mercury in tooth fillings prevent conception?
5 Replies
crystal - March 22

i was reading on the net about couples trying to conceive to avoid foods with mercury. what about fillings? anybody have any thoughts on this. my mouth is full of the metal fillings. could this be preventing me from getting pregnant?

 

SashaP - March 22

I work for a dentist and have done alot of research on amalgam fillings. Recent studies show that there is not enough mercury in the fillings to harm you. The mercury is used as the binder so it is not released as a vapor when chewing like they originally thought. Usually the only way the vapor from the amalgam will be released is if you have them removed. We explain to people who are concerened in our practice that there has not been alot of research on white fillings which is pretty much a epoxy material. The white has been show to alter young girls hormones and make them get there period earlier. So it's a pick your poison situation. I'm exposed to all this stuff all day and my Dr's aren't concerned that this is causing my infertility problem. Hope this helped good luck. Baby dust......

 

crystal - March 22

SashaP,
thank you darling. that answered my question. have a great day

 

SashaP - March 22

No problem I've become the mercury pro in my office. Good luck ttc. Baby dust.........

 

For Sahsa P - March 23

SashaP I found this and wondered if it might explain anything for you.Reduced fertility among women employed as dental assistants exposed to high levels of nitrous oxide....by Rowland AS, Baird DD, Weinberg CR, Shore DL, Shy CM, Wilcox AJ.

Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.

BACKGROUND. Fertility is reduced in female rats exposed to levels of nitrous oxide similar to those found in some dental offices. Epidemiologic studies have suggested an association between exposure to mixed anesthetic gases and impaired fertility. We investigated the effects of occupational exposure to nitrous oxide on the fertility of female dental assistants. METHODS. Screening questionnaires were mailed to 7000 female dental assistants, ages 18 to 39, registered by the California Department of Consumer Affairs. Sixty-nine percent responded. Four hundred fifty-nine women were determined to be eligible, having become pregnant during the previous four years for reasons unrelated to the failure of birth control, and 91 percent of these women completed telephone interviews. Detailed information was collected on exposure to nitrous oxide and fertility (measured by the number of menstrual cycles without contraception that the women required to become pregnant). RESULTS. After controlling for covariates, we found that women exposed to high levels of nitrous oxide were significantly less fertile than women who were unexposed or exposed to lower levels of nitrous oxide. The effect was evident only in the 19 women with five or more hours of exposure per week. These women were only 41 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 23 to 74 percent; P less than 0.003) as likely as unexposed women to conceive during each menstrual cycle. CONCLUSIONS. Occupational exposure to high levels of nitrous oxide may adversely affect women's ability to become pregnant.

PMID: 1298226 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

SashaP - March 23

Thanks but we have never used nitrous oxiden our office. I'm really glad we haven't after reading your post. It's the only assisting job I've had and I've been there 5 years. I was always more worried about some of the adhesives and varnishes we use. We bought 1 adhesive 3-4 years ago that said on it it was illegal to use in California b/c of reproductive toxicity. I threw it out I live in Maine but I'm not using anything that illegal in another state or causes that. I try to use caution but you don't know about everything. Thanks for posting this I'm going to tell my boss. He has friends that use nitrous in their practice.

 

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