Dentists reveal the truth about “toxic” mercury fillings – and why the real risk begins when they are removed

Most of us have at least one amalgam fill – some have many more – and fills are widely used in the UK.

But since January their use has been banned in the EU because the metal is “extremely toxic to humans and the environment”.

While this decision is not valid in the United Kingdom, dentists here specialize in removing Amalgama filling, they report an increasing number of people seeking to be removed.

And good health has discovered that dentists’ record numbers now offer Amalgama filling services – from a handful just five years ago to more than a hundred that report it on their practice sites.

But at a cost of about £ 80 for each fill, or up to £ 200 for newer techniques, it is expensive, it has potential risks – and is it still necessary?

Amalgam fills are made of 50 % mercury – the rest is a mixture of silver, copper and tin. Amalgama has been used to fill teeth from 1826 and almost 90 % of adults in the United Kingdom have at least one such filling.

But the EU says they should no longer be used as “exposure to high levels of mercury can cause damage to the brain, lungs, kidneys and immune system”.

However, according to the NHS, although amalgam fills “can release low levels of mercury vapor, especially when placed or removed, there is no evidence that exposure to mercury from Amalgama fills has harmful effects on health”.

The British dental union takes a similar line, saying that amalgam has been used safely for more than a hundred years – and that the mercury that swallowed over time is too low to cause health problems unless someone has an allergy or mercury sensitive.

Indeed, most people with amalgam fillings have less than 5 micrograms of mercury per liter of urine, because mercury is flushed by the body over time, reducing by half every three months, according to the oral health institution.

The maximum permissible level of mercury exposure to industrial workers is about 135 micrograms per liter in the US, which is considered safe by medical authorities.

“The EU ban on dental Amalgama is doing nothing to change the fact that there is a safe and effective filling material for patients throughout the United Kingdom,” says Eddie Crouch, a dentist and president of the British Dental Union. “In the United Kingdom, at least, Sanity Reigns. If the existing amalgam filling cracks then yes, remove it and replace it. Just don’t do it from the back of this ban. ”

Ben Atkins, a NHS dentist and president of the Oral Health Foundation, agrees: “Generally, mercury is released only when the Amalgam fills are placed or removed. I am a child of the 1970s and I have them in my mouth. I wouldn’t rush to replace them. ”

Amalgam fills are fast and low -cost, adds Eddie Crouch, which means that “a total training risks leaving millions of low -income patients without choices.”

However, other dentists, including James Goolnik from optimal dental health in London, are not convinced. “When we remove a filling, we are not allowed to put it in a bucket, we cannot rinse it under the sink,” he says. “It must be in a special container and must be removed as infected waste.

“I wouldn’t want anything in my mouth that had to be removed in infected waste.”

Dentist Jeff Amos said people travel from Spain to replace their amalgam fills

James Goolnik and others argue that there are safer materials such as composite resin, cement made of glass glass (glass powder) and porcelain. But what about removing the filling of amalgam you already have? This has its own potential dangers.

They must be carefully removed: While mercury in a filling slowly leaks over time, most exposure comes when the fills are applied or removed, as this can release mercury particles to the blood and mercury.

The US Food and Drug Administration warns against the abolition of Amalgama filling unless medically necessary due to the release of mercury vapors during the process, possibly leading to sleep, fatigue, memory issues and increased risk of stress.

A study in Environmental Health in 1998 found that blood mercury concentrations increased by 32 % 48 hours after Amalgama was removed, although they returned to normal levels within 88 days.

However, the EU decision has clearly worried some. From his announcement, Asif Hamid, a dentist and clinical director of Prive Clinics, says two to three questions annually about removal, now has five or six patients seeking this month.

Jeff Amos, a dentist at the Brighton clinic, says: “People come from Spain and drive from Devon to replace them.”

Jack Grainger, 45, a London retail manager, has just been removed from one of the seven Amalgama fills (in his twenties) after reading the EU decision.

“I was waking up in the middle of the night when I panicked that I was slowly poisoning myself,” he says.

“These things are in my mouth and go to my body on a daily basis. It may be a small amount, but I am worried about what accumulates over time in my blood and organs. Does it cause Alzheimer’s or bladder and kidney problems?

Jack was worried about the vapor and mercury particles released during the removal process, so he chose to use a dentist that offers a safe Amalgam of Mercury Removal Technique (SMART).

During the procedure the patient has a rubber barrier in his mouth (a thin sheet separating the tooth that is removed from the rest of the mouth to stop any pieces of mercury swallowing) and breathing through an oxygen mask-while a high-power suction is used.

The process costs from £ 200 for each tooth and can take 40 minutes in an hour to remove and replace each filling with a white.

Jack decided to have a filling on the front of his mouth was removed to test the technique. He also got a mercury urine test (purchased online) before and after, because while the dentists who use smartly say this is not necessary, he wanted to be sure: “If the test showed that I had not been exposed to more mercury, then I would go back and get the rest.”

“What assured me during the process was that I felt I had entered a zone without contamination. I felt very well protected. ”

The mercury test was normal, “so I’ll definitely come back to replace them all.”

He says that the removal of Amalgama also gives him the peace of mind: “I feel less anxious now.”