When the Cure Is Worse than the Disease

Health Alert 258

Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin. Having the deadly distinction of being more poisonous than arsenic or lead, mercury vapors can penetrate human bone and flesh.

You may not know that the silver fillings known as dental amalgams contain 50% mercury. Along with mercury, modern amalgams contain tin, zinc and copper, which has toxic properties of its own.

In this Health Alert, I m going to show you that the ubiquitous and reportedly harmless dental filling may be contributing to a host of diseases, cancers and increased risk to your heart.

* Continuous Exposure to a Deadly Toxin *

For decades, the American Dental Association, (ADA) has claimed that mercury contained in a filling is locked in and unable to escape. Unbelievably, when you read the ADA s regulations regarding the disposal of unused dental amalgam, they advise that it be stored in air tight containers and treated as a hazardous material!

Over the years, a growing mountain of evidence from leading universities continues to show that mercury does indeed escape from dental fillings and it does so with astonishing predictability and regularity.1

A now famous German study, conducted in 1995 by the University of Tubingen, found that 43% of the 17,500 individuals studied had a level of mercury in their saliva that was 10 to 100 times over the acceptable limit. They also found that there was a statistical correlation between the mercury concentration in saliva and the number of amalgam fillings present in each person. In other words, the more fillings you have, the higher the concentration of mercury in your saliva.

A year earlier, the United States Public Health Service, (USPHS) published a report by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, (ATSDR) on the Toxicological Profile for Mercury. In their conclusion, they stated that the mercury exposure from dental amalgams far exceeded their Minimal Risk Level, (MRL).2

In the face of these and many other studies contributing to an overwhelming body of evidence, the ADA continues to defend dental amalgams insisting that they are safe.3 So much for scientific evidence

* The Connection between Healthy Teeth and a Healthy Heart *

It is well documented that good dental hygiene contributes to a healthy heart. Studies have shown that people with gum disease suffer heart attacks more often than those with healthy gums and teeth.4

In many cases, the bacteria in your mouth can invade diseased gums and enter the bloodstream. This triggers an immune response, causing inflammation. The chronic infection activates white blood cells, which can cause arterial lesions and encourage plaque build-up on the walls of the artery. This process, known as atherosclerosis, greatly increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.

In the case of dental amalgams, a similar phenomenon was discovered during a landmark study by a group of doctors in 1998. Researchers implanted dental amalgams into the teeth of animals. This triggered a rapid activation of the immune system, with significantly increased appearance of immune complex deposits in the vessel walls of the internal organs, including the heart.5

The effects of mercury toxicity on the heart are also well known. Some of these symptoms include irregular heartbeat, alterations in blood pressure, pain or pressure in the chest and an irregular pulse.6

Fortunately, there is good news for patients with mercury toxicity and symptoms of heart disease. An analysis of 1,569 who had their dental amalgams removed, experienced a significant reduction of their symptoms:7

I have had all mercury removed from my mouth. I would recommend it for you as well. You can use your local directory to call dentists in your area that have expertise in removing mercury.

To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, M.D.

1 Svare, C.W. Dental Amalgam Related Mercury Exposure. Cal Dent Assoc J. pp 55-60, Oct. 1984.
2 USPHS, ATSDR. Toxicological Profile for Mercury: Update TP-93/10, Page 125.
3 ADA. When your patients ask about mercury in amalgam. JADA. 120:395-8. April 1990.
4 Genco R. Periodontal disease and Cardiovascular disease: epidemiology and possible mechanisms. Journal of American Dental Association. 2002 Jun; 133 Supple: 14S-22S.
5 Hultman, P; et. Al. Activation of the immune system and systemic immune-complex deposits in Brown Norway rats with dental amalgam restorations. J Dents Res. 77(6):1415-1425, Jun 1998.
6 Environmental Health Criteria 1, Mercury. World Health Organization, Geneva, 1976.
7 Zamm AV. Removal of dental mercury: Often an effective treatment for the very sensitive patient. J Orthomol Med 5(3):138-142, 1990.