In the News
Are Your
Mercury Tooth Fillings Safe?
Sept. 13, 2006 — Like millions of Americans, Lauri
Grossman has cavities.
"I certainly had my share of silver fillings in my mouth," Grossman
said.
"Silver," or amalgam fillings, aren't really silver.
They are made from a mixture of metals, including 50 percent
mercury, and some people, including dentists, have reservations
about them.
In large doses, mercury has been proven to cause learning disabilities
in children and brain damage in adults.
To be safe, Grossman had her fillings removed and replaced.
"If mercury isn't good for kids in vaccinations, then it certainly
isn't good just sitting in my mouth," she said.
Reservations Deserved?
Perhaps Grossman has good reason to worry.
An FDA panel met last week to review safety concerns of mercury
fillings.
While the panel did not say they were unsafe, it recommended
further study for the first time, especially in children and
pregnant women.
U.S. consumer groups that have been lobbying for a partial ban
on mercury fillings feel this is a start.
Tens of millions of Americans still get the fillings every
year, though.
Previous research has shown that even among people with multiple
fillings, exposure levels are well below those known to be harmful.
"There is a misguided fear out there," said Dr. Ed Hewlett of
the American Dental Association. "In order to have even the earliest
signs of a problematic effect with mercury fillings, a person
would have to have 500 silver fillings in their mouth, all at
the same time."
Still, some countries have banned them for use in pregnant women,
and many dentists here refuse to use them at all.
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