Dental mercury amalgam fillings are safe for most people

Taking one filling is a common dental procedure used to treat tooth decay and protect teeth damaged by tooth decay.

There are several types of filling materials currently available to repair cavities, including tooth-colored composite fillings and silver-colored amalgam fillings, which contain liquid (elemental) mercury.

A VERIFY viewer recently asked our team in a text message if the mercury found in dental amalgam fillings is bad for your health.

Are mercury-containing dental fillings harmful?

Dental amalgam fillings containing mercury are generally considered safe for most adults and children over the age of 6.

However, some people, including people who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, nursing mothers, children under the age of 6, people with a known mercury allergy, and people with neurological impairment or kidney dysfunction, should avoid getting dental amalgam fillings if possible and appropriate, according to the FDA.

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Dental amalgam fillingsthat contain elemental mercury, are generally safe for most people — but the process of installing, removing, or replacing them could lead to potential mercury exposure that could be harmful to certain groups.

Dental amalgam is a mixture of metals, consisting of elemental mercury and a powdered alloy consisting of silver, tin and copper. About 50% of dental amalgam is elemental mercury by weight, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Elemental mercury is different from the form of mercury found in fish, known as methylmercury.

Dental amalgam is generally offered as a lower priced alternative to composites. The Cleveland Clinic said in 2020 that millions of dental amalgam fillings are in use and continue to be placed in dental schools, clinics and hospitals around the world.

When a new dental amalgam filling is placed or an old filling is removed, they can release small amounts of mercury in the form of vapor (gas), depending on the number and age of existing fillings and whether the person has been doing things like grinding teeth and chewing gum , according to the FDA. During this time, patients and healthcare providers may experience a temporary increase in mercury vapor exposure.

Although there are no known health risks associated with ingesting small particles of dental amalgam, inhaling mercury vapor can be harmful to some patients, according to the FDA. Exposure to high levels of mercury vapor, which can occur in certain occupational settings, including dental offices, has been associated with adverse effects on the brain and kidneys.

“Elemental mercury can be toxic if inhaled. It has a very, very low vapor pressure, meaning it evaporates into air very easily at room temperature. So if you heat a quantity of mercury to place a filling, for example, or to remove a filling, you’re actually causing it to vaporize further. And because it’s toxic by inhalation, if you breathe in those fumes, that’s what can be dangerous,” Kelly Johnson-Arbor, MD, co-medical director of the National Capital Poison Center, told VERIFY.

But the FDA and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Both say mercury in dental amalgam fillings is generally considered safe for most adults and children over age 6. American Dental Association (ADA) it also says that dental amalgam has served as a “safe, durable and affordable material in restorative dentistry” for more than 150 years.

The The FDA recommends that certain high-risk people, such as people who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, nursing mothers, children under 6 years of age, people with a known mercury allergy, and people with neurological impairment or kidney dysfunction, should avoid dental amalgam fillings “if is possible and appropriate”.

“Little information is known about the potential health effects of exposure to mercury vapor from dental amalgam in these groups of people,” the FDA states on its website. “Some people may be more sensitive to the effects of mercury exposure from dental amalgam and may be at greater risk for adverse health effects.”

But if you have dental amalgam fillings and are concerned about the amount of mercury in them, Michael Kostrov, DMD, a general dentist at Comprehensive Dental Care in Washington, DC, Johnson-Arbor, and the FDA do not recommend removing the fillings. or replaced.

“Removing intact amalgam fillings results in unnecessary loss of healthy tooth structure and exposes you to a temporary increase in mercury vapor released during the removal process,” the FDA says. “Intact amalgam fillings in any person, including vulnerable groups such as pregnant/nursing mothers and children, should not be removed for the purpose of preventing any disease or health condition, unless deemed medically necessary by a healthcare professional.”