Patient Guide — Safe Mercury Removal

10/19/2011 by Leave a Comment

Are Mercury Fillings Safe? Mercury fillings emit dangerous mercury vapor.

How we protect you from mercury vapor exposure.  When a dentist removes (drills) on an old amalgam filling, it releases a lot of mercury vapor. You can recognize an amalgam filling because it looks dark gray or silvery. When this mercury vapor is released, you can potentially breathe it in and then have it absorbed into your nervous system or other tissues.

Here’s what we do.

  1. Non-Latex Dental Dam
  2. Medical Air Nasal Hood
  3. High Volume Vacuum
  4. High Speed Suction
  5. Chunck Amalgam Removal
  6. Lots Of Water
  7. Protective Eyewear
  8. Ventilation
  9. Primary Health Provider Communication

Here’s what we do  to protect you from mercury vapor during amalgam filling removal.

First, we use a non-latex dental dam. This is sometimes called a rubber dam; it prevents you from not only breathing in vapor through your mouth but also prevents that vapor from contacting the more permeable mucosa inside your mouth. We use a non-latex dam instead of latex because it resists mercury vapor better than latex does, and because many people have latex sensitivites.

The second thing we do to protect you from mercury vapor is we use a nasal hood supplied with medical air at a high flow rate. We use the same kind of clean, filtered air they use in an operating room. With this air rushing past your nose, you’re much less likely to breathe in mercury vapor from outside the nasal hood.

Third, we place a large, high-volume vacuum right under your chin. This draws a high percentage of escaping vapor away from you and into the vacuum. The vacuum itself has special filters in it that filter not only the particulates but also bind the mercury to special carbon and sulfur layers.

Fourth, we use a high speed suction next to the dental drill, and that suction stays next to the tooth throughout the procedure.

Fifth, we use suction underneath the dam in case any vapor makes it past the nitrile dam.

Sixth, we remove the amalgam in as big of pieces as possible by using thin burrs and sectioning the filling. This way, less mercury vapor gets released.

Seventh, we use lots of water to keep the amalgam cool.

Eighth, we give you protective eyewear.

Ninth, we ventilate the room throughout and after the procedure.

Last, we communicate with your whole-body practitioner to coordinate your dental treatment with your overall plan for detoxification and to optimize your whole-body health plan.

Filed Under: Dental Materials, Natural Dental Health, Safe Mercury Removal Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Dangers of Removing Old Mercury “Silver” Fillings.

10/09/2011 by Leave a Comment

When old mercury “silver” fillings are removed/replaced the dental drill causes the filling to emit high levels of hazardous mercury vapor.  Dr. Taylor has advanced training in “Safer Mercury Removal” and accreditation from the IAOMT (International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology).  When Dr. Taylor removes old amalgam (mercury) fillings he uses the most current practices available for “Safer Mercury Removal” to reduce the amount of toxic mercury vapors and particles that you and our staff are exposed to.  Please watch this video from the IAOMT which demonstrates they need for protective barriers and what those protective barriers are.

 

Filed Under: Natural Dental Health Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Dr. Scott Taylor Addresses FDA Director Dr. Shuren

09/27/2011 by Leave a Comment

On September 22, 2011 Dr. Scott Taylor addressed the FDA Director over Mercury use in Dentistry at a San Francisco FDA town hall meeting.  Dr. Taylor spoke directly on the need for FDA accountability to the established dangers associated with dental amalgam (mercury) fillings.

Here is a report issued from Charlie Brown of Consumers for Dental Choice covering the FDA town hall meeting.

FDA Director Shuren Confronted at Town Hall Meeting, Says Amalgam Announcement Coming Back

FDA agrees to amalgam announcement this year.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Director of the Center for Devices has agreed that FDA will issue an “announcement” on amalgam by the end of this year.
Dr. Jeff Shuren, who signed the appalling 2009 amalgam rule, agreed to this timeline as he presided at an FDA town hall meeting in San Francisco on September 22. It was the third FDA town hall meeting this year – and for the third time, our movement showed up in force to confront Dr. Shuren about the dangers of mercury fillings. The first town hall meeting was in Texas, the second in Florida, and now the third in California – these states represent a quarter of the U.S. population!

California grassroots director Anita Vazquez Tibau presented testimony on behalf of Consumers for Dental Choice. She highlighted amalgam’s devastating impact on the Latino community. “Many Spanish speakers told me that their dentists have never ever used the word ‘mercurio’ in a discussion,” Anita explained to Dr. Shuren. “Instead, it is deceptively called la amalgama plata – ‘silver fillings.’ I’d like to see you tell everyone that mercury is toxic, and please post it in Spanish as well.”

Then Anita reminded Dr. Shuren of his own famous boast: “We don’t use our people as guinea pigs in the U.S.” She held high a photograph of a Latino kindergartener whose mouth is filled – top and bottom – with mercury fillings. “FDA admits that amalgam can cause neurological harm in young children. Their developing neurological systems are ‘more sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of mercury vapor’ says FDA. And FDA admits there is no evidence that amalgam is safe in children under age six: ‘No clinical information is available’ says FDA.” So stop treating Latino children like guinea pigs, Anita concluded.

Dr. Shuren responded. “What I can tell you is we intend to come out with an announcement by the end of the year.”

The clock is running: FDA has 97 days left to act.

I congratulate all the Californian consumers and dentists who confronted Dr. Shuren at the San Francisco town hall meeting – and everyone who has spoken up for mercury-free dentistry in their community. It was the grassroots movement rising up all across America that put amalgam at the top of FDA’s “to do” list. Thank you.

So what will FDA do? Will FDA act as its own scientists recommended: (1) end amalgam use in children, pregnant women, and hypersensitive adults and (2) make sure that every parent knows amalgam is mercury, not silver? Or is FDA simply going to “announce” that it will do something at a later date?

As many of you have been doing since 2009, I urge that you write Director Shuren at jeff.shuren@fda.hhs.gov:

First, thank Dr. Shuren for agreeing to act on amalgam this year.

Second, ask Dr. Shuren to take real action this year – don’t just announce that FDA might act sometime in the future. As Anita explained, our children are being subjected to mercury fillings now – they cannot wait another year.

Third, tell Dr. Shuren to take the advice of the FDA scientists he convened in December 2010. Stop amalgam use in children, pregnant women, and hypersensitive adults immediately. And warn every consumer that amalgam is mercury – a neurotoxin.

Charlie
27 September 2011

Charles G. Brown
National Counsel, Consumers for Dental Choice
President, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry

Filed Under: Materials Sensitivity, Mercury In The News Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Does Fluoride Prevent Tooth Decay

09/14/2011 by Leave a Comment

The ADA (American Dental Association) supports the belief that fluoride use — particularly when ingested internally —  prevents tooth decay.  Is this accurate … and at what risk?

Here is what the Fluoride Action Network has to say about it.

Key Findings – Fluoride & Tooth Decay (Caries)

According to the current consensus view of the dental research community, fluoride’s primary – if not sole – benefit to teeth comes from topical application to the surfaces of teeth (while in the mouth), and not from ingestion.

It is also acknowledged by dental researchers that fluoride has little effect on preventing cavities in the pits and fissures (chewing surfaces) of teeth – where the majority of tooth decay occurs.

Perhaps not surprisingly, therefore, tooth decay rates have declined at similar rates in all western countries in the latter half of the 20th century – irrespective of whether the country fluoridates its water or not. Today, tooth decay rates thoughout continental western Europe are as low as the tooth decay rates in the United States – despite a profound disparity in water fluoridation prevalence in the two regions.

Within countries that do fluoridate their water (such as the United States and Australia), recent large-scale surveys of dental health – utilizing modern scientific methods not employed in the early surveys from the 1930s-1950s – have found little difference in tooth decay, including in “baby bottle tooth decay”, between fluoridated and unfluoridated communities.

Filed Under: Flouride In Dentistry, Natural Dental Health Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Dental Habits Made Simple and Natural

09/07/2011 by Leave a Comment

– If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much we would have found the safest way to health. -Hippocrates

Dental habits go far beyond flossing and brushing —

In fact, many patients who floss and brush daily can still have active decay if other factors are out of balance.  Dr. Taylor has found that a patient’s overall health is often reflected in their oral health.  Practicing great nutrition, staying active, and staying emotionally healthy all bolster your oral health as well.  Regular home care by flossing and brushing, coupled with regular dental visits can also health keep your mouth healthy.

Nutrition —

A healthy, unprocessed diet affects our oral health in a number of ways; total oral sugar exposure, availability of essential nutrients, ability of our bodies to use the nutrients from our foods and oral pH.

A Preventative Dentist is aware that the foods we eat directly affect the health of our teeth.

When food is grown in nutrient rich soil it contains the vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and organisms necessary for proper nutrient absorption and assimilation.  When we eat  foods that are depleted of any of these essential nutrients it is more difficult for our bodies to utilize the characteristic nutrients of the food. Eating whole foods, in their original or fermented form, free of pesticides, preservatives and other additives is the best way to acquire the nutrients needed to build and maintain a healthy mouth. When your body gets the nutrients it needs your teeth get the nutrients they need, allowing your mouth to  maintain the necessary balance for optimal oral health.

Food grown in a healthy, nutrient rich environment is a fundamental  building block for strong teeth, healthy mouths and whole body wellness.

Dr. Taylor can  help you critically review your diet and consider the impact of your diet on your oral health. He can work closely with your N.D. or other primary care physician to help you reach optimal whole body health.

A Balanced Amount of Exercise–

Regular, moderate exercise can help strengthen our our immune system.  Tooth decay and periodontal (gum) disease are caused by an overgrowth and invasion of oral micro-organisms.  Potentially harmful micro-organisms (bacteria, yeast and fungi) live all over our bodies — including our mouths, therefore a healthy immune system can help prevent dental infections.  In caring for our whole-body health we want to try to find a health balance in moderate, regular excercise because too much exercise can depress the immune system leaving us more vulnerable to dental infections.

Daily Oral Hygiene —

Optimal hygiene would be to brush and floss after every meal! For many people this is not realistic, so bare minimum is to brush morning and night and floss once a day.  We recommend using toothpaste with natural ingredients and avoid those that contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS).  We also recommend the use of Xylitol  — a natural sweetener made from birch trees — to help prevent tooth decay.  This “tooth friendly”  sweetener can usually be found at your local health food store as an ingredient in toothpastes, gum, mints or plain to sweeten drinks with. Recent research confirms that  multiple small exposures to xylitol a day has a plaque-reducing effect by attracting and “starving” harmful oral micro-organisms.  Thus allowing your teeth to remineralize with less interruption.

Oral health means more that keeping bacteria at bay. It requires an overall healthy body for the proper maintenance of existing oral tissues and for the production of essential enzymes to deliver minerals to our teeth.

Dental Visits —

The real value in regular dental visits is that exams can find problems when they’re still small:  if tooth decay is caught early enough, it can be reversed without even drilling on the tooth!  If it’s advanced, less conservative treatment may be the only way of predictably restoring the compromised tooth.  Dr. Taylor can help determine how often you may need exams.  Some patients with excellent oral health require far less frequent exams than those with rampant decay.

Overall Emotional Health —

Stress and anxiety can weaken your immune system and overall health — including your oral health.  Unresolving grief, chronic stress, and “burning the candle at both ends” can all work against your oral health if left unaddressed.  Similarly, remaining healthily connected to self, others, nature, and something bigger than one’s self  contributes to emotional well being.  Sometimes something as simple as regular exercise, massage, or service to others can help a lot.  Dr. Taylor refers patients to practitioners of all walks — including those who specialize in emotional health — if he feels it can benefit their oral health.

Filed Under: Dental Habits, Natural Dental Health Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Join Former US Attorney General in a Dental Mercury Call to Action

09/06/2011 by Leave a Comment

Finally, we have two strong public figures advocating for patients dental rights.  It is time for the U.S. to move away from using mercury in dental fillings.    There are many people in  America, primarily low income individuals and families and members of the military, who do not have a choice in their dental filling materials.  This article address this injustice and how we can try to influence our leaders the make Dentistry less toxic.  Thank you Dr. Mercola and Charlie Brown.  We have called and sent a letter.

By Dr. Mercola With Consumers for Dental Choice

 

That American dentistry became mired in mercury is a story of profits first, people last. Amalgam is a primitive, pre-Civil War, pollution product that is half mercury. The 50 percent of North American dentists still using amalgam likely do so for the quick and easy profits – while handing us the bill for the health effects and environmental disaster.

Now is the time for those dentists still using amalgam to switch, and join their brother and sister dentists who practice mercury-free dentistry. Now is the time for you to decide that henceforth you will not allow mercury in your mouth or your child’s mouth – no matter what a pro-mercury dentist might say. Now is the time for you to tell your neighbor, cousin, or best friend: Don’t get a mercury filling.

And what is a mercury filling?

It is what the mainstream press calls “silver fillings.”

Mercury Amalgams More Commonly Used in Minorities and the Poor…

Just like the one-size-fits-all strategy of medicating community water supplies with fluoride, the use of mercury amalgams disproportionally affects minorities and the poor, as they frequently are left without options—even when they know better and want a safer alternative.

As explained by Charlie Brown in the featured interview:

“People on these very limited dental insurance plans or on Medicaid often have no bargaining power with their dentists. They are being told by the dentists, “This is what I’m going to do.” The dentist may not even tell them what they’re going to do. They just put in fillings. Some dentists treat their patients and those teeth like dollar signs.

 

There’s a disproportionate impact on working [class] American families—whether in Appalachia, where I’m from, or in inner-cities. Working [class] families: white, African-American, Latino, and Native Americans are much more likely to get a mercury filling.

 

… It’s unscrupulous dentistry and it’s terribly unfair to these families… One group that is particularly badly treated are children with disabilities… [T]here was just an all-out battle in Philadelphia, because we succeeded in getting a fact sheet law, so the parents were reading the fact sheets, saying, “I don’t want amalgam.” The dentists serving children with disabilities were telling the parents, “You will get the filling I decide on”… Parents were forced to leave the office or accept a mercury filling! These dentists were backed up by the Pennsylvania Dental Association. That was condemnable.

 

… The ADA in fact issued an apology recently for its history of racism. That appears to continue with their attitude that those who are disabled have no rights to mercury-free dentistry. That’s one of the battles that we’re [facing]… to protect those who are less able to fend for themselves in this economic society.”

Consumers for Dental Choice Paves the Way for Mercury-Free Dentistry Worldwide

Leading the charge against mercury fillings is Consumers for Dental Choice, a nonprofit group founded by Charlie Brown that merits your support. With its worldwide Campaign for Mercury-Free Dentistry, we get closer – year-by-year, and day-by-day – to ending this abominable 150-year historical mistake. But to win, we need action in communities across the United States and around the world.

Here’s what you can do right in your community or your workplace:

If your dentist has not switched to mercury-free dentistry, this is the time for him or her to do so. Call your dentist and ask. If they use mercury and insist on sticking with it, re-consider your choice of dentists.

If you work for a company that covers dental fillings, ask if they will cover composites, ART, or other alternatives to amalgam. Consider the stellar example of the Cleveland-based Parker Hannifin company, which fully covers composite but does not pay for amalgam! Parker-Hannifin employees and their families are getting non-toxic dental fillings.

If you have dental insurance, ask about ending primacy for amalgam. That’s what United Concordia has done with its policies.

If you know your Mayor or a member of your City or Town Council, consider asking if they will do what is happening in some California cities: pass a resolution calling for an end to amalgam and a request that dentists in your town stop using amalgam.

What You Can Do to Help Abolish Mercury Amalgams

Charlie Brown, who runs Consumers for Dental Choice, is headed to Nairobi in October to lead a worldwide delegation participating in the world mercury treaty negotiations. With him will be a team of dentists, consumers, attorneys, and scientists fighting to get amalgam into that treaty. With the world deciding whether we continue allowing mercury in children’s mouths, much is at stake.

During this Mercury-Free Dentistry Awareness Week, I urge you to take action.

Here’s what you can do:

Americans: Our number one problem is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has partnered with the American Dental Association (ADA) to cover up the mercury; to make you think you are getting silver instead of toxic mercury in your mouth. The FDA intentionally conceals the warnings about amalgam deep in its regulation — so parents will never see them. On its website, the FDA gives dentists the green light to continue to deceive consumers with the term “silver fillings”

“Americans are ready for the end of amalgam.” This was the theme of the testimony to the U.S. Department of State on August 18 by former West Virginia state Senator Charlotte Pritt. Yes, Americans are ready. But FDA is not. So let’s send them a message.Nine months ago, FDA scientists advised the agency to disclose the mercury to all patients and parents, and to stop amalgam for children and pregnant women. Yet FDA sits – sits actually in the pocket of the American Dental Association – ignoring its own scientists.

Please write the Director of FDA’s Center for Devices, Jeff Shuren, jeff.shuren@fda.hhs.gov Ask Dr Shuren why the FDA continues to ignore scientists and covers up the mercury from American parents and consumers. Ask when the FDA is going to get in step with the world on mercury.

Dr. Jeff Shuren, Director
Center for Devices, U.S. Food & Drug Admin.
10903 New Hampshire Ave.
WO66-5431, Room 5442
Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002
Telephone:  301-796-5900
Fax:  301-847-8149
Fax:  301-847-8109

 

Filed Under: Materials Sensitivity, Mercury In The News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dr. Mercola Announces Mercury-Free Dentistry Week

09/06/2011 by Leave a Comment

Hoffman Estates, IL (PRWEB) September 04, 2011

During the week of September 4th-10th, Dr. Joseph Mercola and the nonprofit group Consumers for Dental Choice / ToxicTeeth.org are launching their first-ever “Mercury-Free Dentistry Week,” with in-depth newsletters and interactive articles on various mercury (amalgam) topics.

Together, the team will launch an intensive and informative program to help consumers understand the health and environmental dangers of mercury dental fillings.

“Dental amalgams are a major source of dental toxicity, and the environmental dangers of mercury fillings from dental offices, human waste and cremation is alarming, “ said Dr. Mercola, founder of Mercola.com, one of the most popular alternative health websites in the world. “I’m very excited that as part of this educational week we will be able to encourage more effective government oversight on amalgam.”

Consumers for Dental Choice was established in 1996 by consumer advocates, mercury poisoning victims, scientists and mercury-free dentists. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to counter studies by non-independent or unqualified researchers that urge continuation of amalgam in dentistry. Dr. Mercola has been a mercury-free dentistry advocate for many years, and has written many articles about its potential health threats.

“Amalgam is 50 percent mercury, and its time that more people understood that there are non-toxic alternatives to having this put in your mouth when you visit the dentist,” Dr. Mercola said. “Last year I ran an article calling for volunteers to get involved in a grassroots campaign to convince the FDA to reassess the safety of mercury fillings, and the response was wonderful. Now, we hope to build on that momentum to work toward banning amalgam altogether – a goal that I believe we can reach with this education program.”

About Dr. Mercola and Mercola.com:

Dr. Joseph Mercola’s mission is to bring people practical solutions to their health problems. A New York Times best-selling author, Dr. Mercola was voted the 2009 Ultimate Wellness Game Changer by the Huffington Post. He has been featured in major publications such as Time magazine and the LA Times, and on CNN, Fox News, ABC News, the Today Show and CBS’ Washington Unplugged.

He is board certified in family medicine, and served as chairman of the Family Medicine Department at St. Alexius Medical Center for five years. He is trained in both traditional and natural medicine. Over 2 million people, including 40,000 health care professionals, currently receive the website’s free email health newsletter, which offers practical health and wellness information covering nutrition, medicine, lifestyle choices, emotional therapy and other health topics.

Filed Under: Materials Sensitivity, Mercury In The News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Can I React To Dental Materials?

01/15/2011 by Leave a Comment

Your body can react adversely to dental materials in your mouth.

 Here’s a list of the top 10 offenders and where they are most commonly found;

  1. Mercury (Silver Fillings)
  2. Nickle (Crowns)
  3. Beryllium (Crowns)
  4. Aluminum (Implants)
  5. BPA (While Fillings)
  6. Chrome (Crowns)
  7. Cobalt  (Crowns)
  8. Copper (Crowns)
  9. Formaldehyde (White Fillings)
  10. Phenols (White Fillings)

Here’s  a list of the most common symptoms that can be associated with dental materials sensitivity.

  1. Tooth Sensitivity
  2. Inflamed Gums
  3. Fribomyalsia
  4. Candidiasis
  5. Cancer
  6. Autoimmune Disorders
  7. Fatigue
  8. Increased Environmental Sensitivity

How do I know if  i have these dangerous materials in my mouth?

Dr Taylor is highly knowledgeable  about dental materials and can help you understand what materials might be in your existing restorations  by reviewing your dental X-rays.  But even with X-rays  there are limitations in the ability to  identify the materials in your mouth.  For example, there may be mercury  fillings hiding under crowns or a number of base metals used in metal or porcelain fused to metal crowns.

Many people are sensitive to the dental materials placed in their mouths.  Some more, some less.   We strive to reduce the effects of dental treatment on your body by introducing only those materials that your whole body is comfortable with.  We do this by conscientiously selecting all of the materials that we use in the office, and because no two patients are alike we offer materials pretesting to see if you have any existing allergies to dental materials or dental material byproducts.  This test is useful not only for determining which products are best for future use but also  for reviewing what materials you already have in your mouth.

How much does the compatibility test cost?

Our office provides you with the test kit at no cost.  You will take the kit to a convenient pathology lab and mail your payment directly to Clifford Testing.  The rate they currently charge is around $300.

What is the Clifford Materials Reactivity Test? Clifford Consulting & Research Inc.

Clifford Materials Reactivity Testing (CMRT) is a laboratory screening process used to help identify existing sensitivity problems to various chemical groups and families of compounds in an individual patient. This process is currently being implemented in the CMRT Dental Test. After a patient’s test has been completed, the patient’s reactivity test results are compiled in a report. We are currently reporting on over 11,000 trade-named dental products and 94 chemical groups and families. We have also added a Orthopedic panel reporting on over 3900 trade-named products for surgical applications.

In modern society we come in contact with many substances every day in the food we eat, the products we use and the treatments we receive.

Because each of us possesses a unique biochemistry, these substances effect each of us differently and in varying degrees. For some, the effects of certain substances (and their corrosion byproducts) can be toxic and hazardous, and may result in serious health problems. A substance which causes little or no reaction in one individual can prove harmful to another.

Since these effects may vary in each of us, it is vital that these factors be considered when choosing dental and other materials for use in the body, especially in patients with special or unique health concerns.

Clifford Materials Reactivity Testing (CMRT) provides dentists and physicians with extensive information about their patient’s individual sensitivities so that least offensive materials can be chosen and used in their treatments.

CMRT is not merely based upon the body’s response to biomaterials themselves, but also upon response to corrosion byproducts of those materials. These byproducts are generated at various rates as the materials decompose or break down in the body. It is these products of decomposition that the body must deal with and which are most likely to cause untoward health effects and toxic conditions. The body produces systemic antibodies against challenging antigens and will maintain an immunologic record of the components or chemical families which have proven offensive and which can be observed by CMRT.

Filed Under: Dental Materials, Materials Sensitivity Tagged With: , , , , , , ,