The Beginning of the End for Mercury in Dentistry

Dr. Joseph Mercola

We are witnessing the beginning of the end for the use of mercury in dentistry worldwide, following two monumental advancements.

Story at-a-glance:

Two monumental advancements signal the beginning of the end for the use of mercury in dentistry worldwide.The Fourth Conference of the Parties of the Minamata Convention on Mercury agreed to amend the treaty March 25 to call for the end of the use of amalgam in deciduous teeth of children under 15 and pregnant and breastfeeding women.According to Charlie Brown of Consumers for Dental Choice, the amendment will take effect Dec. 25.Envista, the last publicly traded manufacturer of dental amalgam in the U.S., in the third quarter of 2021 stopped manufacturing amalgam products that may contain mercury.Now that Evista has stopped manufacturing mercury fillings, and a worldwide position to stop the use of amalgam in children and pregnant and breastfeeding women has been adopted, the end of mercury dental fillings is near.

We are witnessing the beginning of the end for the use of mercury in dentistry worldwide, following two monumental advancements. The hard work of Consumers for Dental Choice, and the ongoing support of all of our readers, have brought us to this place and will protect the health of future generations.

The Fourth Conference of the Parties of the Minamata Convention on Mercury agreed to amend the treaty March 25 to call for the end of the use of amalgam — or mercury fillings (also known, misleadingly, as “silver” fillings) — in deciduous teeth of children under 15 and pregnant and breastfeeding women.

According to an email from Charlie Brown of Consumers for Dental Choice to me, the amendment will take effect Dec. 25. “This treaty amendment, plus the ongoing exit of the major amalgam manufacturers creates the momentum we need to wipe out amalgam use. On to victory!” Brown added.

Treaty amendment protects the most vulnerable

The Minamata Convention on Mercury encompasses a broad package of mercury reduction and elimination measures worldwide. In an intense three-year campaign from 2010 through 2013, the umbrella global alliance founded by Consumers for Dental Choice, the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, succeeded in securing a strong amalgam plan in the treaty.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury entered into legal force in 2017, triggering conferences of the parties to implement it worldwide. At the first Conference of the Parties of the Minamata Convention, held in Geneva in October 2018, Brown challenged the world to equal or exceed the new amalgam policy of the European Union, which banned the use of mercury fillings in children under 15 and in pregnant and breastfeeding women, effective July 1, 2018.

The worldwide campaign to end amalgam for children — as a springboard to ending its use entirely — reached another major milestone at the March Conference of the Parties. With Africa and the EU leading the way, governments around the world have signaled that they’re no longer willing to put the most vulnerable at risk from mercury fillings. In a news release, International Pollutants Elimination Network representative Gilbert Kuepouo said:

“This breakthrough decision is the beginning of the end of dental amalgam use around the world. There is finally official acknowledgment that mercury fillings can have adverse health effects on women and children. Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin, and it cannot be justified any longer to place it in the mouth of women and children.”

European Commission, FDA recommend against amalgam

Signs that the world is coming together to phase out dental mercury have been increasing in recent years. In a report released by the European Commission in August 2020, it’s stated:

“The review undertaken makes clear that the phase out of the largest remaining use of mercury in the EU — dental amalgam — is technically and economically feasible … Therefore, the Commission will present to the European Parliament and the Council in 2022 a legislative proposal to phase out the use of dental amalgam.”

In September 2020, the U.S. FDA also issued a safety communication to warn about the use of dental amalgam in certain high-risk populations. The FDA warned that the following groups “may be at greater risk to the potential adverse health effects of mercury exposure”:

The warning came due to concerns that these populations could be exposed to harmful levels of mercury vapor from the fillings, and the potential for mercury to convert to other harmful mercury compounds in the body. In addition, they cited concerns about whether “the degree of accumulation of mercury from dental amalgam results in negative (adverse) health outcomes.”

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Via https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/end-mercury-dentistry/