Sunday, November 20, 2011

Debate continues on widespread use of mercury fillings

Katherine Bouma
Newhouse News Service

A recent attempt by Alabama legislators to restrict the use of mercury in dental fillings is just the latest chapter in a long debate over the widespread practice. The bill, defeated last month in committee, would have prohibited dentists from giving children and pregnant women the fillings that still are the No. 1 choice of dentists.

The safety of the classic silver- colored amalgams that fill teeth in eight out of 10 Americans has been debated for years.

The extreme toxicity of mercury is widely accepted. Although amalgam fillings contain about 50 percent mercury, no state has banned their use. The question is whether the small amounts of mercury that leech from them over the years are enough to cause damage.

It almost certainly will be years before that question is answered, as scientists worldwide study the substance that routinely is placed in our mouths to stay for decades.

Mercury exposure can cause serious neurological problems, such as personality change, loss of memory, tremors, lack of coordination, insomnia, fatigue, depression, headaches, irritability, slowed nerve conduction, weight loss, appetite loss, psychological distress and, ultimately, death. Read more...

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