Mercury in Dental Fillings

“Mercury is used in dental fillings and can cause people to get sick. Tests show mercury levels can be detected in the mouth and so everyone should get their fillings replaced.” This urban legend is partially true in the sense that mercury is used to create the structure used in dental fillings, however there is a debate on whether or not this practice, which has been used in dental restoration since 1816 when Auguste Taveau developed the dental amalgam from silver coins and mercury is dangerous to our health (wikipedia). Amalgam fillings are said to be a mixture of 43% to 54% mercury and a powdered alloy made mostly of silver, tin, zinc and copper commonly called the amalgam alloy (wikipedia).

Mercury, often referred to as quicksilver is a chemical element which is located on the periodic table with an atomic number of 80 and the symbol Hg. Mercury is present as a liquid at standard room temperature and is classified as a transition metal by scientists. Transition metals are any metals found in the d block on the periodic table. The controversy concerning the use of mercury is due to the great concern over the element’s toxicity. Mercury is a neurotoxin and “elevated blood mercury levels have led to retardation and deformities in children” (wikipedia). Although many manufacturers have terminated using mercury in products such as thermometers, Mercury is still used in dental amalgam.

While many have argued that this poses a severe health risk, others argue that the structure formed by the mixing of the elements mercury, zinc, copper, tin, and silver is not harmful because mercury is bonded with other elements to create a strong, stable substance. Stephen Barrett M.D. explains, “The difference between bound and unbound chemicals can be illustrated by a simple analogy. Elemental hydrogen is an explosive gas. Elemental oxygen is a gas that supports combustion. When combined, however, they form water, which has neither of these effects. Amalgam's ingredients are tightly bonded to each other. Although the types of chemical bonds in water and amalgam differ, saying that amalgam will poison you is just as wrong as saying that drinking water will make you explode and burst into flames” (Barrett).

The amount of mercury the body absorbs from amalgam fillings is very small and well below the level of mercury which would cause any “adverse health affects” in the human body (Barrett). According to Barrett, studies found that people with symptoms they believed were caused by amalgam fillings actually had very low levels of mercury detected in their bodies or rather they did not have “significant amounts of mercury” detected (Barrett). “The amounts of mercury detected by the tests were trivial. Some studies have shown that the problems patients attribute to amalgam restorations are psychosomatic in nature and have been exacerbated greatly by information from the media or from a dentist” (Barrett).

In January 1998, the American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs issued a report on dental amalgam safety, with emphasis on studies that had been published since the 1993 review (quakwatch.org). This report stated the following:

Millions of people have amalgam restorations in their mouths, and millions more will receive amalgam for restoring their carious [decayed] teeth. Over the years, amalgam has been used for dental restorations without evidence of major health problems. Newly developed techniques have demonstrated that minute levels of mercury are released from amalgam restorations, but no health consequences from exposure to such low levels of mercury released from amalgam restorations have been demonstrated. Given the available scientific information and considering the demonstrated benefits of dental amalgams, unless new scientific research dictates otherwise, there currently appears to be no justification for discontinuing the use of dental amalgam.

Barrett warns patients that there are many anti-amalgamist dentists out there who conduct “dubious