rhody

Anyone who has mercury-silver fillings is getting exposed to mercury vapor. However, the reaction to this vapor can be different for so many people. It depends on how many you have, the type of amalgam, how long you have had them in your mouth, and how sensitive you are to these materials etc. So hopefully, you only have a few mercury-silver dental amalgams for a relatively short period, and the toxic impact will not be as severe. For some people, it apparently is not that big of a deal (say if they had only a couple of fillings). For other people, like myself, it was a big deal - but I was gradually getting worse over the years with the fibromyalgia symptoms etc. The mercury accumulates. If you don't have FM symptoms, loose teeth, and gum disease, it would be a guess that the small exposure to mercury is probably not causing you significant problems - at least not right now - because you are not showing immediate reactions to it. I must reiterate that that's my guess...as only a qualified medical professional would be the one to evaluate this properly for you (as I'm sure that you know).

Your second question.... Would such exposure cause birth defects? I hope not in your case, but I really don't know. There's so much being studied about this all the time. I think the best thing is do continue to read up on the "latest and greatest".

It's interesting to hear you say that you are grinding your teeth. If you grind the mercury filling a lot, that will promote more mercury to be released. They know that more mercury is being released when a person chews their food, for example.

I can relate somewhat to what you have written. So, I can state this from personal experience. When my tooth broke and exposed a dental amalgam, my muscle pains increased. My headaches became intense - like never before. Apparently the additional exposure to this mercury put me "over the edge". This was one of the ways that I linked my illness to my dental amalgams. I had them removed almost 10 years ago. I'm feeling better all the time. Now, instead of just running nearly 20 miles a week, I'm starting to "speed run" during these long distances. In 1978 a doctor told me to not run more than a hundred yards. It was years of suffering that I endured...and years for me to feel better after the dental amalgam removal. Mercury is extremely difficult to remove. Getting rid of the mercury source is only the start. Detoxification of the substance from the rest of your body is the next step.

Again, I want to reassure you, that if your exposure is relatively small, you probably are OK. I wouldn't want people to overeact to their situation, just because of my or other people's reactions. There are just to many variables...and everyone is different. I would just read more about it, and then make slow, well-informed, and methodical steps to correct the situation, as you feel is appropriate. Hopefully, you have a good doctor that can help you too.

If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask me. There's so much to learn about this. Even though I know a lot about it, there's so much much more. I read new data about this all the time. It's fascinating. More evidence is pointing to the dangers of mercury - even in the smallest amounts. It's good to hear that more of you are questioning this...trying to find answers.