We are excited about the introduction of new technolgy on Maui. We are going to be adding Cerec to our office. What is Cerec you ask???
CEREC is a dental restoration product that allows a dental practitioners to produce an indirect ceramic dental restoration using a variety of computer assisted technologies, including 3D photography and CAD/CAM. With CEREC, teeth can be restored in a single sitting with the patient, rather than the multiple sittings required with earlier techniques. Additionally, with the latest software and hardware updates, crowns, veneers, onlays and inlays can be prepared, using different types of ceramic materials.
The cavity preparation is first photographed and stored as a three dimensional digital model and proprietary software is then used to approximate the restoration shape using biogeneric comparisons to surrounding teeth. The practitioner then refines that model using 3D CAD software. When the model is complete a milling machine carves the actual restoration out of a ceramic block using diamond head cutters under computer control. When complete, the restoration is bonded to the tooth using a resin. CEREC is an acronym for Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics.
We are adding cerec because of all the the following advantages to you:
1. Time savings. You usually only have to go one time, as opposed to two trips for a traditional crown. This also reduces the number of local anesthetic injections (shots) needed. 2. More conservation of tooth structure. Often times a partial coverage restoration can be completed vs a full conventional crown. 3. Stronger porcelain. Milled ceramic is stronger than hand layered and pressed. 4. Esthetics. Homogenous pocelain blends in better than other porcelains. 5. Natural. Ability to copy what was there previously can yield restorations that are duplicates of the pre-prepared tooth.
Even if you don not need any crowns, inlays, or onlays, come check out this new technology. You will be amazed how cool it is!! If you have questions about this call us and we can answer any questions you may have.
Aloha,
James Merrett DDS
Monday, October 12, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Why Teeth Get Darker!!
Why Teeth Get Darker!
Why Are My Teeth Darker?
There are many reasons why our teeth change colors and appear darker over time. When our teeth darken, it can not only make us self conscious of our smile, but can also affect our self confidence and self esteem. Over the years, our teeth darken for many reasons.
The most common reasons are:
*As we age, the enamel wears away and becomes thinner. The inner layer, dentin, is exposed which is darker in color.
*There are medications we take that can cause our teeth to darken. Tetracycline was a common antibiotic given in the past to children. It is used less often now as we understand its repercussions for our teeth.
*While we encourage the daily use of fluoride, over use can have a negative effect. If you fail to brush your teeth well after using fluoride, plaque is likely to stick to the fluoride and stain your teeth.
*One factor we cannot control is heredity. Some families just have darker teeth due to thinner enamel.
*What we eat and drink. When we drink dark liquids, red wine, coffee or tea, sodas, on a regular basis our teeth can stain or darken. They can also cause microscopic cracks in the enamel. If you are a soda or energy drink drinker, the acid from the soda can dissolve the enamel resulting in exposure of the dentin underneath.
*Smoking or using tobacco of any kind can cause a yellow or orange stain.
*Poor oral hygiene
No matter why you are experiencing darker teeth, you do not have to live with dark colored teeth. There are ways we can whiten your teeth and bring back that beautiful white smile you always wanted or remembered. Call us today to set up an appointment at 808-873-0707 to discuss how we can help you attain that beautiful smile you always wanted.
Why Are My Teeth Darker?
There are many reasons why our teeth change colors and appear darker over time. When our teeth darken, it can not only make us self conscious of our smile, but can also affect our self confidence and self esteem. Over the years, our teeth darken for many reasons.
The most common reasons are:
*As we age, the enamel wears away and becomes thinner. The inner layer, dentin, is exposed which is darker in color.
*There are medications we take that can cause our teeth to darken. Tetracycline was a common antibiotic given in the past to children. It is used less often now as we understand its repercussions for our teeth.
*While we encourage the daily use of fluoride, over use can have a negative effect. If you fail to brush your teeth well after using fluoride, plaque is likely to stick to the fluoride and stain your teeth.
*One factor we cannot control is heredity. Some families just have darker teeth due to thinner enamel.
*What we eat and drink. When we drink dark liquids, red wine, coffee or tea, sodas, on a regular basis our teeth can stain or darken. They can also cause microscopic cracks in the enamel. If you are a soda or energy drink drinker, the acid from the soda can dissolve the enamel resulting in exposure of the dentin underneath.
*Smoking or using tobacco of any kind can cause a yellow or orange stain.
*Poor oral hygiene
No matter why you are experiencing darker teeth, you do not have to live with dark colored teeth. There are ways we can whiten your teeth and bring back that beautiful white smile you always wanted or remembered. Call us today to set up an appointment at 808-873-0707 to discuss how we can help you attain that beautiful smile you always wanted.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Oral Piercing and Your Health
Oral Piercing and Your Health
Oral piercing is becoming more prevalent in society. Young adults, athletes, musicians, and many more are piercing their lips or tongue to make a statement. Before making the decision to visit a piercing parlor, it is important to know the risks and side effects that can be involved with oral piercing.
According to the Academy of General Dentistry, one out of every five oral piercings results in infection from contaminated puncture wounds. The mouth is a host for a vast amount of bacteria. The actual piercing site could be considered a wound in the mouth, which is susceptible to infection. There is a chance that the bacteria from the mouth or handling of the jewelry could enter the bloodstream and lead to endocarditis (inflammation of the heart or its valves). The chance of transmitting herpes simplex virus and hepatitis B and C is also a potential risk.
If nerves have been damaged from the piercing, numbness or loss of sensation could occur. Tongue swelling from infection or trauma could block the airway and cause difficulty breathing. Dislodging and aspirating the barbell, etc. is also possible which can restrict the airway. For athletes, especially contact sports, this is more common.
Teeth that come in contact with the jewelry can be damaged by chipping or cracking. One study shows 47% of people wearing barbell tongue jewelry for 4 or more years had at least one chipped tooth. Jewelry can also interfere with salivary function because the actual jewelry stimulates salivary flow. Temporary or permanent drooling has been reported. Speech can be affected and taste can be altered.
Oral piercing is definitely not recommended! If you decide to have the oral piercing, it is important to consider the health and safety precautions taken at the piercing parlor of your choice. Ask a friend with a positive experience for a referral. Make sure the studio has a clean appearance especially in the area where the piercing is done. Ask if they use hospital-grade autoclaves for sterilization and/or use disposable instruments. Disposable gloves should be used. Ask to see health certificates. All staff members who are involved in the piercings should be vaccinated against hepatitis B. All needles and jewelry should be in sterilized packaging.
If you have questions please feel to Contact me. James Merrett DDS 808-873-0707
Oral piercing is becoming more prevalent in society. Young adults, athletes, musicians, and many more are piercing their lips or tongue to make a statement. Before making the decision to visit a piercing parlor, it is important to know the risks and side effects that can be involved with oral piercing.
According to the Academy of General Dentistry, one out of every five oral piercings results in infection from contaminated puncture wounds. The mouth is a host for a vast amount of bacteria. The actual piercing site could be considered a wound in the mouth, which is susceptible to infection. There is a chance that the bacteria from the mouth or handling of the jewelry could enter the bloodstream and lead to endocarditis (inflammation of the heart or its valves). The chance of transmitting herpes simplex virus and hepatitis B and C is also a potential risk.
If nerves have been damaged from the piercing, numbness or loss of sensation could occur. Tongue swelling from infection or trauma could block the airway and cause difficulty breathing. Dislodging and aspirating the barbell, etc. is also possible which can restrict the airway. For athletes, especially contact sports, this is more common.
Teeth that come in contact with the jewelry can be damaged by chipping or cracking. One study shows 47% of people wearing barbell tongue jewelry for 4 or more years had at least one chipped tooth. Jewelry can also interfere with salivary function because the actual jewelry stimulates salivary flow. Temporary or permanent drooling has been reported. Speech can be affected and taste can be altered.
Oral piercing is definitely not recommended! If you decide to have the oral piercing, it is important to consider the health and safety precautions taken at the piercing parlor of your choice. Ask a friend with a positive experience for a referral. Make sure the studio has a clean appearance especially in the area where the piercing is done. Ask if they use hospital-grade autoclaves for sterilization and/or use disposable instruments. Disposable gloves should be used. Ask to see health certificates. All staff members who are involved in the piercings should be vaccinated against hepatitis B. All needles and jewelry should be in sterilized packaging.
If you have questions please feel to Contact me. James Merrett DDS 808-873-0707
Oral Piercing and Your Health
Oral piercing is becoming more prevalent in society. Young adults, athletes, musicians, and many more are piercing their lips or tongue to make a statement. Before making the decision to visit a piercing parlor, it is important to know the risks and side effects that can be involved with oral piercing.
According to the Academy of General Dentistry, one out of every five oral piercings results in infection from contaminated puncture wounds. The mouth is a host for a vast amount of bacteria. The actual piercing site could be considered a wound in the mouth, which is susceptible to infection. There is a chance that the bacteria from the mouth or handling of the jewelry could enter the bloodstream and lead to endocarditis (inflammation of the heart or its valves). The chance of transmitting herpes simplex virus and hepatitis B and C is also a potential risk.
If nerves have been damaged from the piercing, numbness or loss of sensation could occur. Tongue swelling from infection or trauma could block the airway and cause difficulty breathing. Dislodging and aspirating the barbell, etc. is also possible which can restrict the airway. For athletes, especially contact sports, this is more common.
Teeth that come in contact with the jewelry can be damaged by chipping or cracking. One study shows 47% of people wearing barbell tongue jewelry for 4 or more years had at least one chipped tooth. Jewelry can also interfere with salivary function because the actual jewelry stimulates salivary flow. Temporary or permanent drooling has been reported. Speech can be affected and taste can be altered.
Oral piercing is definitely not recommended! If you decide to have the oral piercing, it is important to consider the health and safety precautions taken at the piercing parlor of your choice. Ask a friend with a positive experience for a referral. Make sure the studio has a clean appearance especially in the area where the piercing is done. Ask if they use hospital-grade autoclaves for sterilization and/or use disposable instruments. Disposable gloves should be used. Ask to see health certificates. All staff members who are involved in the piercings should be vaccinated against hepatitis B. All needles and jewelry should be in sterilized packaging.
Oral piercing is becoming more prevalent in society. Young adults, athletes, musicians, and many more are piercing their lips or tongue to make a statement. Before making the decision to visit a piercing parlor, it is important to know the risks and side effects that can be involved with oral piercing.
According to the Academy of General Dentistry, one out of every five oral piercings results in infection from contaminated puncture wounds. The mouth is a host for a vast amount of bacteria. The actual piercing site could be considered a wound in the mouth, which is susceptible to infection. There is a chance that the bacteria from the mouth or handling of the jewelry could enter the bloodstream and lead to endocarditis (inflammation of the heart or its valves). The chance of transmitting herpes simplex virus and hepatitis B and C is also a potential risk.
If nerves have been damaged from the piercing, numbness or loss of sensation could occur. Tongue swelling from infection or trauma could block the airway and cause difficulty breathing. Dislodging and aspirating the barbell, etc. is also possible which can restrict the airway. For athletes, especially contact sports, this is more common.
Teeth that come in contact with the jewelry can be damaged by chipping or cracking. One study shows 47% of people wearing barbell tongue jewelry for 4 or more years had at least one chipped tooth. Jewelry can also interfere with salivary function because the actual jewelry stimulates salivary flow. Temporary or permanent drooling has been reported. Speech can be affected and taste can be altered.
Oral piercing is definitely not recommended! If you decide to have the oral piercing, it is important to consider the health and safety precautions taken at the piercing parlor of your choice. Ask a friend with a positive experience for a referral. Make sure the studio has a clean appearance especially in the area where the piercing is done. Ask if they use hospital-grade autoclaves for sterilization and/or use disposable instruments. Disposable gloves should be used. Ask to see health certificates. All staff members who are involved in the piercings should be vaccinated against hepatitis B. All needles and jewelry should be in sterilized packaging.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
FDA Rules on Merury Fillings
FDA Rules on Mercury Fillings
Last week the Federal Drug Administration ruled that the use of Mercury in the mouth for Mercury-Silver fillings, known as Amalgams, is safe. This came as a surprise to some anti-Amalgam groups who have claimed that the Mercury can cause many maladies in humans. Even President Obama had made statements against Mercury exposure.(See below Articles and Links) The FDA made this ruling after review of documents showing adverse effects of Mercury in higher exposures. They felt smaller amounts of Mercury would be safe.
Even though the FDA ruled that the use of Mercury is safe in the mouth, (but, not in the water, air, or spilled on the floor), many people are still leery of having Mercury placed into their mouths. Some have had their old Mercury fillings replaced with gold inlays, porcelain inlays, or resin fillings to ease their fears of the Mercury in their mouths.
If you would like more information about Mercury fillings or the alternatives to Mercury fillings you can ask your dentist. If you do not have a dental home I invite you to give my office a call and schedule an examination to evaluate your situation and your needs.
"Exposure to mercury leads to serious developmental problems in children as well as problems affecting vision, motor skills, blood pressure, and fertility in adults," said Obama. "Despite our country's improved efforts to contain and collect mercury over the years, we remain one of the world's leading exporters of this dangerous product, so I am proud this bill will finally ban mercury exports."
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/green/President_Bush_Signs_Obama_s_Mercury_Export_Ban_into_Law.html
AND OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE:
"Mercury poses a serious threat to public health in communities around the world," said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "Today, the world's environmental leaders agreed that we must take immediate action to reduce mercury emissions. The United States will play a leading role in working with other nations to craft a global, legally binding agreement that will prevent the spread of mercury into the environment and improve the health of workers, pregnant women, and children throughout the world."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/press_releases/february_20_2009/
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009, the FDA “issued a final regulation classifying dental amalgam and its component parts – elemental mercury and a powder alloy—used in dental fillings. While elemental mercury has been associated with adverse health effects at high exposures, the levels released by dental amalgam fillings are not high enough to cause harm in patients. The regulation classifies dental amalgam into Class II (moderate risk).” (http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm173992.htm)
Last week the Federal Drug Administration ruled that the use of Mercury in the mouth for Mercury-Silver fillings, known as Amalgams, is safe. This came as a surprise to some anti-Amalgam groups who have claimed that the Mercury can cause many maladies in humans. Even President Obama had made statements against Mercury exposure.(See below Articles and Links) The FDA made this ruling after review of documents showing adverse effects of Mercury in higher exposures. They felt smaller amounts of Mercury would be safe.
Even though the FDA ruled that the use of Mercury is safe in the mouth, (but, not in the water, air, or spilled on the floor), many people are still leery of having Mercury placed into their mouths. Some have had their old Mercury fillings replaced with gold inlays, porcelain inlays, or resin fillings to ease their fears of the Mercury in their mouths.
If you would like more information about Mercury fillings or the alternatives to Mercury fillings you can ask your dentist. If you do not have a dental home I invite you to give my office a call and schedule an examination to evaluate your situation and your needs.
"Exposure to mercury leads to serious developmental problems in children as well as problems affecting vision, motor skills, blood pressure, and fertility in adults," said Obama. "Despite our country's improved efforts to contain and collect mercury over the years, we remain one of the world's leading exporters of this dangerous product, so I am proud this bill will finally ban mercury exports."
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/green/President_Bush_Signs_Obama_s_Mercury_Export_Ban_into_Law.html
AND OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE:
"Mercury poses a serious threat to public health in communities around the world," said Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. "Today, the world's environmental leaders agreed that we must take immediate action to reduce mercury emissions. The United States will play a leading role in working with other nations to craft a global, legally binding agreement that will prevent the spread of mercury into the environment and improve the health of workers, pregnant women, and children throughout the world."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/press_releases/february_20_2009/
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009, the FDA “issued a final regulation classifying dental amalgam and its component parts – elemental mercury and a powder alloy—used in dental fillings. While elemental mercury has been associated with adverse health effects at high exposures, the levels released by dental amalgam fillings are not high enough to cause harm in patients. The regulation classifies dental amalgam into Class II (moderate risk).” (http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm173992.htm)
Monday, June 1, 2009
Treating Gum Disease Helps Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers
Treating Gum Disease Helps Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers
ScienceDaily (May 29, 2009) — Here's one more reason to keep your teeth healthy. People, who suffer from gum disease and also have a severe form of rheumatoid arthritis, reduced their arthritic pain, number of swollen joints and the degree of morning stiffness when they cured their dental problems.
Researchers from the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland reported on this new intervention for arthritis in the Journal of Periodontology. "It was exciting to find that if we eliminated the infection and inflammation in the gums, then patients with a severe kind of active rheumatoid arthritis reported improvement on the signs and symptoms of that disease," said Nabil Bissada, D.D.S., chair of the department of periodontics at the dental school. "It gives us a new intervention," adds Bissada. This is not the first time that gum disease and rheumatoid arthritis have been linked. According to another researcher in the study, Ali Askari, M.D., chair of the department of rheumatology at University Hospitals, "From way back, rheumatologists and other clinicians have been perplexed by the myth that gum disease may have a big role in causing systematic disease." He added that historically teeth were pulled or antibiotics given for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, which actually treated the periodontitis. The patients got better. Askari and Bissada are part of a team of researchers that studied 40 patients with moderate to severe periodontal disease and a severe form of rheumatoid arthritis. The study results should prompt rheumatologists to encourage their patients to be aware of the link between periodontal disease and rheumatoid arthritis, says Askari. Bissada notes that gum disease tends to be prevalent in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Both inflammatory diseases share similarities in the progression of the disease over time. In both diseases, the soft and hard tissues are destroyed from inflammation caused by toxins from bacterial infection.
One toxin from the inflamed areas called tumor neurosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a marker present in the blood when inflammation is present in the body. TNF-α can initiate new infections or aggravate sites where inflammation already exists. The study's participants were divided into four groups. Two groups of patients were receiving a new group of anti-TNF-α drugs that block the production of TNF-α at inflamed rheumatoid arthritis sites. Two groups were not on this new medication. Half of group of the participant on the medication and half not receiving the new drug received a standard nonsurgical form of periodontal treatment to clean and remove the infection from the bones and tissues in the gum areas. The other half of those studied did not receive the treatment until after completion of the study. After receiving treatment for the gum disease, improvement in rheumatoid arthritis symptoms was seen in patients who did and did not receive the anti-TNF-α medications, which block the production of TNF-α that aggravate or can cause inflammation. Patients on the TNF- α inhibitors showed even greater improvements over those not receiving the drugs.
"I'm optimistic that someday the biologic agents that we use successfully in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis will lead to improvement of periodontitis and would be available for use and treatment of this perplexing problem," says Askari. "Again we are seeing another link where good oral health improves the overall health of an individual," says Bissada, who adds that studies have linked gum disease to premature births, heart disease and diabetes.
Other researchers contributing to findings in the article were P. Ortiz, Yiping Han, Leena Palomo, and Ashok Panneerselvam from Case Western Reserve University; and M.S. Al-Zahrani from King Abdulaziz University.
ScienceDaily (May 29, 2009) — Here's one more reason to keep your teeth healthy. People, who suffer from gum disease and also have a severe form of rheumatoid arthritis, reduced their arthritic pain, number of swollen joints and the degree of morning stiffness when they cured their dental problems.
Researchers from the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland reported on this new intervention for arthritis in the Journal of Periodontology. "It was exciting to find that if we eliminated the infection and inflammation in the gums, then patients with a severe kind of active rheumatoid arthritis reported improvement on the signs and symptoms of that disease," said Nabil Bissada, D.D.S., chair of the department of periodontics at the dental school. "It gives us a new intervention," adds Bissada. This is not the first time that gum disease and rheumatoid arthritis have been linked. According to another researcher in the study, Ali Askari, M.D., chair of the department of rheumatology at University Hospitals, "From way back, rheumatologists and other clinicians have been perplexed by the myth that gum disease may have a big role in causing systematic disease." He added that historically teeth were pulled or antibiotics given for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, which actually treated the periodontitis. The patients got better. Askari and Bissada are part of a team of researchers that studied 40 patients with moderate to severe periodontal disease and a severe form of rheumatoid arthritis. The study results should prompt rheumatologists to encourage their patients to be aware of the link between periodontal disease and rheumatoid arthritis, says Askari. Bissada notes that gum disease tends to be prevalent in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Both inflammatory diseases share similarities in the progression of the disease over time. In both diseases, the soft and hard tissues are destroyed from inflammation caused by toxins from bacterial infection.
One toxin from the inflamed areas called tumor neurosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a marker present in the blood when inflammation is present in the body. TNF-α can initiate new infections or aggravate sites where inflammation already exists. The study's participants were divided into four groups. Two groups of patients were receiving a new group of anti-TNF-α drugs that block the production of TNF-α at inflamed rheumatoid arthritis sites. Two groups were not on this new medication. Half of group of the participant on the medication and half not receiving the new drug received a standard nonsurgical form of periodontal treatment to clean and remove the infection from the bones and tissues in the gum areas. The other half of those studied did not receive the treatment until after completion of the study. After receiving treatment for the gum disease, improvement in rheumatoid arthritis symptoms was seen in patients who did and did not receive the anti-TNF-α medications, which block the production of TNF-α that aggravate or can cause inflammation. Patients on the TNF- α inhibitors showed even greater improvements over those not receiving the drugs.
"I'm optimistic that someday the biologic agents that we use successfully in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis will lead to improvement of periodontitis and would be available for use and treatment of this perplexing problem," says Askari. "Again we are seeing another link where good oral health improves the overall health of an individual," says Bissada, who adds that studies have linked gum disease to premature births, heart disease and diabetes.
Other researchers contributing to findings in the article were P. Ortiz, Yiping Han, Leena Palomo, and Ashok Panneerselvam from Case Western Reserve University; and M.S. Al-Zahrani from King Abdulaziz University.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
All uses of Mercury Banned in Sweden
GREAT NEWS... Sweden has officially banned all mercury including the use of mercury containing amalgam fillings. Please see below for the official press release. This will hopefully speed up the US FDA to seriously re-consider the re-certification of amalgam as a safe medical device for use...
Subject: Sweden bans amalgam effective June 1 2009
A press release from the Swedish Ministry of Environment follows.
http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/11459/a/118550
Press release 15 January 2009
Ministry of the Environment
Government bans all use of mercury in Sweden
The Government today decided to introduce a blanket ban on mercury. The ban
means that the use of dental amalgam in fillings will cease and that it will
no longer be permitted to place products containing mercury on the Swedish
market.
"Sweden is now leading the way in removing and protecting the environment
from mercury, which is non-degradable. The ban is a strong signal to other
countries and a Swedish contribution to EU and UN aims to reduce mercury use
and emissions," says Minister for the Environment Andreas Carlgren.
The Government's decision means that products containing mercury may not be
placed on the Swedish market. In practice this means that alternative
techniques will have to be used in dental care, chemical analysis and the
chloralkali industry. The Swedish Chemicals Agency will be authorised to
issue regulations on exceptions or grant exemptions in individual cases.
In connection with the Government's decision, waste containing mercury will
be disposed of in deep geological repositories in other EU countries. The
Swedish market for hazardous waste is small. Last spring, a government
inquiry established that there are existing repositories for waste
containing mercury in, for example, Germany that more than adequately meet
the safety requirements on which Swedish legislation is based. Creating a
new Swedish repository would be around 15 times more expensive than
depositing waste in existing facilities in the EU. The bodies consulted on
this matter shared the inquirys conclusions.
"By using common solutions and almost forty years of experience of storing
mercury in the EU, we are not lowering safety standards. The waste will be
transported to a deep geological repository with high safety standards. In
accordance with the polluter pays principle, the owners of the waste will be
responsible for ensuring that disposal in a repository is arranged and
paying for it," says Mr Carlgren.
The disposal possibilities in other EU countries provide better incentives
for the desired development of safe, large-scale technologies to stabilise
waste containing mercury.
Since the beginning of the 1990s there has been a ban in Sweden on the
manufacture and sale of certain products containing mercury, including
thermometers and other measuring devices and electronic components.
The new regulations enter into force on 1 June 2009.
Contact
Mattias Johansson
Press Secretary to Andreas Carlgren
work +46 8 405 22 69
cell +46 70 950 22 45
email to Mattias Johansson, via the Senior registry clerk
Jerker Forsell
Desk Officer
+46 8 405 39 71
Anna Sanell
Desk Officer
+46 8 405 21 20
Subject: Sweden bans amalgam effective June 1 2009
A press release from the Swedish Ministry of Environment follows.
http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/11459/a/118550
Press release 15 January 2009
Ministry of the Environment
Government bans all use of mercury in Sweden
The Government today decided to introduce a blanket ban on mercury. The ban
means that the use of dental amalgam in fillings will cease and that it will
no longer be permitted to place products containing mercury on the Swedish
market.
"Sweden is now leading the way in removing and protecting the environment
from mercury, which is non-degradable. The ban is a strong signal to other
countries and a Swedish contribution to EU and UN aims to reduce mercury use
and emissions," says Minister for the Environment Andreas Carlgren.
The Government's decision means that products containing mercury may not be
placed on the Swedish market. In practice this means that alternative
techniques will have to be used in dental care, chemical analysis and the
chloralkali industry. The Swedish Chemicals Agency will be authorised to
issue regulations on exceptions or grant exemptions in individual cases.
In connection with the Government's decision, waste containing mercury will
be disposed of in deep geological repositories in other EU countries. The
Swedish market for hazardous waste is small. Last spring, a government
inquiry established that there are existing repositories for waste
containing mercury in, for example, Germany that more than adequately meet
the safety requirements on which Swedish legislation is based. Creating a
new Swedish repository would be around 15 times more expensive than
depositing waste in existing facilities in the EU. The bodies consulted on
this matter shared the inquirys conclusions.
"By using common solutions and almost forty years of experience of storing
mercury in the EU, we are not lowering safety standards. The waste will be
transported to a deep geological repository with high safety standards. In
accordance with the polluter pays principle, the owners of the waste will be
responsible for ensuring that disposal in a repository is arranged and
paying for it," says Mr Carlgren.
The disposal possibilities in other EU countries provide better incentives
for the desired development of safe, large-scale technologies to stabilise
waste containing mercury.
Since the beginning of the 1990s there has been a ban in Sweden on the
manufacture and sale of certain products containing mercury, including
thermometers and other measuring devices and electronic components.
The new regulations enter into force on 1 June 2009.
Contact
Mattias Johansson
Press Secretary to Andreas Carlgren
work +46 8 405 22 69
cell +46 70 950 22 45
email to Mattias Johansson, via the Senior registry clerk
Jerker Forsell
Desk Officer
+46 8 405 39 71
Anna Sanell
Desk Officer
+46 8 405 21 20
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Happy and Healthy New Year
Happy New Year
I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a happy new year. Going into 2009, you are assured to get the same high-quality attention and dental care from my team and I. Each year, we all do our best to improve our skills and our practice to offer you the best dental service on Maui.
And, as we head into the new year, I’d like to remind you to make sure and prioritize dental health for you and your family. The little things you do for home care and with your regular cleaning and prevention visits are very important.
Best wishes for the new year. I hope that you will continue to tell your family and friends about our practice and let people know about the excellent dental care your receive from us.
I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a happy new year. Going into 2009, you are assured to get the same high-quality attention and dental care from my team and I. Each year, we all do our best to improve our skills and our practice to offer you the best dental service on Maui.
And, as we head into the new year, I’d like to remind you to make sure and prioritize dental health for you and your family. The little things you do for home care and with your regular cleaning and prevention visits are very important.
Best wishes for the new year. I hope that you will continue to tell your family and friends about our practice and let people know about the excellent dental care your receive from us.
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