Historic Ban on Dental Amalgams

History was made in Costa Mesa, California recently when the City Council banned the use of mercury dental fillings. The resolution was sponsored by former Mayor and City Councilman Gary Monahan, who spoke adamantly against the use of mercury in amalgams, saying,

"We have an autistic child, and we believe it's a major cause of autism. There are so many alternatives and I can't understand why we're putting this in our mouth. It's just very dangerous for anybody to have these fillings."

The resolution:

(1) calls on federal and state agencies to eliminate amalgam,

(2) asks dentists in Costa Mesa to cease using mercury and switch to non-toxic alternatives, and

(3) requests that the other 33 cities in Orange County join Costa Mesa in opposing dental mercury.

Californians for Green Dentistry made the presentation, contending, “The mercury implanted into the teeth of unsuspecting patients ultimately ends up back in our environment: (1) in our water via dental clinic releases and household toilets; (2) in our air via cremation, sludge incineration, dental clinic emissions, and human respiration; and (3) in our land via landfills, burials, and fertilizer.”

Also among the speakers were Dr. James Rota and Dr. Chester Yokoyama, DDS, a former California Dental Examiners Board member. When asked by the mayor of Costa Mesa why dentists are hesitant to switch to non-mercury fillings, Dr. Rota responded, “Dentists were taught in school that when you mix silver, tin, zinc and copper with mercury, you have an inert, stable mass. However, new technology now reveals that this isn’t true. But we didn’t know that then.”

Dr. Rota went on to say that the diseases which result from the mercury toxicity are not diagnosed by the dentist. They are diagnosed by the physician. Except in acute toxicity cases, when a patient has a conventional blood or urine test, chronic mercury will not be found, as it is trapped in the tissues and not detected in blood or urine. It wasn’t until chelating agents were developed that physicians were able to measure and release the mercury.

According to the following PRWeb article,

Mercury is a well-known neurotoxin. Once mercury is discharged to the environment, it converts to methylmercury, a very toxic form, and bio-accumulates in fish. The EPA has designated mercury as its Number One hazardous waste. Amalgam is made up of approximately 40% to 50% mercury, 25% silver, and a 25% to 35% mixture of copper, zinc, and tin.

The discussion of the Monahan Resolution resulted in increased awareness by the Council and audience regarding the multiple dangers of using mercury fillings. “I wasn’t familiar with this at all until Councilman Monahan brought it forward... I have mercury fillings. Now I am concerned,” as stated by Council Member Wendy Leece.

Further speaking of dental amalgams, Dr. Rota strongly urges anyone who is considering having the silver mercury filling removed from their teeth to ensure that procedure is performed by a dentist that adheres to the IAOMT protocols. For more information about dental amalgams and mercury toxicity or to find a biological dentist, visit http://www.talkinternational.com/.

To read the article in its entirety, click here.