Organic Lifestyle Magazine

FDA Acknowledges Amalgam Fillings Potential Harm for Pregnant Women & Children

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The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated guidelines for dental amalgams:

Dental amalgam fillings may release small amounts of mercury in the form of a vapor (gas), depending on the number and age of existing fillings, and actions such as tooth grinding and gum chewing. When a new amalgam filling is placed or an old filling is removed, patients and healthcare providers may experience a temporary increase in exposure to mercury vapor. While there are no known health risks associated with ingestion (swallowing) of small particles of dental amalgam, inhaling (breathing in) mercury vapors may be harmful in certain patients.

In general, people with multiple dental amalgam fillings may have slightly higher mercury levels in their blood or urine, however, they usually remain at a level considered safe. Studies on people with dental amalgam do not show conclusive evidence that dental amalgam causes harmful health effects in the general population.

FDA

The FDA goes on to state that certain people, “including women who are pregnant or who are planning to become pregnant, nursing mothers, children (especially those under the age of six), people with a known allergy to mercury, and people with a neurological impairment or kidney dysfunction,” could be more susceptible to damage caused by dental amalgam. They recommend that anyone who is of the “high-risk populations identified” should avoid dental amalgam “if possible and appropriate.”

Related: Heal Cavities, Gum Disease, Naturally with Organic Oral Care – Toothpaste recipes included

The FDA says that groups with greater risk for potential harmful health effects of mercury vapor include:

  • People with known heightened sensitivity (allergies) to mercury or other components of dental amalgams
  • People with pre-existing neurological conditions
  • Pregnant women and developing fetuses
  • Nursing women and their babies
  • Children, especially younger than six years
  • People with poor kidney health
Sources:
  1. Information for Patients About Dental Amalgam Fillings – FDA
  2. Breaking: FDA Acknowledges Amalgam Fillings Potential Harm for Pregnant Women & Children – Health Nut News



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Michael Edwards

Michael Edwards

Owner at Organic Lifestyle Magazine
Michael Edwards is the founder, owner, editor-in-chief, and janitor for Organic Lifestyle Magazine. At age 17, Michael weighed more than 360 pounds. He suffered from allergies, frequent bouts of illness, and chronic, debilitating insomnia. Conventional medicine wasn’t working. While he restored his health through alternative medicine he studied natural health and became immersed in it.

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Michael Edwards
Michael Edwards