Dental Health
Dental health has become a huge topic of discussion in the Functional Medicine community.
Read the FDA's Amalgam Filling Statement:
"Bioaccumulation refers to the build-up or steadily increasing concentration of a chemical in organs or tissues in the body. Mercury from dental amalgam and other sources (e.g., fish) is bioaccumulative. Studies of healthy subjects with amalgam fillings have shown that mercury from exposure to mercury vapor bioaccumulates in certain tissues of the body including kidneys and brain. Studies have not shown that bioaccumulation of mercury from dental amalgam results in damage to target organs."
Mercury, a proven neurotoxin, builds up in organs, but does not cause damage. Hmmmm.
Then, read this study: Patients’ experiences of changes in health complaints before, during, and after removal of dental amalgam
"This poses the following dilemma: Even though there is not sufficient evidence to lend scientific credibility to an amalgam syndrome diagnosis, standard safety margins are lacking, thus making it impossible to rule out that, for some people, amalgam might be associated with a risk of negative health effects (Richardson et al., 2011)."
Seems backward to me. Shouldn't we prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that what we are putting in a patient's mouth is safe BEFORE we start using it?
"Something is not working: betrayed by the bodyThe starting point for all participants was the experience of something not working inside their bodies. Some had struggled with health complaints from an early age, whereas others experienced onset of complaints as adults. The majority of the participants described the onset of complaints as gradual, but some pinpointed more distinct starting points for the health complaints they attributed to dental amalgam. Several of the participants already had—or went on to receive—other diagnoses explaining part of their complaints; nevertheless, they felt that something remained unexplained. Participants’ complaints differed in kind, number, and intensity. The following complaints were mentioned most often: pain in muscles and joints, headaches, memory problems, tiredness, gastrointestinal symptoms, and intraoral health complaints. For some, the discomfort and impairment were limited to a few distinct complaints; for others, it was the sum of the complaints—more than the separate complaints in themselves—that posed the main burden. Some participants were puzzled by the way the complaints made them feel “beside themselves” or “out of it.”
You decide. I have already made my decision. NO WAY!
