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Dental Fillings
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A card which is given to patients at
our clinic to explain about metal alloy.
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When
doctors prescribe medicines, they usually provide information
to explain what kind of drugs they are and how to take
them. It seems to be strange that we don’t usually receive
something similar when we have our teeth filled at the
dentist.
Gold, silver and palladium alloy is the most commonly
used material which is covered by national health insurance.
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Background on how this alloy was approved for
coverage by national health insurance.
Around 1960 in the dentistry field in Japan,
there was a movement to make less costly “copper/zinc” alloy
an alternative metal alloy for dental fillings due to the
bad economic climate post world war II. However, metal used
in the mouth where it is under extremely severe conditions
should be chemically and biologically stable and non-corrosive
like gold or other precious metal alloys.
The Japan Prosthodontic Society established a dental metal
standards committee to standardize dental metal alloys and
their testing methods, and to evaluate alloys. As a result
of their activities it was determined that copper/zinc alloy
was not suitable as a dental filling and was not introduced.
The committee also determined that a gold, silver and palladium
alloy was the minimum permissible standard to be used if the
economic factors of the day made it necessary. Although, it
was stated that it should be switched over to a better standard
of gold alloy at the earliest possible time. (Clinical Medicine
for Metal Allergies for GP’s – by Masayuki Inoue)
Note: The above change to a better standard
of alloy is yet to have taken place.
Mercury in Dental Fillings. |
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What
is mercury amalgam?
Mercury amalgam used for dental fillings
contains approximately 50% mercury and various other materials.
It is generally said to be a stable alloy and is covered
by national health insurance. Despite this, recent research
with advanced technology identifies the ability of mercury
to slowly leach out of the tooth and into the body. Mercury
vapor also escapes from dental fillings into the sinus
cavity, brain, eyes, ears, heart, nervous system and other
organs, resulting in mercury poisoning (neurotoxin). The
ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare that approves such
filling material for coverage by national health insurance
is obviously aware of these the facts. The question is,
why is nothing being done about it? The senior dentist
at our clinic enquired and got the answer from them but
it’s not possible to reveal it to the public here because
it could cause riots. They seem eager to hide problems
and do not think about peoples’ wellbeing.
<Photos>
• Mercury amalgam fillings
• When amalgam is removed in the US, dentists wear protective
masks.
• When we remove amalgam at our clinic, we use a rubber
dam to avoid breathing or swallowing mercury vapor or
fragments as well as wear protective glasses and masks.
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Extract from Dentistry Without Mercury – by
Sam Ziff and Michael Ziff D.D.S.
Publisher: Bio –Probe.
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Reference Book “Kuchi
no naka ni hiromu kyofu (Terror in the Mouth) by Dan
Steinberg”
People may be encouraged by the high
improvement rates shown in the graph but mercury is
highly toxic and known to be the cause of “Minamata
disease”. Therefore it is surprising that the use of
this kind of material is covered by national health
insurance. When you decide to have your dental fillings
removed, do not take it lightly as extreme care must
be taken when removing them. Swallowing a piece of mercury
or inhaling mercury vapor could aggravate the symptoms
of mercury poisoning. Additionally, what to use as a
replacement is an important issue. |
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