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The other place bisphenol A lurks: our teeth

CARLY WEEKS

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 12:27 PM EDT 28/04/08

Health Canada says the BPA in dental fillings doesn't appear hazardous, but that hasn't stopped people from worrying ...Read the full article

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  1. stuart morrison from kelowna, Canada writes: It is no surprise that people are worried about BPA in the fillings in their teeth.
    That headline to the story, like the vast majority of most other headlines for ALL
    environmental/science/health issues, is enough to scare the hell out of anybody.
    Who believes any disclaimers, from anyone or any organization, anymore?
    The guys who produce slasher films have the right idea; people love being terrified; whether there is justification or not.
  2. stuart morrison from kelowna, Canada writes: That headline to this story is enough the scare most people.
    Any disclaimers from any sources are inevitably ignored by readers, viewers and listeners.
    People believe what they want to believe.
    The producers of slashers movies have the right idea; people love being terrified, whether of not that emotional, knee-jerk reaction is really justified or not.
    But; slasher movies get audiences and make lots of money!
  3. A skeptical MD from Canada writes: Bisphenol A: the next chapter in the war on everyday life.
  4. Stude Ham from Outremont, Canada writes: removing mercury in the tooth filling materials at least made some sense, even though we didn't hear of minamata disease or other horrific effects among the tooth filled crowds.

    but here we go again with another material that could do what again under what circumstances?
  5. The Religious Left from Canada writes:
    Just when you thought it was safe to go outside.... TOXINS!!!
  6. Canadian Woman from Canada writes: Information that I sure want to know for my own family, certainly. And to have some information to discuss the issue with my dentist. But the headline is just too much, GM! Could you have made it sound any worse?! Besides that, it's just plain wrong! The BSP isn't IN our Teeth - it's in the materials used to fill cavities - a fairly big difference! Come on - some editorial responsibility, please!
  7. Andrea Timmons from Kingston Ontario, Canada writes: Plastics are byproducts of the oil industry! The oil industry rules! Doesn't matter to Big Oil whether you live or die consuming their products just as long as you buy, buy, buy!
  8. What has the world come to from Vancouver, Canada writes: In case anyone is interested. . .There is a dental material out there called Diamond Crown, Diamond Lite, Diamond Bond that does not use BPA. But be warned, most dentists do not use this product, and many have not even heard of it before. If you're looking for it, I suggest you start asking holistic dentists first. I've done a lot of research on dental products, and by far, I think this is the best one out there. On a side note, it's interesting how BPA in your composite fillings has become a headline bigger than mercury amalgams ever were. The harm of a bit of BPA leeching into your body is 1000X less dangerous than that of mercury amalgams, yet the American and Canadian Dental Associations continue to state that mercury/silver amalgams are completely safe. I think people just need to start using their heads and stop listening to what companies, government agencies, and other organizations say since in the end their objective is to make money and protect their own hides, not yours. Case in point: Sigg Water Bottles that everyone is buying as a replacement for BPA bottles. While everyone acts like blind mules buying these bottles, has anyone really looked into what the bottles are made of vs. what the manufacuter says? Let me give you a hint: aluminum, and some 'organic' chemical liner. =)
  9. Betsy D. from Woodbridge, Canada writes: Thanks for the info. 'What has the world come to from Vancouver' !
    I would like to add that SIGG now has a completely stainless steel bottle, in and out, no lining inside...and it's for hot and cold drinks.
    Alternatively, you can go for the Kleen Kanteen or Greenfeet bottles. Also stainless steel.

    Cheers!
  10. Mark H from Indy, United States writes: What the heck's the difference between stainless and aluminum bottles? I'll tell ya: nothing.

    They both passivate. Neither of them release ions into water in anything but an incedental ppb level (the same levels that BPA shows up in water from nalgene bottles, buy the way).

    Your daily does of fear, brought to you by the eco-nuts.
  11. barny p from Canada writes: what about water canteens used by soldiers?
  12. Nick B. from Canada writes: barny p, military issue water bottles are made of polyethelyne. Though soldiers use a lot of Nalgene type polycarbonate bottles. I'm not getting rid of mine. The trace leaching of bisphenol A only occurred under ridiculous conditions, superheating etc, to which my Nalgene bottles are not subject. I'm more interested on the phthalates (if any) in the Camelbak I use... but again, everything we eat, drink, breate, etc, is contaminated heavily by carcinogens anyhow, so a little scaremongering is not going to ruin my life.
  13. crazy fiddler from Canada writes: I'm wondering about BPA in plastic nightguards that we're supposed to wear to prevent from grinding our teeth at night.....anyone?
  14. R. M. from Regina, Canada writes: What is scarey is that these 'professionals' apply materials that they themselves have no idea if they are safe or not. Me I am double hexed because I had mercury fillings which presented no problem but which were removed over time anyway and the new 'healthier' version put in.......wonderful..
  15. Antonio San from Canada writes: The other place bisphenol A lurks: our butts!
  16. Andrew E from Canada writes: Betsy D. from Woodbridge, Canada writes: Thanks for the info. 'What has the world come to from Vancouver' !
    I would like to add that SIGG now has a completely stainless steel bottle, in and out, no lining inside...and it's for hot and cold drinks.
    Alternatively, you can go for the Kleen Kanteen or Greenfeet bottles. Also stainless steel.

    Cheers!

    Yeah, good old steel... except for the carbon footprint of extraction, smelting, and milling, it's perfect. And the Kleen Canteen? What is it's carbon footprint? With or without the plastic stopper?

    Face it, environuts, you can't have it all ways, unless you want to trek into the woods, find a tree boll, cut it off, use the tree's own sap to close the wound, and make your own dipping bowl from the boll, using nothing but a piece of flint.
  17. What has the world come to from Vancouver, Canada writes: 'crazy fiddler from Canada writes: I'm wondering about BPA in plastic nightguards that we're supposed to wear to prevent from grinding our teeth at night.....anyone?' Crazy Fiddler: Look into a product from Dentsply called Eclipse, or ones from Flexite, either Supreme or Northern...they make dentures primarily, but I think they also do night guards out of the same materials that don't leech.
  18. What has the world come to from Vancouver, Canada writes: 'Betsy D. from Woodbridge, Canada writes: Thanks for the info. 'What has the world come to from Vancouver' ! I would like to add that SIGG now has a completely stainless steel bottle, in and out, no lining inside...and it's for hot and cold drinks. Alternatively, you can go for the Kleen Kanteen or Greenfeet bottles. Also stainless steel.' Betsy, do you know where we can buy this SIGG bottle with 100% stainless steel? I heard they used to make it with s/s but they switched over to aluminum. The only gripe i had about the Kleen Kanteen is that they're not as good looking as the sigg bottles. Obviously, i'm not gonna sacrifice looks for product safety, but if sigg's got a 100% s/s with no liner, i'd like to have a look.
  19. Betsy D. from Woodbridge, Canada writes: 'What has the world come to from Vancouver':
    The SIGG stainless steel is 100% no aluminum- I checked it out. I picked one up from Whole Foods store in Oakville. I know what you mean about the Kleen Kanteens too...not as aesetheically pleasing as the SIGGS.

    Andrew E: Thank you for your eloquence.
  20. George L. from Canada writes: Oh no, more trips to the dentist? How many times do I have to get the same teeth filled? Does it sound like a money making proposition for dentists?
  21. michelle eldstrom from Victoria, Canada writes: I've had sealants in my cavity-free teeth (to keep them that way) since I was about 20....so over a decade now. I have been trying not to worry about this, because there's not a lot I can do about it now, but I certainly hope that they come up with an alternative before they try and offer this prevention program to my kids. They've had too much exposure already to this stuff...from their time in the womb, when I unknowingly drank from a Nalgene bottle every day, all day at the office, and then from their bottles and sippy cups as toddlers. Talk about depressing...and maddening! Why is everyone so quick to dismiss concerns about this stuff? I think it's to avoid the stress and worry of something that really is quite awful.
  22. Angus S Miskers from sunny Victoria, Canada writes: I just bougt a polycarbonate bottle at MEC. Great item. I will continue to use it .. just without heating in the microwave, that way it is safe. As far as dental sealants go ... we have to wait to see what the studies say. We're talking tiny, tiny 'fillings' here. Versy stable, low heat environment also. Probably as harmless as dental amalgam, for which no-one has proven ill effects to date. Sure, dentists can easily change to another alternative .. just like we do with fillings nowadays: no amalgam and we bill about 25% more! Cha-ching, we profit on your irrational fears.
  23. spa fon from pg, Canada writes: So it's Bisphenol we have to worry about now. Don't worry, it will be replaced with something else, that later studies will indicate is harmful. We breath auto exhaust, eat heavily processed foods, and create plastics which are gradually being worn down to nanoparticles, that will invade living cells. Thousands of chemicals that have never existed in nature, and for which there exists no natural mechanisms for breakdown and removal. Oh, if you smoke, don't sweat the whatever is in your teeth, white or silver.
  24. Diane Schweik from EDMONTON, Canada writes: .

    Read The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan that exposes all these endless scares that the media love to frighten us with.
  25. Mitch M from just outside Calgary, Canada writes: Bisphenol is the least of my worries.
    Every time I drive into the city with a yellow smog hanging over it, I know I'm doing myself no good.
    I think I am just going to go into the forest, curl up in a ball and wait for the wolves to come and eat me.
  26. h trafananko from Prince Albert, Canada writes: The dental profession has always been trying to put a suitable material into our teeth-which is cost effective. There are materials that are COMPLETLY BIOCOMPATABLE--they are GOLD and PORCELAIN. If all the patients we had were millionaires, there would be no problem(I am a retired dentist). Dental insurance plans do not usually pay for gold or porcelain inlays(which are like fillings)--they will pay for crowns only if the company deems it a necessity.
  27. hossein hajiagha from Victoria, Canada writes: I live in a best place on earth ( sucks) and I have tooth pain also missing 6 tooth and I do not have full time job to cover my medical...I am poor immigrant ..any ideas where I can go and ask for help?
  28. Angus S Miskers from sunny Victoria, Canada writes: hossein - yes! You can visit the Cool-Aid clinic down on Store St. in Victoria. They do cut-rate dentistry for well below Fee Guide rates for people of lesser means. You have to dodge the street people out front, but remember it is not a clinic for street people.

    trafananko - porcelain and gold are great materials, but not always appropriate. Well, perhaps gold is great for almost everything - especially FGC incisors - LOL. Porcelain requires removal of more virgin tooth tissue and often results in a lot of inflammation, cyanosis in the gums (esp if no-metal used) requiring more inconvenient self-care. It also chips easily and can seriously wear down opposing teeth. In that respect, it is not truly 'biocompatible.' There's no perfect material out there, though composite has come a long way.
  29. Bruce Burgess from Canada writes: There is nothing in this world without risk. Nothing. By the time you get to the dentist to have your tooth filled you have already created, all by yourself, a risk - be it loss of the tooth, infection or some of the other bad things that happen. As a dentist I try to reduce the risk that you created. We give you some options about what can be done, and if we do our job right we reduce the problem you have. It doesn't go away, it just gets smaller.

    All materials we use are very safe, but probably not completely safe. You are much better off with some mercury in your tooth than the self inflicted cavity. The jury is out on composites at the moment. Most dentists I know will eventually end up with gold and porcelain in their teeth.

    BRUSH and FLOSS - primary prevention is always the safest route.

    If you don't want dental sealants in your children's teeth, that's fine, but use every other available method to prevent caries. Sealants are just one arrow in the quiver, albeit one that is well proven to lessen the chance that a tooth will get a cavity.

    As a final note, be wary of anyone suggesting one particular brand of material, or the products of one company, unless you know the source of the information.

    So endeth the rant.
  30. spa fon from pg, Canada writes: Cast gold is a great material.
  31. A READER from TORONTO, Canada writes: and don't forget the drive towards fluorescent lighting. It also contains mercury.
  32. jamie yavis from Canada writes: How, and why does this stuff ever get into our mainstream products in the first place?

    Any products that touch the food we sustain ourselves with should have to go through rigorous controls.

    This after-the-fact scenario is just too mind boggling to deal with!

    Health Canada was running around a few years ago banning such substances as melatonin and other products from health food stores, while the real culprits, in the form of our mass food producers and distributor, where given free rein to deal with products on a cost based analysis with little or no controls.

    Now we have to live with the results of years of ingested modified and hydrogenated oils and bishphenol A given to an unsuspecting populace who had given their trust in the abilities and professionalism of Health Canada ...another myth, another bureaucracy busted!
  33. Ralph Shiell from Canada writes: (Apologies if this is repeated - previous try did not post) Bruce Burgess, you are quite right. The word safe is relative, like the word tall - a building can only be taller and/or safer than another. There can be no such thing as a safe airplane, or a safe car, etc.. In our efforts to completely avoid all risks we cause unwarranted anxiety that has serious consequences for both our health and our enjoyment of life. What we should do instead is make judicious choices based on well-estimated (and realistic) probabilities.
  34. Random Person from Heard and Mc Donald Islands writes: Anyone can find 'toxins' in anything...Milk etc...
  35. George L. from Canada writes: No one gets out alive anyway! What's the big deal? A few extra years in a long-term care facility drooling and moaning incoherently? Saving ourselves from what?
  36. jeff dolinsky from Golden, Canada writes: It is frustrating that the whole profession is painted with one brush. Anyone concerned with the BPA problem needs to ask what brand of materials their practitioners use and then find out if BPA is in them.
    Our dental office uses very popular 3M products for fillings and sealants and none have BPA added in the product. This can be confirmed on the 3M website.
    Let's see some realistic reporting done here.
  37. gao gao from Canada writes: we should live in a bubble.

    or a bubble on our head.
  38. mynalee johnstone from saltspring island, Canada writes: Good to see our government acting so QUICKLY??? These bottles have been out for some time.
    I wish they would pull from the shelves many other harmful products, such as: AUTOMOBILES.I should say,pull them off the roads rather than shelves. In other words, shelve them . Or melt them down to make light rail and other fabulous modes of transit that dont emit such an enormous amount of pollutants and wear and tear on society as do automobiles.
    Is the jury still out on this one? The research inconclusive?
  39. doctor business from vancouver, Canada writes: Right on mynalee!

    About the dental profession, I don't trust 'em. They are for-profit, something that doesn't mix well with healthcare. i don't trust that they are making the right decisions here.

    I wish I knew what a good choice was. Mercury or toxic plastics? Basically I think we need a new school of dentistry that isn't out just for profit profit profit and why not make a deal with this or that chemical industry to increase the bottom line.

    Basically the science part of dentisry is out the window. Only an indoctrinated elite participate in the debate, so genuince critical review isn't there. Science requires public oversight to exist (not necessarily governmental).

    quack quack quack
  40. Tony Mareschealle from mississauga, Canada writes: This is all we need, another reason to inspire dentists scare their patients into having their fillings replaced so that the health insurance companies can be billed and a natural redistribution of wealth takes place.

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