The Medical Advisor

October 2022 Update : In a stunning move made without fanfare or headlines, the American Dental Association (ADA) has retreated from its decades-long, steadfast support for (mercury-based) amalgam, aka “silver” fillings in teeth. The change in policy appeared in an updated, 2022 version of the ADA’s “ Use of Amalgam as Restorative Material ” on its website. Significantly, the revised policy now says the ADA supports the globally recognized need to reduce environmental mercury as set forth in the Minamata Convention on Mercury (September 2019) as a common good, and recognizes the responsibility of dentists to care for their patients’ well-being … “ Mercury is a heavy metal known to be poisonous to the human nervous system. Dental amalgam is a tooth filling material that is approximately 50% mercury. While it is recognized as a hazard to human health, many dentists still use amalgam despite having viable alternative filling materials for restorative procedures. The Minamata Convention on...

Dental amalgam, misleadingly marketed as "silver fillings," is a risky filling material containing 50% mercury — a neurotoxin. Consumers for Dental Choice, led by executive director Charlie Brown, has a track record of success in fighting these mercury fillings, succeeding in: Abolishing the gag rule that prohibited dentists from discussing amalgam's mercury with their patients Winning back the dental licenses of persecuted mercury-free dentists Convincing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to mandate amalgam waste control measures Getting an amalgam reduction requirement into an international treaty, the Minamata Convention on Mercury But there was always one major barrier to mercury-free dentistry in the U.S.: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. For three decades, the FDA had been dodging its duty to classify — that is, issue a rule for — amalgam. Then Consumers for Dental Choice took action. After assembling plaintiffs, Consumers for Dental Choice sued the FDA...