Dental amalgam or, “mercury fillings”, have been used in dentistry for well over a century. They are composed of different metals such as silver, copper, zinc and tin bound together into an alloy by elemental mercury. The mercury content of an amalgam filling can be between 45% - 50% of the mixture
Much has been written about the need to replace mercury fillings due to their mercury content. While the American Dental Association has given the mercury filling a clean bill of health, there has been much written about the dangers of having mercury fillings in the mouth. Mercury toxicity is well known and has been well documented. Exposure to toxic levels of mercury and mercury vapors can cause neurological damage and injury to other organs. Although a very small release of mercury vapor from dental amalgam has been known to occur in a patient's mouth, the American Dental Association and the National Institutes of Health maintain that mercury fillings are safe. There is, however, some controversy on this subject. There are numerous groups, most notably the World Health Organization, that believe the mercury contained in metal dental fillings is unsafe.
As written in an article by The World Health Organization…
“Dental amalgam is a potentially significant source of exposure since it can contain up to 50% elemental mercury. It is released as vapour, ions or fine particles and may be inhaled or ingested. Although no adverse health effects have been proven, use of dental amalgam is declining rapidly. Amalgam may represent an occupational risk for dentists and can cause release of mercury to the atmosphere during cremation.”
http://www.who.int/phe/news/Mercury-flyer.pdf
Mercury and removed amalgam fillings are hazardous materials that require special treatment and disposal once removed from the mouth. This makes it's non-toxic classification, while inside the mouth, somewhat difficult to comprehend. By law, we are required to treat the waste from dental amalgam as a hazardous material that requires an amalgam separator in our office to keep the removed amalgam from entering the water supply.
Our view at Zonies-Holgado Dental is one of concern. While we do not believe that everyone should have their metal fillings replaced with composite resin or white fillings, there are some issues regarding mercury and pregnant women, young children, loss of memory, Alzheimers disease, ALS, MS and Parkinson's disease that make us desire more information about the link between dental mercury fillings and the release of mercury vapor in the mouth. While there has been no clear evidence, as of yet, linking the two, we do feel that we need to educate our patients on the pros and cons of mercury fillings and if our patients feel the need to replace their metal fillings because of safety or other concerns, we will strongly support their decision and help them schedule, complete the procedures and file for insurance compensation.
Doctors Zonies and Holgado have chosen not to use silver fillings in our practice for the past 10 years. The safety of our patients and our staff is our main concern. We feel that there are several healthier and esthetically pleasing alternatives available. With this in mind, we offer tooth colored composite restorations and all ceramic CEREC CAD/CAM restorations as a viable substitute for mercury fillings. In addition to the obvious cosmetic advantages, these restorations adhere or bond to your teeth, unlike amalgam, thereby strengthening and preserving tooth structure.
Another website concerned with the mercury in dental amalgam:
http://www.yourhealthbase.com/amalgams.html
This article on the Food and Drug Administration website gives the FDA point of view as of June 2008
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/amalgams.html
And, of course, the view of the American Dental Association
http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/positions/statements/amalgam.asp