and ions but also abraded particles which get swallowed and ingested. Chewing, brushing, and the intake of hot fluids stimulate this release of mercury. The mercury vapour released from the amalgams is inhaled into the lungs and transferred to the blood. Mercury is fat soluble and passes readily through cell membranes and across the blood brain barrier where it selectively adheres to nerve tissue and the pituitary gland, the gland which controls the production and balance of the hormones. The vapour serves as the primary route of mercury from amalgams to transfer into the body and into the tissues where it accumulates over time presenting a potential health threat.
Animal studies show that radioactively labelled mercury released from ideally placed amalgam fillings appears quickly in the kidneys, brain, thyroid and wall of the intestines.
Any metal tooth restoration placed in the mouth will also produce electro galvanic effects. When dissimilar metals are placed in the oral cavity they exert a battery-like effect because of the electro conductivity of the saliva. The electrical current causes metal ions to go into solution at a much higher rate, thereby increasing the exposure to mercury vapour and mercury ions manyfold. Gold placed in the vicinity of an amalgam restoration produces a 10-fold increase in the release of mercury.
So What Does Mercury Do?
Mercury attaches to cells and their receptor sites thus blocking the biochemical process of the body by interfering with the way messages are sent from one cell to another via minerals and enzymes. Mercury not only competes with essential minerals it also depletes the body of them. These actions then impact on the functionality of the body impairing the immune system, nervous system, hormone production, kidney function, the cardiovascular system, energy production and so on.
Mercury makes the body feel heavy which is not a pleasant sensation so people will seek stimulation, distraction and numbness, which are forms of checking out, over being at one with the body which is very detrimental from an energetic perspective.
Mercury Toxicity Symptoms
The overt clinical effects resulting from toxic exposure to mercury have been clearly described.
The scientific literature shows that amalgam fillings have been associated with a variety of problems such as Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmunity, kidney dysfunction, infertility, food allergies, multiple sclerosis, thyroid problems, and an impaired immune system.
Amalgam may also be related to fatigue, depression, poor memory and certain psychological disorders. Along with other neurological problems such as tremors, insomnia, emotional irregularities, irritability, personality changes, headaches, weakness, blurred vision, dysarthria, slowed mental response and memory problems
The nervous system is more sensitive to mercury toxicity than any other organ in the body. Mercury in the central nervous system (CNS) causes psychological, neurological, and immunological problems in humans. Mercury bonds very firmly to structures in the CNS through its affinity for sulfhydryl-groups on amino acids. Other studies have shown that mercury is taken up in the periphery by all nerve endings and rapidly transported inside the nerves (axonal transport) to the spinal cord and brainstem. (The mouth contains a rich network of nerves and blood supply vessels). Unless actively removed, mercury has an extremely long half-life of somewhere between 15 and 30 years in the CNS. That means it takes 15 to 30 years for half the mercury to be released from the CNS and another 15 to 30 years for half of the remaining half and so on.
Mercury exposure has also been associated heart and cardiovascular conditions.
Systemic Mercury Elimination
The urine and faeces are the main excretory pathways of metallic and inorganic mercury in humans. There are a number of agents that have been demonstrated to have clinical effectiveness in facilitating the removal of mercury with someone who has demonstrated clinical signs and symptoms of mercury toxicity.
However, the most important part of systemic elimination is to remove the source of mercury. For most this involves amalgam removal. Individuals should seek a dentist who is specially trained in this area as improperly removed amalgam may result in unnecessarily high exposure to mercury.
Once the amalgam is removed supplementation with minerals and anti-oxidants and some dietary modifications assist the body to eliminate mercury.
Source by Dr Rachel Hall
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