Guarantee of health or not, among patients who have had their amalgam fillings removed, there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to support the advantages of doing so. “Have we seen people improve their health after removing mercury fillings at a physician’s request? The answer is yes, absolutely,” says Tischler. “That’s an important thing.”
Adds Viglielmo, “Many [patients] have told me that they just feel better knowing that there is no more mercury out-gassing in their mouths. Most recognize that like most things with one’s health, what you do today most likely will show its effects many years hence. I had mine replaced over eight years ago with gold inlays. I had no idea at the time that my minor hand tremors were an early symptom of mercury toxicity.” Since the removal of his amalgam fillings, he says, the tremors have disappeared.
Life without mercury
“The argument that many of us dealt with in the early days,” says Kurek, “was that you could use a tooth-colored resin filling, but it wasn’t going to hold up well. And they were right. We’re into seventh-generation materials now, and if they’re used correctly, they have excellent durability functionally and aesthetically, and they represent excellent value. I have them in my own mouth, my staff’s, my family’s, and certainly all of my patients’ mouths.”
In addition to a tooth-colored composite of glass or quartz filler in a resin medium, porcelain and gold-based metal fillings present alternatives to mercury-based materials. “I think the storm clouds are building,” says Kurek. “It’s just a matter of time before it’s going to be very difficult for organized dentistry to defend the use of amalgam. In Europe we’re already seeing legislation to limit or to completely ban its use… When it comes to the way I practice every day, I just had to ask myself, ‘What could possibly be the justification for putting this in somebody’s body?’ There just isn’t any.”
RESOURCES
Center for Advanced Dentistry
494 Rt. 299, Highland; (845) 691-5600
www.thecenterforadvanceddentistry.com
Tischler Family Dentistry
121 Rt. 375, Woodstock; (866) 359-5743
www.tischlerdental.com
Transcend Dental
269 Rt. 375, West Hurley; (845) 679-4000
www.transcenddental.net
Jeffrey Viglielmo, DDS
56 Lucas Avenue, Kingston; (845) 339-1619
[email protected]
