Does Your Dental Work Taste Funny Lately?

'
Dental News
Did you know that according to the American Dental Association, 20% of all dental implant devices are manufactured outside the United States and that an increasing number of dental bridges and crowns are being manufactured in countries with little or no laws to restrict the materials they are he used in their manufacture?

Chances are, you didn't.

"This is very dangerous in my opinion and we don't have any idea of the ramifications and we won't for many years from now," says Dr. Craig Spodak of Delray Beach, FL. "A lot of these crowns have nickel and beryllium, two caustic, potentially cancer-causing metals."

Dr. Spodak's Delray Beach office is one of the few left in the country, he says, where customized lab-work is still being done on the premises. That, he says, gives him control over the materials being used.

The US Food and Drug Administration and the ADA are both investigating reports that materials used by some of those foreign manufacturers may contain high levels of lead and other dangerous metals. Although the FDA says it does not believe imported crowns pose a significant public health risk, the head of the ADA says he's actually worried that the growing number of reports on the topic may cause some patients to skip treatment that they really need.

The best advice is to speak with your dentist, and if you have concerns, ask where your dental work is being manufactured. Dr. Spodak believes more patients must be informed they have that right and urges all dental patients to ask your dentist the following question; "What lab are you using and where it's located?"

Related Blog Posts
Dental Tourism: More Costly Than Going To Your Dentist? ( January 10, 2010 )