Q: What do dentists do to help the environment?
A: Perhaps the single largest step the field of dentistry has taken to be
sensitive to the environment is the elimination of the use of bulk mercury
in preparing amalgam, the substance most commonly used in fillings. Testifying
before the U.S. Congress, J. Rodway Mackert, DMD, PhD, and a spokesperson for
the American Dental Association, said that dentists now use encapsulated amalgam,
small packets that contain a precise measure of elemental mercury and the other
powdered metals with which it is mixed to make a filling.
This practice is a result of the ADA gathering its best management practices
and disseminating them among its membership. The ADA has also recently added
amalgam separators to its list of best management practices. The not-for-profit
ADA represents more than 155,000 dental practitioners. Ask your dentist about
measures he takes to protect the environment.
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