Mercury Vapor Testing – and what you need to know
Since the introduction of dental amalgams in 1833 many dentists had refused to use mercury, but most dentists today, unfortunately, still do use mercury as part of amalgam fillings. In 1843, the American Society of Dental Surgeons actually considered the use of dental amalgams malpractice.
Dentists who use mercury are under the impression that mercury is safe in the form of dental amalgams because it is “inert” or inactive. Dental amalgams contain approximately 50% mercury and are easy to work with for dental purposes. However, Dr. Alfred Stock in 1926 showed that mercury vapor escapes from dental amalgams from normal decay and each time one chews down upon them. The ADA, or American Dental Association, vigorously defended the continued use of dental amalgams in spite of evidence that mercury is a known toxin with “no threshold” of safety (no amount is without potential health problems).
As recently as 2008, the FDA or Food and Drug Administration admitted that dental amalgams may cause health problems. If one were to perform a scientific search on pubmedny.com, or the National Library of Medicine, and search, mercury and cancer, or mercury and autoimmune disease for example, one would be presented with nearly 3000 studies on jus these subjects alone!
Our office uses non-invasive, quick mercury vapor testing. When considered in context with an exhaustive health intake and other complementary mercury tests (i.e., 24-hour mercury provocation, red blood cells levels of mercury and plasma – ALL DONE AT THE SAME TIME) more accurate mercury assessment is possible. Remember, removing mercury is one thing, but repairing the damage from toxic metals requires other evaluations and individualized efforts.
