Texas Dental Team Challenges FDA's Position on Mercury Fillings - KMPH FOX 26 | Central San Joaquin Valley News Source

Texas Dental Team Challenges FDA's Position on Mercury Fillings

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SOURCE: Floss Dental

Floss Dental Urges the Industry to Move Beyond the Era of "Mercury in the Mouth"

Dallas, TX (PRWEB) May 09, 2012

The dentists at FLOSS Dental have recently begun urging patients to establish a timeline by which all mercury fillings can be removed.

“Look, we know these amalgam fillings will have to come out eventually. We're just postponing the obvious,” says Clark Steffens, DDS, and a Floss associate. “As a man-made substance, they always erode and that’s when the mercury gets dangerous.”

Floss dentists estimate that nearly half of their work involves teeth that have been adversely affected by amalgam fillings with mercury. They have been commonly used in dentistry for years. However, with the advent of better materials and the constant flip-flop of FDA policies regarding the risk of mercury fillings, Floss dentists have chosen to provide consumers a voice of reason on the topic and urge the end of 'mercury in the mouth'.

“The FDA should step up and admit that the mercury will eventually have to come out,” says Dr. Clint Herzog, CEO of Floss. His company has more than a dozen dental clinics across Texas, where dental teams remove old amalgam fillings daily.

Mercury is the most poisonous naturally occurring non-radioactive substance and is far more toxic than any other heavy metals, including arsenic. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is no harmless level of mercury. Yet the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) recently overturned its opinion on mercury fillings, stating “...Mercury exposure due to dental amalgam fillings has been found to be far below the lowest levels associated with harm.”

Before this recent statement, spokespersons for the FDA had recommended the removal of mercury fillings, citing the dangers of mercury vapors. In fact, the FDA website still has cautions regarding mercury: “Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses.”

Physicians and scientists for the WHO have studied the effects of mercury fillings for many years and discovered dental amalgam contributes significantly to mercury levels in the human body.

“Dental professionals must wear masks, wear nitride gloves and use specialized equipment for protection during mercury filling removal. These facts alone tell me that people should not have mercury fillings in their mouths, regardless of the position of the FDA,” says Herzog.

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