Examining the Risk of Lead in Dental Restorations.
Recently, the concern of lead content in toys manufactured in China has caused an increase in the awareness of lead and its dangers. These are toys that are children play with and use daily, putting them in the mouths as all kids do. While our concern of the lead content in our children’s toys has risen, what about concern for the lead used in dental restorations?
Early in 2008, Columbus Ohio’s Channel 10 News reported on a dental patient becoming ill after a new bridge had been placed in her mouth.

http://www.wbns10tv.com/live/content/teninvestigates/stories/2008/03/31/lead_lewis.html?sid=102

http://www.wbns10tv.com/live/content/teninvestigates/stories/2008/11/19/story_lead_dental.htm

http://www.10tv.com/live/content/teninvestigates/stories/2008/05/06/lead_washington.html?sid=102

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/health/stories/2008/02/28/DentalLead.ART_ART_02-28-08_A1_GJ9FVGD.html?sid=101

Claims were substantiated by the Columbus Dispatch in February of 2008. News channel 10 followed the elderly woman after she had fallen ill after receiving some dental work. Her medical doctor could make no relation for her sickness to anything but the new bridge that had been placed in her mouth. After finding that the bridge was made in China, the doctor instructed her dentist top remove the bridge to have it tested. The results returned and the bridge was found to have toxic levels of lead. The problem is that patients seeking lower costs in dental care may be receiving potentially toxic products placed in them without knowing it.
PPO and HMO dentists have to save money to be part of the preferred provider network and this leads them to outsource materials from China; there really is no other reason to do so.  Some patients wantsto save money by finding the least expensive crown or bridge “in network,” which is understandable. Beware, if you do not know your dentist you may be getting inferior or toxic materials place within your body. Meet with your dentist before hand and tour his or her practice. This will give you a good idea of how the practice is run. It will also show you how current the technology used actually is. We use the latest technology and the highest quality materials at my office, StoneRidge Dental.  As a matter of fact, I usually make a weekly visit to the dental laboratory here in the Columbus area to monitor my patients’ cases.