Amalgam Fillings Pose No Risk on Health
By: Jacob Krikor DDS| Articles
A report by the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) concluded that "no risks of adverse systemic effects exist and the current use of dental amalgam does not pose a risk of systemic disease."
Amalgam filling
-The committee investigated a possible link between amalgams and a variety of systemic conditions, particularly neurological and psychological or psychiatric effects.
Despite the outcome of this report several European counties are considering a ban on amalgam fillings. Sweden has been among the first countries to ban the extensive usage of amalgam fillings. Dentists in Sweden may place amalgam fillings only when alternative restorations are not suitable, for example in tooth cavities that are difficult to keep dry, usually when they are very close to or under the gum margin. Amalgam fillings are less sensitive to moist compared to white composite fillings. Also children and pregnant women have been excluded from amalgam treatments due to the mercury effect on the development of the brain. Amalgam contains a high percentage of mercury and it is this mercury that has stirred the discussions about how poisonous this component is. Mercury has the tendency to accumulate in the brain tissue and high concentrations of it has shown to be damaging to the nervous system with many claiming it causing Alzheimer's and other nervous system disorders.
What has also been noticed is that some patients are more sensitive to amalgam with symptoms like fatigue and general discomfort, over - sensitivity to light, sound, smell and pain, dizziness, heart palpitations and sensitivity to electricity. When these patients had the amalgam fillings removed and replaced with other dental materials, they noticed a significant improvement.
Also amalgam fillings have been linked to oral tissue reactions such as Lichen Planus. When these fillings where replaced, the oral tissue returned to its original healthy state.
Many dentists still prefer amalgam fillings and praise their unique qualities and durability arguing that millions of patients over decades have been treated with amalgam fillings with no evidence of any systemic effects or negative reactions.
The debate will continue until more data and more evidence is provided to whether amalgam is harmful or not.
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