Mercury is bad for the environment and your health - List of dentists in Ireland still using mercury

Sounds

Been reading about countries banning mercury for health reason and the fact it's bad for the environment.

I had dental work done, got mercury fillings, because I didn't have the funds for white fillings at the time.

Never asked if I wanted white fillings, because mercury is cheaper? why is that? it's just a small filling.

I can't believe, in this day and age, a white filling would cost much more than a toxic mercury filling.

I suffered from numbness in my jaws, cheeks swelling up, that never happened until I got mercury fillings.

Sometimes when you're chewing food, it just doesn't feel right, I can't explain the feeling, but it's horrible.

If science knows anything about health and the environment, and they do, why do dentists using mercury?

Are the just ignoring science and don't care what your teeth look like, as long as they get paid.

Dentists are destroying people's mouths with ugly, dangerous substances that can cause you health issues.

What can we do to get dentists in Ireland to stop using this toxic substance? why haven't they already?

Are dentists taking the cheap option? you're not worth having clean, healthy looking teeth? to save money?

It's very inconsiderate, if you lose a filling, it goes back into the environment and that's not good either.

Just my opinion.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058213220/mercury-is-bad-for-the-environment-and-your-health-list-of-dentists-in-ireland-still-using-mercury

Firstly, it is a legal requirement for Dentists in Ireland to have amalgam separators on their suction units and to store excess/unused amalgam in special storage containers for safe disposal by licensed collectors. This is not a requirement in other countries, so Dentists here prevent contaminants entering the environment far more effectively than in other jurisdictions.

Secondly the use of amalgams is licensed for use here, so apart from use in certain people as stipulated by the EU, there is no issue apart from cosmetics with using amalgam.

Thirdly, we do not yet know the long term effects of the alternative filling materials. Amalgams have been used for over 100 yrs, composites for far less, in time we may find that the constituents of composites cause issues in some recipients.

Fourthly, the unidose amalgam capsules now used are far removed from amalgams made in manual tritorators years ago, they come in various sizes which Dentists use depending on the size of the cavity so far less waste.

Fifthly, all Dentists now use powerful suction tips which suck up waste into the units reducing ingestion.

Sixthly, the FDA in the US, arguably the most stringent of drug regulatory bodies has deemed amalgam safe to use except in certain people who they have issued guidance on use, but not prohibited.

Lastly, no matter what material/medication/dental material you want to name, some people react to it, but the overwhelming evidence points to the fact that they are safe to use.

In relation to cost, the production of composite/white filling materials meant that white fillings are a lot more costly to buy, and take longer to place because of the isolation necessary and the layered technique required to place them. They also take a lot more time to shape and polish, so yes, Dentists charge more for them. Certification of metals from mining to end use which is being introduced is likely to increase the cost of amalgam in future so their cost is likely to rise.

The main reason why they are still used, albeit to a lessening extent as time goes on, is their durability and the fact that they can be placed in a moist environment such as the subgungival areas of cavities. Composites are hydrophobic which means they don’t bond well if the cavity is moist. This makes placement in deep cavities a challenge and may mean you are more likely to get secondary decay under a relatively new filling. So in non cosmetic areas, amalgam are still a better restorative material, unless you are ok with needing a new filling/root canal sooner than with an amalgam.

In relation to your numbness/swelling, you should be investigating other causes, if it occurred immediately after the filling was placed, then it is more likely associated with the anaesthetic, if it was sometime afterwards and is recurring, you have bigger issues.

Sounds

Thanks Dav010 for the info, sorry I didn't see it earlier,

I was just having a rant, while reading about other folk's experiences online.

I can't argue with you about any of those points Dav, dentists know better than me.

But if we were just talking about appearance, the black fillings are ugly, so I think the fact that someone goes to a dentist to improve or repair their teeth, the dentists should have some consideration for how the finished job will look, then you open your mouth and see black fillings, it's just disgusting, I had white fillings done since.

People go to dentists for many reasons, I'm sure some of them consider having better, nicer looking teeth when the work is finished. I think I had an allergic reaction to the anesthetic, not just once, because my face and gums stayed numb for a long time, I thought it'd never go away, well it never did, fully, it's quite possible I had a bad reaction to the mercury.

Appearance of course is important, but a patient being offered a choice on what is clinically indicated and in their best interest is more important. Would you be happy if all medical/dental procedures were recommended based only on appearance and not on what is best for you? I doubt it.

A considerable percentage of patients opt for the stronger amalgam fillings in non cosmetic areas based on their strength, durability and proven longevity. What use is a white filling on a back tooth if it fractures easily, falls out or leads to loss of the tooth? Would you thank the dentist for not offering the stronger amalgam that could have assured long lasting retention of the tooth? Perhaps you thing it is better to have a filled tooth which looks good, on the tray after being extracted. The decision on what filling materials should be used should be made after discussion with the patient, if the patient wants a white filling after taking into account the condition of the tooth, and it’s appearance, then a white filling should be placed, but if the restoration fails, then it would be noted that this was the patient’s decision, not the Dentist’s.

Sounds like you had nerve parasthesia post injection, that is not associated with mercury. You should discuss with your Dentist.

Sounds

So the white filling won't last as long as the mercury? or they're not as strong? I didn't know that.

When I got the mercury filling, some of them didn't last that long, cold air, hot food still caused me great pain, but I have to say, the dentist didn't hurt me at all, that took my fear of dentists away, I don't know if I'd go back to the same dental surgery.

There was no discussion about which filling I wanted, because it was on a medical card job at the time.

I remember asking the dentist if they would be able to file back one wisdom tooth a bit so I could close my mouth properly,

They numbed my jaws first, then pretended to file the tooth, asked me how's that, I didn't know the difference because my face was numb, the dentist actually said, you can fool some but not them all, at the time I didn't think much about it, but now I know they were referring to the fact that they didn't actually file my tooth down, that was sneaky, considering it would have took them a few minutes to fix my problem.

When you're in pain, it's hard to think straight, all I wanted was to stop the pain, they sorted that out but I still left with dirty black fillings,

White fillings on back teeth used not to be available on the Med card, Dentists were limited to using amalgam. I’m not sure if this is still the case, if it is and you wanted treatment on your Med card, there was no option to use composite unless you were prepared to pay the full private price.

Post fill sensitivity is most often associated with the depth of the filling and proximity to the pulp chamber rather than the filling materially. Ironically Dentists do tend to find more issues with sensitivity with white fillings though.

If you were numb, how do you know the dentist didn’t adjust your tooth? It would be odd to go through the process of numbing the patient, then do nothing. If you still felt issues with your bite after the treatment, chances are your wisdom tooth is not the problem. No dentist wants to drill down a tooth if they don’t believe it is the source.

Sounds

Well, the dentist numbed my gums to work on a tooth on the right side.

Then I asked if they could do something about the point growing down from my left wisdom tooth,

I couldn't close my mouth fully. the point on the wisdom tooth came down on the bottom back tooth.

I should really get it out because it still causes me a lot of stress, it is too far back.

But I'm missing a tooth on the bottom left row, and removing the top left wisdom tooth, my bottom left teeth are a bit off balance,

The teeth wouldn't have a flat surface to rest on if the top wisdom tooth was gone, it's awkward.