At Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Dr Don Henderson and Michele Monteil, of the department of Immunology, with WDDTY panel member dentist Jack Levenson, have developed a simple blood test to determine if your fillings are making you ill.
The test, called a Metal Specific Memory T Cell Test (MSMT), determines your immune system’s “memory” of dental and other metals. When your body is exposed to a foreign invader (say, a virus), your body mounts a defence and kills the infection. The next time you get exposed to the same virus, your body can attack it more quickly and powerfully, because of its immunological memory the antibodies it has developed. These immune-system responses can actually be measured.As for metal, although all people will demonstrate immunological memory of a variety of metals, including mercury, only those who have a worse reaction for instance, those who get a rash from nickel will show a strong memory response. A test like this to measure industry exposure to heavy metals has been available for years. Drs Henderson and Monteil have demonstrated that the strength of immune-system response to mercury and other dental metals can also be graded. The test has two parts, measuring (1) amalgam and nickel; and (2) chromium, cobalt, palladium, gold and platinum.
For more information about the test, ring The British Society for Mercury-free Dentistry (No 1 Welbeck House, 62 Welbeck St, London W1M 7HB tel: 0171-486 3127).
For more information about how to have your fillings removed safely, see the WDDTY Dental Handbook.