Most people don’t love visiting the dentist. In fact, many people avoid the dentist at all costs. But could there actually be medical reasons to stay away from your dentist’s office and out of that chair? According to the FDA, the answer is YES!
Mercury and Your Mouth
We’ve all read the seafood warnings:”The FDA recommends that women who are pregnant…limit consumption of certain seafood due to the risk of high mercury levels.” So we know that mercury is toxic and we shouldn’t eat it. But what about mercury that’s already in your mouth… permanently?
If you have amalgam fillings in your mouth (the silver kind) you have mercury embedded in your teeth. Don’t have silver fillings? Your dentist used composite fillings? You’re still not out of the woods. Mercury is at it’s most toxic when the filling in placed, and when mercury vapor is released into the air. So even if you aren’t getting the filling, you could still be inhaling the vapor.
Not sure how toxic it might be? Dentists have been using amalgam fillings since the 1800’s, so it can’t be too bad, right? Wrong. The FDA recently released this warning: Dental amalgams “contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems…”
The bottom line? Mercury fillings are dangerous!