Amalgam Warning from the FDA

In a world filled with so much bad news these days, I am happy to report to you some positive news. The FDA recently issued a safety communication in September 2020 recommending against amalgam mercury fillings in people who are at higher risk from the adverse effects of mercury exposure, including:

• Pregnant women and their developing babies
• Women who are planning to become pregnant
• Nursing women and their newborns and infants
• Children, especially but not limited to, those younger than six years of age
• People with pre-existing neurological disease
• People with impaired kidney function
• People with known heightened sensitivity (allergy) to mercury or other components of dental amalgam

The list, of course, encompasses a significant part of the American population. As such, FDA’s action has the potential to protect up to one half of the American population from having a dentist put mercury in their mouths. This is the first essential immediate step we need towards transitioning to a mercury-free dental world.

As you may or may not know, I have been fighting this battle for over 35 years. The battle is not over yet for the full population. No country in the world including the two pioneers, Norway and Sweden, ended amalgam fillings in one fell swoop. Most started with eliminating it for children and pregnant women.

There are now TEN GOVERNEMENTS that have ended amalgam or have a drop-dead date for its end: Philippines, Nepal, New Caledonia, Finland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Moldova, Norway, and Sweden. Many more have ended it for children, most recently Tanzania.

The FDA’s full safety communication on amalgam is available at https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/recommendations-about-use-dental-amalgam-certain-high-risk-populations-fda-safety-communication. The American Dental Association reported this in the October 4th ADA News on page 4 which surprised me – it must not have been that important to them. The ADA also goes on to recommend that if they are already in the mouth, then leave them in. Our office does not recommend this. Our State-of-the-art Protocols for removing mercury has been proven safe and is an effective way to remove one of the most toxic materials to humans.

At Rothchild Dentistry, we have always been at the forefront of removing the mercury restorations with the utmost care so as not to contaminate you, the patient, or our dental team. The safety precautions we use are not seen anywhere in the Southwest. We have been removing mercury fillings and replacing them with biocompatible materials for over 35 years. If you wish to remove the mercury (amalgam) fillings from your mouth, we are uniquely qualified to help!

John A. Rothchild, DDS