Reply #20: "LIES YOUR DENTIST IS FORCED TO TELL YOU", the ADA, and "quacks" [View All]

[bloom]

A similar professional fight over mercury raged in the dental community. The first mercury fillings were used in 1818. In 1840, the American Society of Dental Surgeons (ASDS) organized and required its members to sign pledges that they would not use mercury in their practice. That same year, 11 New York dentists were charged with malpractice for using mercury fillings. In 1859, after disputes within the ASDS, the American Dental Association (ADA) was founded and has aggressively promoted and defended the use mercury fillings since. Seven out of 10 dentists today are members of the ADA.

The dirty little secret in the dental community these days is that the ADA, some years ago, established a gag rule to forbid dentists, under penalty of loss of licensure, to inform their patients that mercury fillings could cause serious health problems and possibly death.

http://www.newswithviews.com/Dean/carolyn1.htm

In the 1800's mercury+silver dental filling material (Amalgam) was developed, probably in Germany. Prior to that the only decent fillings were gold. The problem with gold was that it was difficult and took a lot of work to do and had to be done pretty well to work at all. That made it expensive. On the other hand, the new "amalgam" (which literally means "mixture") was quick and easy and could be done sloppily and yet still seemed to work. As a result fillings could be done very quickly and less expensively. The public was very happy to embrace it.

On the other hand, the organized dentists were against it. There were reports of health problems that were thought to be related to mercury use and the quality of these new fillings was often terrible plus many other related problems. Many dentists, and organized dentistry, in Germany, then England and finally in the US were almost up in arms against Amalgam use.

But since the public thought it was a bargain and seemed to do the job, they supported it and went to the dentists that offered it. McDentistry...? Sound familiar?

Anyway, those in the public as well as in the professional sectors that were against the use of amalgam fillings referred to it as "Quicksilver" fillings , from the common name of mercury, "quicksilver". After a time it became corrupted (?) into "Quacksilver fillings", then "Quacksilver" and finally, yes, you guessed it before my dramatic punchline..... The dentists that offered Quacksilver fillings were called ....Quacks !

I find that so fascinating, because now the ones... that don't offer amalgam fillings are sometimes lumped together and called quacks. That's it folks....

Michael C. Goldman, DDS

http://www.mgoldmandds.com/Quackery%20.htm

More on the "quack" origin...

In northern Europe, the term for mercury was "quaksilber" — a forerunner of our English term "quicksilver." A dentist who used mercury was called a "quaksilber placer" or "quak" for short. Hence, the original use of the word "quack" was taken from dentists who used mercury for fillings. In 1986 the American Dental Association (ADA) changed its code of ethics, making it a violation for any dentist to recommend the removal of amalgam because of mercury. "Who are the "quacks" now?"
{"Living Healthy in a Toxic World," David Steinman, 1996}

Every time someone outside, or even inside, the field of medicine makes a discovery he/she will be labeled a "quack." The term "quack" was hurled at those who we now consider some of our greatest heroes; Jenner, Harvey, Ross, Lister, Pasteur, Ehrlich (chemotherapy), and Sister Kenny. Many herbalists were burned as witches.

http://www.jrussellshealth.com/quacks.html