Pick Your Poison

So this is like Part 3 of plastic-land posts. This is from a few blogs ago: "I recently found out that BPA is even in the ceramic-white dental fillings. More on that later. I'm a little pissed about it because if our only choices for fillings are mercury or BPA, then I'm seriously considering living a) with a cavity or b) without a tooth."

I did some more research and it looks like my new favorite site has some input on the options:
http://www.rodale.com/dental-fillings-mercury-and-bpa

Here's their rub on the mercury fillings:
"And despite the presence of mercury, a toxic metal, in amalgam fillings, most people will be exposed only to very low levels of it (0.08 to 0.2 micrograms of vapor per day per filling). Dr. Mackert also points to studies showing that dentists, who can be exposed to mercury for as many as 8 hours per day over a period of 20 to 30 years, don’t build up dangerous levels of mercury in their systems despite their chronic exposure...mercury fillings continue to release vapors for as long as they’re in your mouth...study after study has failed to link amalgam mercury to health problems later in life. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in April 2006 followed 500 Portuguese children with both types of fillings. After 7 years, the kids with amalgam fillings didn’t show any more signs of lowered IQ, attention deficit disorder, or motor skills than the kids with the composite fillings."

I still feel like this is one of those instances when you can't put a "safe" amount on something poisonous. But it is compelling that dentists don't have more mercury poisoning. More than one person has told me that mercury fillings are causing a lot of health problems for a lot of people. In some ways, I'm starting to trust anecdotal evidence (or at least respect it) as much as I do medical research.

Then this particular site's take on the 'composite' filling:

"Dr. Mackert says that very few composite fillings contain the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), which has been linked to cancer, diabetes, and hormone disruption. Patients are more likely to be exposed to the chemical through dental sealants rather than fillings. And Congress has proposed a ban on BPA, which may eliminate the issue altogether. In addition, a few brands do contain BPA, as a primary component or as a product of other materials when they break down."

This surprised me. I went to a dentist that flat-out said his sealants had BPA, but lots of sites say that "dental sealants and fillings don't contain BPA, but many of them contain compounds that turn into BPA on contact with saliva." (http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/news/20100907/bpa-from-dental-sealants-fillings-is-it-safe).

I went to a dental practice's web site that had a whole page devoted to how they do not use mercury fillings (um, they must have felt there was a need, right?) and that they thoroughly polish and clean the composite fillings afterwards so that the BPA doesn't have a chance to form with your saliva. That's very thoughtful and considerate in our society; imagine a professional dental practice taking our health concerns into account? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...I think I may have messed up that saying, but you get the idea.

And here's the scary part:
"Research shows that BPA levels in saliva skyrocket by around 88 times higher than normal (and what constitutes a “normal” level of a toxic substance?) right after a dental sealing. Experts agree there is no “safe” level of exposure to BPA. This chemical is one that you should not be exposed to at any level, said von Saal, Curators professor of biology at the University of Missouri at Columbia. This is why it is shocking that multiple media outlets have started claiming that BPA is actually not a danger to health, despite routine research proving that this gender-bending chemical is nothing to play around with."
(http://naturalsociety.com/harvard-study-finds-bisphenol-a-in-dental-fillings-and-sealants-media-spin-begins/).

I kind of wish I had gone to the dentist with a more firm opinion on what sort of filling I would want. The whole 'advocating for myself' thing has gotten exhausting. I asked for just a cleaning with no x-rays and the dental assistant didn't know what to do with me. They acted like if I didn't want x-rays, I might as well just go home and brush my own teeth.

The assistant reassured me that the x-ray was a low-level, blah blah, and the dentist reassured me that it was such a low-level of BPA that it didn't matter.

Did you know that they used to x-ray pregnant women's abdomen's (yes, exactly where their little peanut was growing) in the '40's and '50's? They also used to use giant, powerful x-ray machines in shoe stores when they were the brand new thing. They did those things until they learned from experience that all their assurances about x-rays being safe and the levels being safe were, well, lies.

So...I guess I'm preaching to myself. I want to be well-informed so that I can say "You know what? I know a dentist who will respect my request not to have x-rays and will give me fillings without BPA. I'll go give them my business."