10/13/2024
Should you worry about the mercury in your mouth?
Next year the European Union is banning the use of silver fillings because of their mercury content. Known as amalgam, "silver" fillings are an alloy of mercury, silver, copper, tin & zinc, and have been used by dentists around the world for nearly 200 years to restore billions of teeth.
Importantly, the upcoming E.U. ban is not because of any known health issues from amalgam fillings. Rather the broad mercury ban applies to many industries, with a goal of reducing the overall amount of mercury in the environment wherever possible. Healthcare is one of those affected industries, and the ban applies to new fillings.
But because amalgam fillings are far more durable, easier to place, and cheaper than modern alternatives, public health officials acknowledge that amalgam is the superior choice for much of the developing world. But in the E.U. (and certainly here in our modern city in a prosperous nation), we have the luxury, if not the responsibility, to use more advanced materials and techniques without mercury.
So should you get your old silver fillings removed?
A 2019 review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded that available research did not suggest mercury exposure from dental fillings posed health risks to the general population. Cured amalgam fillings are stable alloys that do not leech mercury. Nevertheless, here at Inman Park Dentistry we have never used amalgam, and we support phasing out the material. But health experts around the world do not advise changing amalgams solely for the purpose of removing the mercury. However, if there is a new cavity forming, or decades of chewing stress is breaking down the filling, or you simply do not like the dark appearance of the amalgam, it certainly can be replaced with modern resin or ceramic options.
