Thank You, Mercury-Free Dentists! – A Message From Charlie G. Brown
remember the pioneers who have been speaking out against amalgam since
its invention over 150 years ago.
Just a few months ago, I was flipping
through an ancient dental journal when I stumbled onto an advertisement
for a mercury-free dentist…from 1884!
Dr. U. Smith was warning the
public that “amalgam fillings are one-third mercury, therefore are
poisonous.”
While he referred to an older and, ironically, less toxic
formula for amalgam fillings (the modern amalgam formula calls for 50%
mercury), Dr. Smith’s message is clear: Mercury does not belong in the
human body!
honor the trailblazers who put their dental licenses – their bread and
butter – on the line to protect our right to know that “silver” fillings
are mercury.
Under the notorious gag rule, state dental boards
prohibited dentists from talking to their patients about the mercury in
amalgam…but courageous mercury-free dentists did it anyways.
As an
attorney, I was honored to defend these dentists’ First Amendment right
to free speech. Together, we demolished the gag rule via grassroots
action, media, lawsuits, and Attorney General opinions. As a result,
mercury-free dentists now routinely tell consumers about amalgam’s
mercury without risking their licenses.
thank the mercury-free dentists who serve us today. As
environmentally-responsible community members, they recognize that
amalgam is a significant source of mercury pollution.
As health
professionals, they recognize that mercury is a neurotoxin…and that the
developing neurological systems of children and fetuses are especially
susceptible to its neurotoxic effects.
As dentists, they recognize that
amalgam is an inferior restorative material that permanently damages
tooth structure, cracks teeth, and creates the need for expensive future
dental work.
half of dentists today do still use mercury. If that is your dentist, a
dentist you know, or a dentist in your town, I urge you to reach out to
her or him. Here is a sample email:
am concerned about the use of amalgam fillings in your dental office.
Amalgam contains about 50% mercury, which is released into our
community’s environment and our bodies. Non-mercury filling materials
are less invasive and better for our environment. As a [patient,
friend, community member], I urge you to stop using amalgam. Thank you
for your prompt attention to this serious problem.
Sincerely,
the national counsel and executive director for Consumers for Dental
Choice, I am proud to work with so many mercury-free dental
professionals all around the world – from dental professors in Africa…
to dental students in Asia…to private practitioners in Australia…to
dental nurses in Europe…to public health dentists here in the
Americas…and so many more.
To all the dentists who have
teamed with Consumers for Dental Choice over the years – sustaining us
with monthly and annual donations, testifying before Congress, writing
and calling the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, fielding questions at
press conferences, joining sign-on letters to governments, collecting
names on petitions, translating documents, protesting amalgam sellers,
sharing our Facebook posts, participating in interviews, preparing for complex treaty negotiations….
P.S. Check out Dr. Mercola’s latest article
explaining how the American Dental Association’s power over amalgam is
collapsing as our campaign for mercury-free dentistry forges ahead.* Dr. Mercola is matching all gifts this week up to $75,000 – so double your impact today!
* This article is also accessible via articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/09/17/mercury-free-dentistry-week.aspx
** This link is also accessible via www.toxicteeth.org/donate.aspx
Charles G. Brown
National Counsel, Consumers for Dental Choice
President, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry
316 F St. NE, Suite 210 Washington, DC 20002 USA
Phone: 202-544-6333 Fax: 202-544-6331
www.ToxicTeeth.org
