ADA Losing Its Bite on Amalgam?

[Keith P Walsh]

Dear All,

I work for the UK subsidiary of a multinational company based in Arlington, Texas.

I did a Google search for mercury-free dentists in Arlington and came up with three prominent "hits".

Stephed Wardlaw, DDS
http://www.i20familydental.com/mercury-and-metal-free-dentistry.html

Masoud Attar, DDS & Allen Sprinkle, DDS
http://pridedentaloffice.com/

Michael G Thomas, DDS
http://www.mikethomasdds.com/mercury_free_dentist.html

Two of these dental practices explicitly offer the removal and replacement of metal amalgam dental fillings on health grounds, and the third openly challenges the American Dental Association's position on the "safety" of amalgam fillings.

Not so long ago the ADA would have censured these dentists for the positions they are taking on amalgam, and they would have had their membership of the ADA terminated for removing amalgam fillings from their patients' teeth on health grounds.

But wait a minute! I've checked those websites again, and none of those dentists even claims to be a member of the ADA!

Goodness me, I must say they appear to be doing pretty well on it.

Has membership of the ADA become an irrelevance?

Is the ADA out of touch with regard to the prevailing view on amalgam fillings?

And is the ADA still completely ignorant of the thermoelectric properties of dental amalgams?

http://www.its.org/content/dresselhaus-leads-way-inhomogeneous-thermoelectric-materials

Keith P Walsh

PS, in 2008 I wrote an article entitled "Advice for Anti-Amalgam Dentists Under Fire". It is repeated in full below:

Dentists who oppose the use of mercury amalgams in restorative dentistry, and in particular those who practise the removal and replacement of amalgam fillings with alternative materials, sometimes face the threat of censure or penalty from their local health authorities and/or dental associations.

If such dentists attempt to defend their position by arguing that amalgam fillings cause harm or illness as a result of the toxic properties of the mercury in amalgams, they are likely to be asked to provide some conclusive scientific evidence for this, and experience indicates that they may be unable to do so.

However, if instead the anti-amalgam dentist simply describes the known electrical behaviors of mixtures of metals, and then asks the relevant authority to explain the extent to which these behaviors occur in amalgam dental restorations, it quickly becomes apparent that the mainstream dental profession is largely ignorant of the electrical behavior of dental amalgams - arguably to the extent of being negligent - and the burden of justification then shifts onto the side of the "pro-amalgam" lobby.

As a prime example of this ignorance, it appears that students in some dental schools are instructed to believe that dissimilar metals in contact with each other are only able to generate an electrical current if there is an electrolyte present and the metals become involved in an electrolytic reaction with it, see;

http://bookbootusers.co.uk/brown.htm

This is a falsehood.

It has been known for more than 160 years that metals, mixtures of metals, and dissimilar metals in contact with each other are able to generate electrical currents as a result of their thermoelectric properties, and that it is not necessary for there to be any electrolysis taking place in order for this to happen.

The general principal is that if two dissimilar metals are placed in contact with each other and the points of contact are maintained at different temperatures, then an electrical current flows, and it will continue to flow for as long as the temperature difference is maintained.

For an elementary description of the thermoelectric effect see:

http://bookbootusers.co.uk/thermo2.htm

There is no electrolysis involved.

However, in spite of the fact that dental amalgam is an inhomogeneous mixture of dissimilar metals in its own right, and that it is also sometimes placed in direct contact with other metallic objects in the mouth, such as retaining pins screwed into the root sockets of patients' teeth, it appears that experimental investigations to measure the thermoelectric behavior of metal dental restorations have never been carried out (not even by myself).

So, whenever an anti-amalgam dentist claims that amalgam dental fillings may cause neurological disturbances as a result of the electrical behavior of amalgams, regulating bodies such as dental associations are powerless to discredit them for it - simply because it can be demonstrated that those organisations don't know enough about the electrical behaviors of dental amalgams to be able to make any informed scientific judgement on the matter.

Is there any evidence for this?

Well of course there is. Dentist Philip Wander of Manchester in the UK has this to say about the electrical behavior of amalgam fillings:

"Nevertheless, as potentially damaging as mercury in the mouth is the electricity itself. When testing teeth for electrical effects, I have seen momentary sparks of up to one volt - enough to light a small torch or flashlight. It's worth remembering that the currents generated by amalgams are formed very close to the brain, which ordinarily operated at far lower potentials (only a few millivolts). The brain lies only a few millietres from the jaw bone, where the roots of the teeth are inserted, just on the other side of the thin cranial bone and the meninges (the three membranes enveloping the brain and spinal cord). This kind of current can cause mental dysfunction, which I often find in clinical practice."

Not only is Dr Wander able to practise mercury-free dentistry and amalgam removal on health grounds with complete impunity, he appears to do so extremely successfully, counting among his patients some of the world's most famous soccer stars, including none other than the great David Beckham himself.

Check out Dr Wander's website at:

http://www.wanderdental.co.uk/mercuryfreedentistry.html

Then there's Dr John Roberts of Huddersfield, also in the UK. Dr Roberts is another dentist who removes amalgam fillings and replaces tham with alternative materials on health grounds. The procedure that he follows when he does this is to remove the fillings in the quadrant of the mouth which has the largest measured electrical potential of any amalgam filling first, followed by those in the quadrant with the next largest electrical potential, and so on. The intended purpose of this procedure is to minimise the effect of any surges in electrical activity caused by sudden changes in the balance between the amalgam potentials as they are being removed.

Dr Roberts appears to have total approval for this practice from the UK General Dental Council's Professional Standards department (see "Amalgam Rmoval Gets .." below).

For a more complete representation of the above arguments, and further references, search Google Groups for the following topics:

"Amalgam Removal Gets UK Approval"
"The Prosperity of the Mercury-free Dentist"
"Top Dentist Blames Electricity From Amalgams"

And don't be put off by the ridiculing efforts of the pro-amalgam dentists who attempt to dominate these newsgroups - remember that when it comes to the thermoelectric (not to mention electromagnetic!) behavior of dental amalgams, they're just as ignorant as everyone else.

As a matter of fact, I've always suspected that it was the exchange of postings between myself and Joel M Eichen regarding the fate of Dr Anthony G Roeder in "Amalgam Removal Gets UK Approval" that finally convinced Joel to give up his former role as chief ridiculer on behalf of the pro-amalgam lobby at sci.med.dentistry. Old Joel wasn't daft. I think he finally recognised that on the question of the electrical behavior of amalgam dental fillings even he was only able to argue from a position of ignorance - and he decided to get out with his reputation unsavaged while he still could.

My advice for anti-amalgam dentists?

If anyone bothers you just point out that it has been demonstrated experimentally that amalgam dental fillings generate electrical potentials with magnitudes of up to 350 millivolts, see;

http://bookbootusers.co.uk/dutch.htm

And that in spite of the fact that the resting potential of the human neurological synapse is only 70 millivolts, it appears that experimental investigations to determine whether or not the electrical potentials generated by amalgam fillings are able to dissipate electrical energy through the nerves in people's heads have never been carried out.

The worst you'll get back is ridicule - but remember, that's not because the ridiculers do know anything about it. It's because they don't.

[Keith P Walsh]

'Might be worth re-posting "Anti-Amalgam Countries Under Scrutiny", from October 2008, too:

--------------------

News reports indicate that the use of metal amalgam dental fillings containing mercury has recently been discontinued in three European countries; Norway, Sweden and Denmark. See:

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS108558+03-Jan-2008+PRN20080103

It appears that one of the principal reasons for these countries banning the use of dental amalgams is concern for the environment, in that the mercury content of the amalgams is difficult to dispose of and poses a threat to the environment.

However, in addition, all three countries also appear to cite concern for dental patients' health in some degree as further reason for the ban. (And after all, if the mercury in the amalgams is a risk to the environment, then it is reasonable to at least consider that it might also be a risk to the health of those people who have it in their mouths.)

Integral to the justification for the ban is the argument that alternative materials, such as non-metallic resin composites, are now available and do just as good a job as amalgams, and the governments of Norway, Sweden and Denmark appear confident enough in this argument to trust the future of their citizen's restorative dentistry needs to the exclusive use of such materials.

(Incidentally, one statement concerning the ban in Denmark from the article referenced above which I find particularly interesting is that, "the present subsidy for amalgam will be changed so that it will instead cover dental fillings of composite material. "How widespread are "pro-amalgam" subsidies? In the past, whenever I have asked if there is any fundamental reason why composite fillings should cost more than amalgam fillings no-one has ever brought up the question of subsidies. I've always been told that "they take longer to place". Is this really true? And is there any fundamental reason why the raw materials for composite fillings should cost more than the raw materials for amalgams?)

The real point of this posting is to suggest that under these circumstances, the countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark have placed themselves in a unique position to help answer some questions regarding the effects of amalgam fillings which have been the focus of bitter argument for a long time.

Ever since amalgams were first formed by mixing liquid mercury with grains of solid metal at room temperature and used for the specific purpose of filling cavities in people's teeth there has existed controversy over whether or not the presence of such fillings in the mouth is detrimental to the patients' health and/or well-being. Long-standing readers of this newsgroup may be familiar with my own observation that the widespread adoption of amalgams for use in restorative dentistry was quickly followed by the rise to prominence of psychiatric "medicine" in our societies, and also with my explanations as to how it might be that these two things are not unrelated.

Other people ahave also raised similarly far-reaching concerns over the possibility that the use of mercury fillings constitutes a technological error whose detrimental effects are not necessarily insignificant but which may have gone largely unrecognised.

I would urge the governments of Norway, Sweden and Denmark to have in place adequate monitoring procedures so that, following a suitable interval of time after these bans take effect, they are able to derive answers to the following types of questions:

1) In general, are our citizens happier and more contented?
2) Has there been any reduction in our suicide rate?
3) Has there been any reduction in the diagnosis of cases of clinical depression?
4) Has there been any reduction in the diagnosis of cases of tinnitus (ringing in the ears)?
5) Has there been any reduction in the diagnosis of cases of chronic headache?
6) Has there been any decline in the type of behaviour sometimes referred to as "teenage angst"?
7) Have discipline and/or achievement in schools improved?
8) Have there been any reductions in crime rates?
9) Has there been any reduction in the rate of alcoholism?
10) Are our dental surgeons happier in their work?

Other factors notwithstanding, only then might it be possible to offer some judgement as to how significant a detrimental effect the use of amalgam dental fillings is having on the rest of us.

Keith P Walsh

PS,

As a result of my own enquiries and personal experience I have come to believe that metal amalgam dental fillings are thermoelectric batteries which are able to dissipate electrical energy through the nerves in people's heads and, in so doing, make them unhappy.

And in extreme though not unusual cases such fillings are also able to cause permanent neurological injury which cannot be repaired simply by the removal of the fillings.

For a detailed indication of the reasoning behind these beliefs visit:

http://www.its.org/node/5540
http://bookbootusers.co.uk/intro.htm

- or search Google Groups for keith.p.walsh

[Brian]

On Sun, 26 May 2013 07:01:10 -0700 (PDT), Keith P Walsh
<keith....@btinternet.com> wrote:

>
>Dear All,
>
>I work for the UK subsidiary of a multinational company based in Arlington, Texas.
>
>I did a Google search for mercury-free dentists in Arlington and came up with three prominent "hits".

How many dentists are there in Arlington?

[Keith P Walsh]

Hi Brian,

Thank you for your reply.

I don't think that quantity is really the issue here.

I've read some stuff by Roger Penrose, Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, and winner of the Wolf Prize for Physics in 1988. I think he's a very intelligent man, and in his book "The Road To Reality" he states, "- it should be made clear that majority opinion, no matter how important it may be for democratic government, should in no way be used asa criterion for scientific acceptability".

I think that to understand this requires a degree of insightwhich some people perhaps don't have.

It has been shown to be true many times in the past that it is perfectly possible for the majority opinion to be wrong, particularly in scientific matters.

And I would go as far as to say that if the majority of people are not in possession of the evidence necessary to derive an informed opinion on a scientific matter, then the likelihood is that the majority opinion on that matter will be mistaken.

(Which reminds me, you didn't offer any answer to my question - "And is the ADA still completely ignorant of the thermoelectric properties of dental amalgams?")

Nevertheless, like I said, in my view the issue here is not one of quantity. It is rather the fact that those three dental practices, even if they are in a minority of such in the city of Arlington, are able to take such a strong anti-amalgam position, and citing health issues among their reasons for doing so, WITHOUT ANY THREAT OF SANCTION OR CENSURE WHATSOEVER from the American Dental Association.

And I am confident that you will be able to recognise that your somewhat curt reply to my postings has little bearing on this issue at all.

Best regards,

Keith P Walsh

[Keith P Walsh]

By the way Brian, those three countries which have banned the use of dental amalgam; Norway, Sweden and Denmark. I guess you could say that they're in a minority too. I wonder if they give a damn.

Which reminds me, some people attribute all kinds of adverse health conditions to the presence of mercury-containing dental fillings in people's teeth. Is anyone monitoring for any reduction in the incidence of such conditions since the ban on dental amalgams in Norway, Sweden and Denmark?

Or are those of us who understand the scientific method in a tiny minority as well? (There must be more than three of us.)

Best regards, and once again thank you very much for your reply.

Keith P Walsh

[Keith P Walsh]

Hey Brian, I've thought of something else - looks like you've got me on a roll.

I live in Scotland, and there's a reasonable chance that within a couple of years we will become independent from the rest of the UK.

Now, the architects of our would-be independence have often argued that an independent Scotland would be able to sustain a successful economy similar to that of our North Sea neighbour Norway (similar size of population, similar industries; fishing, forestry, offshore oilfields, etc.).

Of course, the Scots are well known for being a canny people. I'm just hoping that we'll be canny enough to ban the use of dental amalgams - just like Norway!

Thank you so, so much for your reply.

Keith P Walsh

[Brian]

On Sat, 1 Jun 2013 06:36:02 -0700 (PDT), Keith P Walsh

<keith....@btinternet.com> wrote:

>On Friday, May 31, 2013 3:58:24 AM UTC+1, Brian wrote:
>> On Sun, 26 May 2013 07:01:10 -0700 (PDT), Keith P Walsh
>>
>> <keith....@btinternet.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> >
>>
>> >Dear All,
>>
>> >
>>
>> >I work for the UK subsidiary of a multinational company based in Arlington, Texas.
>>
>> >
>>
>> >I did a Google search for mercury-free dentists in Arlington and came up with three prominent "hits".
>>
>>
>>
>> How many dentists are there in Arlington?
>
>Hi Brian,
>
>Thank you for your reply.
>
>I don't think that quantity is really the issue here.

Of course it is. There are always a few outliers. Sometimes even
charlatans although since I don't them, I have no idea of their
motivations.

>
>I've read some stuff by Roger Penrose, Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, and winner of the Wolf Prize for Physics in 1988. I think he's a very intelligent man, and in his book "The Road To Reality" he states, "- it should be made clear that majority opinion, no matter how important it may be for democratic government, should in no way be used asa criterion for scientific acceptability".
>
>I think that to understand this requires a degree of insightwhich some people perhaps don't have.

Of course not.

>
>It has been shown to be true many times in the past that it is perfectly possible for the majority opinion to be wrong, particularly in scientific matters.
>
>And I would go as far as to say that if the majority of people are not in possession of the evidence necessary to derive an informed opinion on a scientific matter, then the likelihood is that the majority opinion on that matter will be mistaken.

>
>(Which reminds me, you didn't offer any answer to my question - "And is the ADA still completely ignorant of the thermoelectric properties of dental amalgams?")

Why don't you ask them. Other than being a member, I have no knowledge
of the answer to your spurious question.

>
>Nevertheless, like I said, in my view the issue here is not one of quantity. It is rather the fact that those three dental practices, even if they are in a minority of such in the city of Arlington, are able to take such a strong anti-amalgam position, and citing health issues among their reasons for doing so, WITHOUT ANY THREAT OF SANCTION OR CENSURE WHATSOEVER from the American Dental Association.

And you have no idea of what the ADA does. Something I've found from
others who make ignorant and unscientific presentations.

>
>And I am confident that you will be able to recognise that your somewhat curt reply to my postings has little bearing on this issue at all.
>
>Best regards,
>
>Keith P Walsh

I beg to differ. What are your scientific credentials?

Perhaps you would like to offer comments on the alternatives to
amalgam and the positives and negatives of them.

[Peter Bowditch]

You can't ask Keith that. Positives and negatives only refer to the
350 millivolts of electrical potential caused by the various metals in
amalgam being kept separate from each other. If you mixed them all
together, in a amalgam say, this problem might go away, but I doubt
that Keith will agree with this hypothesis.

--
Peter Bowditch aa #2243
The Millenium Project http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles
Blog at http://peterbowditch.com/wp/
To email me use my first name only at ratbags.com
I'm @RatbagsDotCom on Twitter

[Keith P Walsh]

On Monday, June 3, 2013 4:03:19 AM UTC+1, Brian wrote:
> On Sat, 1 Jun 2013 06:36:02 -0700 (PDT), Keith P Walsh
>
> <keith....@btinternet.com> wrote:
>
>
> >
>
> >I don't think that quantity is really the issue here.
>
>
>
> Of course it is. There are always a few outliers. Sometimes even
>
> charlatans although since I don't them, I have no idea of their
>
> motivations.
>
> >
>

Hi Brian,

I think that you have completely failed to understand our point here.

What Professor Penrose is saying implies that even if there is a majority of dentists in Arlington who favor the use of amalgam fillings, then this fact in itself would have little or no bearing on any valid scientific judgement regarding the "safety" of dental amalgams.

You appear to be claiming otherwise.

Now, whilst I admit that I am only guessing that Professor Penrose's scientific credentials are far superior to yours, I would be grateful if you can let me know if you feel that they are not.

Of course, in order for that majority of dentists in Arlington to be wrong there would have to be some rational explanation as to how they might have been so disastrously misled.

Well, it is has been established scientifically that inhomogeneous mixtures of dissimilar electrical conductors display enhanced thermoelectric behavior as compared with that of other materials. And, in spite of the fact that dental amalgams may be accurately described as inhomogeneous mixtures of dissimilar electrical conductors (and also in spite of the fact that amalgam fillings are placed in children's teeth), it appears that experimental procedures to determine the largest thermoelectric potential that can be generated by a typical amalgam dental filling have never been carried out.

So, if we were to ask any of those dentists whether the thermoelectric potentials generated by amalgam fillings are able to dissipate electrical energy through the nerves in people's heads, they would not be in any position to form a scientific opinion on the matter.

People don't like to feel ignorant. They prefer to believe that they have an answer. And I've noticed that some have become very skilled at convincing others that making up an excuse for not having an answer is the same thing as having an answer (e.g.,"it can't possibly be important", "we can't all be wrong","it's been used for 160 years", etc.).

So beware of silly excuses, and remember that in spite of the fact that it has been widely known for more than 180 years that metals, mixtures of metals and dissimilar metals in contact with each other are able to generate electrical potentials without it being necessary for them to be in contact with an electrolyte, it appears that there isn't anyone anywhere in the world who knows what the thermoelectric properties of typical dental amalgam are - not the ADA; the ITS; all the dentists in Arlington, Oklahoma City, Tokyo, Timbuktu and any other place you might care to mention; my boss; your boss; Cronin B Vining; Mildred Dresselhaus; Professor L I Anatychuk; Peter Bowditch; not anyone - not even you.

So there's a possible explanation - a lack of science.

Keith P Walsh

PS, For further insight into the thermoelectric behavior of mixtures of metals visit:

http://www.its.org/ztforum

[Jan Drew]

Peter is more interest in bashing people, than an health issue.
> --
>
> Peter Bowditch

Spam and lies deleted.

[Peter Bowditch]

Jan comes back from rehab and bashes people. There's a word for
behaviour like that - hypocrisy.

>> --
>>
>> Peter Bowditch
>
>Spam and lies deleted.

There was no spam or lies to delete. You should ask for your money
back from the rehab clinic, Jan. The treatment obviously failed.

[Keith P Walsh]

On Thursday, May 30, 2013 9:27:05 PM UTC+1, Keith P Walsh wrote:
> 'Might be worth re-posting "Anti-Amalgam Countries Under Scrutiny", from October 2008, too:
>
> --------------------
>
> News reports indicate that the use of metal amalgam dental fillings containing mercury has recently been discontinued in three European countries; Norway, Sweden and Denmark. See:
>
> http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS108558+03-Jan-2008+PRN20080103
>

After more than six years sitting quietly on-line minding its own business, the web page at the URL link above has been taken down. (I tell ya, if I were a conspiracy theorist ...........!).

Anyway, not to worry all you sticklers for verifiable facts and the truth, luckily I took a copy of it and I've uploaded it to my own website at:

http://www.bookbootusers.co.uk/Dental%20Mercury%20Use%20Banned%20in%20Norway,%20Sweden%20and%20Denmark%20Because%20Composites%20Are%20Adequate___%20%20Reuters.htm

And don't you worry either all you sticklers for the strict observance copyright law - Reuters would never sue on an issue as sensitive as this.

So-long and best wishes to all, but especially to all those amalgam-free people in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Keith P Walsh