Amalgam Fillings Side Effects

Silver amalgam fillings contain about 50% mercury. Mercury is an element and a heavy metal; it is more toxic than arsenic, cadmium and lead. Mercury in amalgams is not 100% stable and has been scientifically proven to give off mercury vapor. The release of this toxic mercury vapor lasts over the lifetime of the amalgams. More mercury vapor is released when amalgams are exposed to heat, chewing and brushing.

Tests indicate that the person who has amalgams always receives an unhealthy mercury burden from having the amalgams; it is unavoidable. Adverse effects tend to escalate with the accumulation of mercury until they become evident – doctor’s often have no awareness that symptoms presented could be as a result of mercury amalgam side effects. Other metals present in the amalgams are also toxins.

Please read our dental health article (which contains a reproduction of DAMS Dental Health Guide by the renown Sydney dental office) to learn more about other practices in dentistry that result in a range of negative side effects.  It also contains information on how to choose a toxic-free dentist who can safely remove your mercury amalgam fillings if you so choose.

Amalgam fillings side effects – Symptoms of chronic mercury toxicity

Mental and Neurological

Inability to concentrate, insomnia, dizziness, migraine and other headaches, forgetfulness, emotional instability, irritability, unprovoked anger, fearfulness, anxiety (mercury depletes our magnesium stores), nervousness, panic attacks, exaggerated response to stimuli, electrical sensitivity, insomnia, tremors / trembling of hands, feet, lips, eyelids or tongue, ataxia (clumsiness), vision problems, hearing problems and deafness, shakiness or tremors, trembling, shivering, numbness, facial paralysis, loss of self confidence, shyness, withdrawal, timidity, easily embarrassed, electrical sensitivity, drowsiness, indecision, depression, mood swings, a feeling of being disconnected, suicidal tendencies, damages blood-brain barrier.

Mercury binds with vitamin B1 and other B vitamins, causing symptoms of deficiency even though there is enough B vitamin in the diet. Mercury is considered a factor in causing multiple sclerosis, ALS (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, autism. Mercury blocks glutamate re-uptake, thus making excitotoxins such as MSG and aspartame (a.k.a. Nutrasweet) even more dangerous. Mercury is more neurotoxic than lead, cadmium and arsenic; it multiplies the danger of other such toxins.

Oral Cavity

Bleeding gums, metallic taste, foul breath, burning sensation in the mouth, excessive salivation, ulcers in the mouth, leukoplakia (white patches), oral lichen planus, Bell’s palsy, gingivitis, burning sensation in mouth or throat. Amalgams tend to cause periodontal infection and they generate oral galvanism – electrical currents and voltages in the mouth, the currents being conducted by saliva, food and nerves.

Ears

Dizziness, vertigo and ringing in the ears

Eyes

Glaucoma and restricted or dim vision

Gastrointestinal

Yeast overgrowth, leaky gut, food sensitivities, indigestion, malabsorption, constipation, diarrhea, cramps, colitis (colon inflammation), Crohn’s disease (which includes severe diarrhea).

Immune Function, Autoimmune Disorders

Mercury depletes vitamin C, selenium and other antioxidants such as glutathione, weakening your immune function. Mercury damages many aspects of immune system, both innate and acquired immunity. Mercury is able to cross the blood brain barrier and in the brain and overly activate the microglia (the brain’s immune cells), causing more free radical damage and release of two damaging excitotoxins, glutamate and quinolinic acid. Mercury increases vulnerability to colds, flu, Lyme’s disease and other infections. Mercury strongly promotes Candida albicans infections.

Bacterial, viral, fungal and mycobacterial infections are more difficult to overcome due to the effects of mercury and other toxic metals used in dentistry (tin, copper, silver zinc, nickel, chromium, palladium and cadmium). Periodontal infection can be caused by the presence of amalgam. Mercury contributes to all allergic disorders and to all autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, hypothyroidism, Hashimoto’s disease, hyperthyroidism and Grave’s disease. By depleting glutathione, the main antioxidant and detoxifier, mercury makes it harder to detoxify anything else; so, it is believed to be a factor in multiple chemical sensitivity.

Cardiovascular / Blood

Mercury interferes with the porphyrin pathways to the making of heme, which is needed for the production of hemoglobin, which carries the oxygen around the body in the red blood cells. Thus, mercury deprives the body of necessary energy, causing fatigue. Mercury also interferes with energy production in the mitochondria, the little energy furnaces found in all of our cells. Causes red blood cells to clump or stick together, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. It causes abnormality in white blood cell counts (too high or too low), sluggish lymph flow making lymph vessels clog. Irregular heartbeat, heart palpitations, rapid heartbeat; feeble or irregular pulse; high or irregular blood pressure; pain or pressure in the chest, cholesterol damage and triglycerides. Idiopathic myocarditis. Mercury acts synergistically with other heavy metals – such as cadmium, lead, iron, tin and copper – multiplying their bad effects.

Endocrine

Mercury from amalgams concentrates in the hypothalamus and the pituitary, resulting in mood disorders, depression and disruption of the entire neuroendocrine system.

Adrenal function is adversely affected, with mercury adding to stress levels and depleting vitamin C. Ovarian effects include stress responses and infertility problems. Mercury disrupts thyroid function in numerous ways. It disrupts T4 to T3 conversion, causing low thyroid function – hypothyroidism – whose symptoms include cold hands and feet, subnormal body temperature, weight gain, obesity, sluggish metabolism, slower intellect, depression, loss of libido. It can also cause hyperthyroidism (rapid heart beat, elevated temperature, high blood pressure) and Grave’s disease is a possible effect. Note: Fluoride also severely harms thyroid function and other endocrine function.

Reproductive

Reproductive disorders caused by mercury include lack of sperm mobility, toxic sperm, endometriosis (an autoimmune disorder), PMS, infertility, miscarriages, cleft palate and other birth defects, loss of libido (sex drive), poor sexual performance.

Bone and Connective Tissue

Both mercury and fluoride tend to damage the jawbone, causing jawbone disease and making it more likely that the patient will lose his/her teeth. They damage collagen throughout the body, harming bones and connective tissue and accelerating the aging process.

Depletion of Important Vitamins and Minerals

Mercury depletes vitamin C, the B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and other important minerals. It depletes glutathione, the body’s main antioxidant and detoxifier. The mercury poisoned person may suffer some malnutrition despite eating a good diet. Mercury tends to disrupt mineral transport, so the mineral levels seen in a hair test often do not reflect the levels in the body. Kidney function function is typically reduced and the kidney’s ability to regulate minerals and salts and to filter toxins may be impaired.

Kidney problems (possibly manifesting as pain in lower back), elevated porphyrins in the urine and liver function can also be impaired causing congestion, gall stones and a lessened ability to detoxify the body. Chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, multiple chemical sensitivity / environmental illness, joint pains, muscle weakness, wasting away with loss of weight, hypoglycemia, metabolic syndrome (syndrome X) and type II diabetes can also result.

Symptoms in Children

Autism, speech disorders, developmental delays and disorders; red, swollen and cold hands and feet, mental retardation, hyperkinesis, weakness, cleft palate and cerebral palsy.

During the 1990’s most children in the U.S. were exposed to an unprecedented, unsafe level of mercury exposure causing the ten-fold increase in autism in the U.S. Learning disabilities went up 30-fold; attention deficit disorders, childhood diabetes and asthma all soared.

Children who are genetically less able to excrete mercury plus those who had mothers with mercury amalgams and/or other mercury exposures were the ones most affected by vaccine injuries that resulted from unsafe vaccinations.