Submitted By: Dr. Michelle Vacha, CEO Community Dental Health
Community Dental Health is a leader in providing high quality care for fixed income aging populations. They have various funding avenues to help support our community. You may have heard something in the news about silver fillings. Here is more information:
FDA rules for silver/amalgam fillings
The American Dental Association has reaffirmed its position on the safety and efficacy of dental amalgam following a statement
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) instead of recommending a complete ban of dental amalgam advising high-risk individuals to get
nonmercury fillings instead of amalgam ones.
In the September 25 statement, the FDA called for high-risk individuals, to avoid getting these fillings “whenever possible and appropriate.” In the past, the agency had stopped short of
recommending high-risk people “avoid” them.
High risk includes individuals such as
- Pregnant women and their developing fetuses
- Women who plan to become pregnant
- Nursing women and their newborns and infants
- Children, especially those younger than 6 years
- People with preexisting neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, or
Parkinson’s disease - People with impaired kidney function
- People with known heightened sensitivities or allergies to mercury or other dental amalgam
components
In its response, the ADA said the FDA cited no new scientific evidence for advising against the use of amalgam for certain groups. The association also reaffirmed its belief in the safety of amalgam.
“The ADA reaffirms its position that dental amalgam is a durable, safe and effective cavity-filling option,” the association wrote.
The ADA said it supports some of the provisions in the FDA statement, including that patients should have access to all dental restorative treatment options and that dental amalgam is not harmful to the general population. The ADA also approved of the FDA recommendation not to remove or replace existing amalgam fillings in good condition unless it is medically necessary.