FDA’s unhelpful 2009 rule included a “guidance document” which discussed the question of whether to impose curbs on the use of amalgam in pregnant women, nursing mothers, or other vulnerable groups.  But the 2009 rule’s guidance document rejected all such curbs. It did not even call for dentists to inform the patient that amalgam contains mercury before placing the half-mercury product in the patient’s teeth. So, the FDA’s 2009 rule did not even call for the minimal amount of information needed by most patients so as to have some informed consent.  

FDA’s 2009 rule was a sweetheart present for the ADA, conforming to ADA’s central tenet that amalgam mercury fillings are safe to use.  To get an idea of how wedded the ADA is to its “dental mercury is safe” dogma, consider its early history.  Back in the 1840s before there was an ADA, amalgam mercury fillings were condemned by the American Society of Dental Surgeons when mercury was first starting to be used.  Amalgams were condemned because of the harmful effects that mercury was obviously causing. But a faction of renegade dentists refused to quit using mercury and they formed their own group which became the ADA. The ADA was formed by the renegade, mercury-using faction in dentistry and its mission has always been to convince its member dentists and everyone else that mercury in your mouth is safe.               

Even now, after listing seven sizable groups of the population that amalgam should not be used for, in the second half of its recent statement the FDA backtracked from its message of curbs and cautions and echoed the ADA’s dogma in saying the following:

The FDA is not recommending anyone remove or replace existing amalgam fillings in good condition unless it is considered medically necessary because removing amalgam can cause a temporary increase in exposure to mercury vapor….potentially resulting in more risks than benefits.  (From FDA’s Press Release and Statement)

Translated, FDA seems to be saying: “don’t you dare get your amalgams replaced, because amalgam removal is too risky and will likely do you more harm than good.” This is the same scare talk that the ADA has always been putting out and it seriously mis-informs the public on the serious issue of safe amalgam removal.  The truth is that Amalgam removal can be done safely but that is when and only when it is done by a “holistic,” “biological” dentist, who has the training and the equipment to do it safely.  Amalgam removal does carry risks when it is done by dentists – such as the typical ADA dentists – who are not properly trained in amalgam removal.

The ADA, a private professional association, and also the FDA, do not want to acknowledge the existence of holistic and biological dentistry, as these are the leading critics of ADA and FDA’s cover-ups. The views of the ADA-FDA nexus gives its critics the impression that it wants to keep the public unaware of the truth about dentistry and health that is offered by the biological dentists and their non-profits. The public is supposed to be kept in the dark about the ADA’s toxic influence. In part, the ADA’s influence is wielded by its (undeserved) privilege of being the institution that must accredit every dental school in America, thus controlling what is taught to dental students in the classroom – the books used, the curriculum and the top professors. ADA also maintains some out-sized influence on government by its political PACs, with their well-paid lobbyists and with their financial contributions to legislatures and governors. Realize that it is the state governors who appoint the dentists and the lay persons who will serve on the powerful state dental boards.  These boards have all too often in the past, attacked holistic dentists for being outspoken in their criticism of dental mercury.

Any dental patient who has health challenges that may be caused in part by existing mercury fillings has good reason to consider amalgam removal as long as it is safely done, as part of the treatment and recovery program. For a patient who is currently healthy but who has amalgams, it is also reasonable to consider amalgam removal, as long as it is done safely with elaborate protections used by a biological dentist.

The FDA’s defective and misleading 2009 amalgam rule will surely need to be revised in order to incorporate the FDA’s new recommendations spelled out in their press release statement.  But it is now apparent that the FDA is not about to put the amalgam product into Class III (most potentially hazardous) which would require a proof of safety.  Being in Class III and having to produce a proof of safety would be the death knell for the use of amalgam in the USA. But the FDA has clearly told us in a private email that it has no intention of banning amalgam or re-classifying amalgams.  Our only conclusion is that the FDA’s amalgam mercury cover-up continues, with all the continuing harm that it will do to America.