Ah...only some are that way...the ones I don't agree with :)

Why fill a need when you can create a non existent one?

I think its the pharmaceutical advertising and marketing people
who spend their time thinking up ways to "convince" people that
they're sick just so that they can sell them a drug are the evil
rat bastards.   I swear everytime an ad comes on for a drug I get
 the feeling of being in a Kurt Vonnegut novel.

No they're in for good.

I've had a MRI done and didn't have any problems -- than again I
probably didn't mention that I had the pin in my jaw to them.  It
happened almost in another life and it often slips my mind.

Also I'm guessing that as they said the MRI is stronger then
most, PLUS it would be actually 7 MRIs (3 nights & 4 MRIs a night).

What was/is your thesis topic?  I remember asking you before but I think I
lost the thread....

I've never heard of iron fillings or crowns.  Usually, the metal ones
are a silver amalgam, but more often a plastic composite is used.  The
problem with MRIs is the huge magnet - anything magnetic (or attracted
by magnets) in your body is going to be seriously yanked about by it.

I'm a trainer at a YMCA... although I still have one client from
my past work-life as a media consultant, but they don't need much
of my time anymore.

Getting curious myself, I just looked into MRI risk and found
this site:  http://health.howstuffworks.com/mri.htm

Prior to allowing a patient or support staff member into the scan
room, he or she is thoroughly screened for metal objects. Up to
this point, we have only talked about external objects. Often
however, patients have implants inside them that make it very
dangerous for them to be in the presence of a strong magnetic
field. Metallic fragments in the eye are very dangerous because
moving those fragments could cause eye damage or blindness. Your
eyes do not form scar tissue as the rest of your body does. A
fragment of metal in your eye that has been there for 25 years is
just as dangerous today as it was then -- there is no scar tissue
to hold it in place. People with pacemakers cannot be scanned or
even go near the scanner because the magnet can cause the
pacemaker to malfunction. Aneurysm clips in the brain can be very
dangerous as the magnet can move them, causing them to tear the
very artery they were placed on to repair. Some dental implants
are magnetic. Most orthopedic implants, even though they may be
ferromagnetic, are fine because they are firmly embedded in bone.
Even metal staples in most parts of the body are fine -- once
they have been in a patient for a few weeks (usually six weeks),
enough scar tissue has formed to hold them in place. Each time we
encounter patients with an implant or metallic object inside
their body, we investigate thoroughly to make sure it is safe to
scan them. Some patients are turned away because it is too
dangerous. When this happens, there is usually an alternative
method of imaging that can help them.

I also found at another site:
http://tattoo.about.com/cs/tatfaq/a/mri_scan.htm

It is the powerful magnetic force that creates a concern, not
only to those who are tattooed, but also to anyone with metal
objects in their bodies such as implants (dental or otherwise),
pacemakers or even metal fragments. The magnetic force of an MRI
machine is so strong, even the “weakest” machine used (about
0.5-tesla) is 10,000 times the strength of the Earth’s magnetic
field. Even small metal objects such as paperclips or keys can
become projectile weapons if left in an MRI room during a scan.

So, what does all of this have to do with tattoos? Well, it
appears that about 20 years ago and further, tattoo ink was
sometimes comprised of small fragments of metal as well as other
ingredients. This was long before tattoos were ever regulated and
before more serious thought was given as to the safety of tattoo
ink ingredients. Some MRI patients who have had tattoos that
dated back far enough to have received ink that contained metal
bits have reported slight discomfort to severe pain during an MRI
scan.

It is purported that the reason for this was that the magnetic
force pulled on the metallic fragments so violently that it
caused a burning sensation in the location of the tattoo. I have
heard some theorize that this may have been caused by built up
friction between the particles, and some say that the magnetic
force was actually tearing at the skin as the fragments were
pulled and attempted to actually break away from the skin. I
don’t know which, if either, is true; however, even if there is
no pain at all, these fragments can cause artifacts, which is the
technical term used for distortions in MRI scans. Artifacts can
render a scanned image useless, requiring that the procedure be
done again or even an alternate procedure be used to acquire
accurate information. So, at the very least, you could be stuck
with a very expensive bill for nothing -if, of course, your
tattoo actually contains these metal particles.

Interesting stuff... learn something new every day.