The Food and Drug Administration until recently has maintained the safety of amalgams and refused to classify them. Now, due to a settlement resulting from a lawsuit, they have changed their wording on their website when it comes to ‘mercury’ or amalgam fillings. According to Charlie Brown, the lawyer who sued the FDA, the agency had to retract its claims of amalgam’s safety from its website. To quote from the FDA’s website, “Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses. When amalgam fillings are placed in teeth or removed from teeth, they release mercury vapor. Mercury vapor is also released during chewing.”
According to an article on Dr. Mercola’s website, “A single dental amalgam filling releases as much as 15 micrograms of mercury per day. The average individual has eight amalgam fillings and could absorb up to 120 micrograms of mercury per day. In contrast, eating mercury-tainted seafood will expose you to about 2.3 micrograms per day — and that is enough for scientists to call for a world-wide warning.”
Dr. Mercola goes on to say, “Mercury vapor from the amalgams passes readily through cell membranes, across the blood brain barrier, and into the central nervous system, where it causes psychological, neurological, and immunological problems. Mercury can persist in your body for years unless it is actively removed.”
Norway and Denmark banned mercury from fillings earlier this year while Finland and Japan have severe restrictions. The use of mercury amalgams has been banned and is on a scheduled phase-out in Germany, Austria, and Denmark. In Sweden, the use of amalgam has been reduced by 90 per cent since 1997, as its use is severely restricted and a total ban exists when it comes to children and youth. Also, the Canadian government has instructed its dentists not to place amalgams in the teeth of pregnant women and children.
Carey O’Rielly DDS has been a practicing dentist for 35 years. He went to USC Dental School and Duke University for his undergraduate degree. He grew up in Laguna Beach and now lives in La Costa with his wife Victoria, who runs his office.
He began his career by owning and operating a network of six offices in the San Francisco Bay Area. Presently he owns a private holistic practice in North County San Diego’s Encinitas.
Dr. O started looking for solutions to his health challenges that resulted from the stress and environmental toxicity that built up over a ten year period running his dental network. He has dedicated himself to learning about oral systemic problems and how dentistry can affect your health. He has applied what he has learned over the last twenty years to ensure he, his staff and his patients are protected from the chemicals and toxic materials found in most dental offices. He has produced an environmentally friendly office that is also peaceful and calm.
He is an expert on dental materials having looked at hundreds of biocompatibility lab tests over the years. He has identified the most bio-friendly materials to use in his practice and which dental materials can be used to replace metal fillings and crowns, including BPA free and fluoride free ‘white’ fillings. He also uses metal-free Zirconia or ceramic implants and PRF (platelet-rich fibrin) grafting materials which come from the patient’s own blood.
Dr. O’Rielly teaches C.E. courses on the systemic effects of gum disease. He is an expert in using phase contrast microscopy for analyzing dental infections, where he shows patients what kind of microbes, i.e. bacteria, amoeba, and yeasts like candida are populating the mouth and affecting the body as a whole.
He has an educational blog and is writing a book on dental health called ‘Hidden Dental Infections: Healing Root Canals and Infected Teeth with the Erbium Laser’ where he discusses dental nutrition, toxic dental materials and the effects of old root canals on inflammation and overall health.
