Mercury Mouth: Are Amalgam Fillings Safe?

The FDA has deemed them harmless, but concern over the safety of amalgam dental fillings — those silver-colored fillings that contain a mixture of liquid mercury and a powdered silver, tin, and copper alloy — persists. Here's what you should know.

Few dental health issues have gotten more attention recently than mercury dental fillings, commonly called “silver” or amalgam fillings.

In a statement released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2009, these dental fillings, which contain mercury along with other metals, were pronounced safe for most adults and children over 6 years of age.

However, in December 2010, an FDA advisory panel of scientists and other dental health experts met again to review the safety information of amalgam fillings. The panel upheld the 2009 ruling, but it also urged the FDA to continue to review and evaluate their safety, suggesting the issue still isn’t definitively settled.

Since then, a whole lot of confusion has ensued. Many people are wondering: Are my fillings really safe?

The History of Mercury Dental Fillings

Mercury dental fillings have been the mainstay of cavity fillings for more than 150 years. These dental fillings are a mixture of roughly half liquid mercury and half a combination of silver, tin, and copper.

The reason that amalgam fillings are ideal is that they are soft and malleable. “Mercury is the binding agent that holds the other metals in the amalgam together,” says Vincent C. Mayher, DMD, past president of the Academy of General Dentistry. “When manipulating the material to place in the tooth, dentists can sculpt the filling so that it fits properly and ensures that the patient’s bite is correct.”

But Are Mercury Fillings Risky?

Why are there concerns over amalgam fillings? Because of their mercury content.

Critics believe that mercury dental fillings may cause neurological problems in fetuses and young children. “The concern centers on the health effects of toxicity or allergy that may be associated with mercury exposure, particularly as a potential cause of chronic illnesses, autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, birth defects, oral lesions, and mental disorders,” says Jeffrey Gross, DDS, an associate clinical professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in Cleveland.

The FDA acknowledges that the fillings release low levels of mercury vapor that can be inhaled. But the 2009 FDA findings determined that these levels were far too low to have any adverse health effects on adults and children ages 6 and above. They also concluded that the amount of mercury in breast milk attributable to amalgam fillings was safe for infants. It is noteworthy, however, that the FDA reclassified dental mercury from a class I device to a class II device that requires special considerations and the need to warn patients of the potential risks involved.

While there are still public concerns about the safety of amalgam fillings, the position of both the FDA and the American Dental Association (ADA) is this: They are safe. “There are some who feel the mercury contained in these fillings is toxic and could potentially jeopardize a person’s physical health,” says Dr. Mayher. “Currently neither the FDA nor the ADA supports these claims, which are usually anecdotal and not based on hard or proven science. It is difficult to determine why some individuals feel that these fillings are harming them. It’s possible that these claims first started as a result of situations of true metal allergies that, while rare, are a valid cause for concern.”

Alternatives to Amalgam Fillings

If you still don’t feel safe about having mercury in your mouth, there are dental fillings that can serve as suitable alternatives to amalgam fillings. In fact, the newer type of filling now represent about 70 percent of the fillings used today.

“The newer composite resin materials are a viable option,” explains Mayher. “Many dentists only place fillings of this type. In addition, because composites are tooth-colored, they present a much more aesthetic alternative to the silver-colored composites.”

If you already have amalgam fillings and are concerned about their potential adverse impact on your health, ask your dentist about composite resin fillings.

Original Article on Everydayhealth.com