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This discussion of the dental amalgam controversy outlines the debate over whether dental amalgam (the mercury alloy in dental fillings) should be used. Supporters claim that it is safe, effective and long-lasting, while critics argue that amalgam is unsafe because it may cause mercury poisoning and other toxicity. [1] [2] [3]
Hal Alan Huggins (1937 – November 29, 2014) was an American alternative dentistry advocate and campaigner against the use of dental amalgam fillings and other dental therapies that he believed to be unsafe. [1] [2] Huggins began to promote his ideas in the 1970s and played a major role in generating controversy over the use of amalgam. [3]
The same year, the use of dental amalgam was declared to be malpractice by the American Society of Dental Surgeons (ASDS), the only US dental association at the time, who forced all of its members to sign a pledge to abstain from using the mercury fillings. [7] This was the beginning of what is known as the first dental amalgam war. [8]
Mercury poisoning is a type of metal poisoning due to exposure to mercury. [3] Symptoms depend upon the type, dose, method, and duration of exposure. [3] [4] They may include muscle weakness, poor coordination, numbness in the hands and feet, skin rashes, anxiety, memory problems, trouble speaking, trouble hearing, or trouble seeing. [1]
Although the holistic dental community is diverse in its practices and approaches, common threads include strong opposition to the use of amalgam in dental fillings, nonsurgical approaches to gum disease, and the belief that root canal treatments may endanger systemic health of the patient through the spread of trapped dental bacteria to the body.
[20] [22] About 84.9% of dental practitioners among those attending a health screening program in the annual ADA session in San Francisco, California, were found to restore teeth with 100–200 dental amalgam restorations in a week, and about 4.2% did a minimum of 50 dental amalgam fillings in a week. [22]
Amalgam tattoo is a grey, blue or black area of discoloration on the mucous membranes of the mouth, typically on the gums of the lower jaw. It is a healthcare caused lesion, due to entry of dental amalgam into the soft tissues.
The "Dental amalgam toxicity controversy" is a section in an encyclopedia, so its purpose is not to debate, but to describe elements of the existing debate in accurate, neutral terms. Describing the video as depicting how mercury from fillings causes brain neuron degeneration is inaccurate, somewhat overreaching, and lacks neutrality.