Kerry Fehr-Snyder
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 24, 2003
(This article is also available on the Arizona Republic Website.)
A bipartisan group of Arizona legislators is pushing a bill that would prohibit dentists from putting mercury fillings in the teeth of children, pregnant women and nursing mothers.
The bill, which is waiting for a vote in the House, also requires dentists to inform patients of the advantages and disadvantages of mercury amalgams, which some researchers believe give off toxic vapors that cause neurological damage and other health problems.
But Jake Logan, spokesman for House Speaker Jake Flake, says the measure is being held up for two reasons: one procedural, the other philosophical.
"He (Flake) does not support the current language," Logan said. And Flake, R-Snowflake, is concerned about the financial implications, which could cost the state $1.5 million because the state Medicaid program also would have to provide the resin composite dental fillings instead of cheaper mercury amalgams if the bill is passed.
But supporters say Flake's opposition is driven by a dental lobby that is fiercely against the measure and heavily invested in mercury amalgams, which the American Dental Association held patents on until recently.
"This is not a small thing," said Charlie Brown, an attorney for the national Coalition to Abolish Mercury Dental Fillings. "There's as much mercury in a dental filling as in a mercury thermometer."
While most people report no problems with their amalgams, others link allergies, arthritis, heart ailments and disorders such as fibromyalgia to the mercury in their teeth.
Phoenix resident Karla Von Ehrenkrook, 58, is one of them. Twelve years ago, she had 26 mercury amalgams replaced after developing heart problems, allergies and other problems.
"I have my health back now," she said.
Most insurance plans won't pay for the white resin composite fillings used as an alternative to amalgams. And dentists argue that the composites won't work on large molars that need fillings.
But Dr. Terry Lee, a Phoenix dentist who supports the legislation, said the argument is specious and refuses to use amalgams with his patients.
"This issue is dividing the dental community," said Lee, estimating that 27 percent of dentists in the country practice mercury-free dentistry.
Other countries have banned the use of amalgams, while states like California require dentists to notify patients of the risk of mercury used in dental fillings, crowns and bridges. Arizona has a similar law but it is not enforced, supporters of the legislation said.
House Bill 2467 is co-sponsored by Reps. Chuck Gray and Karen Johnson, both Republicans from Mesa.
"Twenty years ago, we could dump a quart of oil in the back yard and didn't know it would leech down into the water supply and pollute our ecosystem," Gray said. "We can't do that anymore."
Similarly, mercury amalgams are turning out to be dangerous, he said, although he said some people are more susceptible to the metal than others.
"We're all different," he said, adding, "some people can't drink milk."
The legislation has been introduced several times in the past several years but has gotten further this legislative session than ever before, Johnson said.
"I'm encouraged we've gotten this far," she said. "Mercury, especially in the mouths of children, nursing mothers and pregnant women, is very, very dangerous."
(This article is also available on the Arizona Republic Website.)