Do Mercury Fillings Affect Your Immune System?
As a mercury-safe and mercury-free dentist, D. Gashinsky has warned patients for years about the dangers of dental amalgam. And for good reason. More and more studies reveal that dental amalgam, now in use for more than 150 years, has been severely questioned as a treatment due to its alleged health hazard.
People with amalgam fillings are exposed to mercury and other main dental amalgam metals via vapor, corrosion particles in swallowed saliva, and direct absorption into the blood from the mouth. Dental amalgam fillings are the most important source of mercury exposure in the general population. [1]
In research conducted at the University of Calgary in Canada, chewing increased the mercury levels within the air in the mouth six-fold among test subjects. The greater the number of fillings, the more mercury vapor was released.[3]
Studies have shown that exposure to metals has been found to be one of the most common causes of allergic contact diseases (ACD) and other allergic and immune reactive conditions. One of the largest sources of exposure to the metals that commonly cause inflammatory, immune reactive conditions is from dental metals. Having dissimilar metals in the teeth, e.g. amalgam (mercury, copper, tin, silver), gold alloys (gold, palladium), nickel or stainless steel crowns(nickel, cobalt), causes galvanic electrical currents and much higher mercury vapor levels in oral air and metal levels in oral tissues.
Government agencies and medical studies have found that the largest source of mercury exposure in most people is from dental amalgam fillings. For those with amalgam dental fillings, exposure from fillings amounts to 50 to 90 % of exposure, with the average being about 75 % of total exposure. [2]
A Polish study has even claimed that a significant positive correlation exists between the mercury concentration in the hair of female dental personnel who are exposed to mercury and their history of reproductive failures. Since elemental mercury passes through the placenta, the study inferred that mercury vapor released from dental amalgam can be a potential hazard to the fetus. [2]
Effects upon the immune system provide some of the strongest evidence that mercury fillings are causing harm. A report published in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry found that the percentage of T-lymphocytes (essential in strengthening the immune system and combatting diseases such as cancer and HIV) went up substantially after the removal of dental amalgam in 30 patients. One patient, after filling removal showed an increase of 55%. Patients exposed to dental amalgam showed a reduced T-cell count of 30%. [4]
We can safely conclude that in the least, mercury containing dental amalgam is not good for your health and if you have mercury fillings, the best advice we can give you is to have them evaluated for possible removal, safely! Our safe amalgam removal procedure, dictated by the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology, ensures that no adverse effects will occur during and after our procedure. Contact us if you have any questions about getting your mercury fillings replaced by health-friendly porcelain fillings.
Sources:
1 Does amalgam affect the immune system? A controversial issue.- Eneström S, Hultman P. Bigazzi PE.
2. Autoimmunity and heavy metals. Lupus.1994; 3: 449-453.
3. Potential Biological Consequences of Mercury Released From Dental Amalgam – Swedish Medical Research Council
4. Dental Silver Fillings Weaken Immune System – Chem-Tox.com
