February 24, 2025

Amalgam Fillings Explained: Pros, Cons, and Replacement Choices

What are amalgam fillings?

Amalgam fillings are fillings that contain a variety of different metals and are used to fill cavities, especially cavities in your back teeth. The typical amalgam filling contains about 50 weight percent elemental mercury. Ironically, fillings are perhaps the worldwide number one source of mercury exposure to humans.

Mercury is used as filling material because:

  • Mercury is cheap
  • Mercury is durable
  • Your tooth easily forms to the shape of your mercury

Amalgam fillings are very many experts, especially biological/holistic dentists, believe there is compelling scientific evidence that they are dangerous. The fillings with mercury filling material contained in these fillings cause side effects such as Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and heart disease.

Amalgam fillings are also known as:

  • Dental amalgam fillings
  • Silver amalgam fillings
  • Silver fillings
  • Mercury amalgam fillings
  • Mercury fillings

What do amalgam fillings consist of?

There is a lot of mercury in the dental amalgam metal that is also found in many thousands of American teeth. That poison, the stuff you know you aren’t supposed to be around but also you know that if you do you can’t be touched by either side.

Mercury amalgam fillings (AKA silver fillings) are made up of the following materials:

  • 50% mercury
  • 35% silver
  • Materials such as 15% copper, nickel, tin, zinc, and others.

Are amalgam fillings sources of mercury leaks?

It’s true–mercury can leak from amalgam fillings. The medical community is divided as to whether mercury emitted by amalgam fillings is enough to contribute to mercury poisoning. Like biological/holistic dentists Dr. George and I disagree.

The results of autopsies show that the amount of mercury in the skin of bodies with amalgam fillings ranges from 2 to 12 times what is found in the skin of those without amalgam fillings.

Also, bruxism (teeth grinding) is a common problem for many of our dental patients that increase the vaporization of mercury from amalgam fillings.

Are amalgam fillings still in use?

Today amalgam fillings are still used. Amalgam fillings have been used in the dental health of mankind for 150 years.

Still, although WHO recommends phasing out mercury fillings and many experts advocate for these to be phased out, about the vast majority of the medical community still regards amalgam restorations as the safest and most effective treatment option.

Benefits of Amalgam Fillings

  • Cheap
  • Durable
  • Discourages tooth decay

Risks of Amalgam Fillings

Amalgam fillings are well documented to be risks and very dangerous. Patients are exposed to mercury’s harmful effects because of mercury fillings.

Scientific studies have shown that mercury exposure is linked to the development or worsening of the following medical conditions:

  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Lou Gehrig’s disease (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (AKA))
  • Antibiotic resistance
  • Anxiety
  • Autism spectrum disorders
  • Immune related diseases or immunodeficiency
  • Cardiovascular Health problems
  • Chronic fatigue syndrome
  • Depression
  • Fever
  • Hallucinations
  • Headaches
  • Hearing loss
  • Insomnia
  • Kidney disease
  • Memory loss
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Oral lichenoid reaction, oral lichen planus
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Periodontitis (AKA gum disease and gingivitis).
  • Reproductive dysfunction
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Chronic mercury poisoning
  • Thyroiditis
  • Tremors
  • Death

Are amalgam fillings bad? Amalgam fillings are bad for you, yes. Small amounts of mercury are found in amalgam fillings. Mercury exposure has dangerous symptoms.

Removing Amalgams or not Removing Amalgams?

What do I do with the mercury fillings in my teeth? We would test your blood mercury levels to see if you should have your mercury fillings removed or left in for you.

Depending upon your previous history of bruxism (teeth grinding), your exposure may be much higher than the non bruxer, so these cases certainly require the additional consideration.

Placement and removal yield your highest mercury exposure.

  • We don’t want to expose you, unnecessarily, to mercury vapors during the removal process if your blood mercury levels are low.
  • We want to take that filling out as soon as possible if your blood mercury levels are high.

Here are 6 opinions on the dangers of mercury exposure and amalgam fillings from top health organizations:

  • “The American Dental Association said that dental amalgam is one of the safest and cheapest, and most durable materials that is available.” About 1 percent of the population suffers from adverse effects of amalgam fillings, they said later.
  • Although it’s unknown what happens to humans with low levels of mercury vapors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
  • When it comes to mercury, there’s no safe limit, according to a report from the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP).
  • In pregnant women or new mothers’ breast milk, exposure to mercury — even small amounts — could result in serious health problems, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
  • According to table compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), use of dental amalgam fillings has been declining as other filling materials are becoming more effective.
  • Removing amalgam fillings causes unnecessary loss of tooth structure and exposure to mercury vapors, Autoinfu said.

The Best Way to Remove Amalgams: The SMART Method

The best way to remove mercury amalgam fillings is the SMART Method, which employs:

  • To shield your mouth, a rubber dam tooth umbrella
  • First providing disposable covering for hair and skin
  • Bucket removing more fillings in chunks to remove vapors.
  • Before and after mercury replacements, use ozonated water
  • ON overhead patients a HEPA filter/high volume vacuum
  • Office air purification system
  • An additional ionizer to remove any further mercury particles in the air
  • Traces of mercury removed with chlorella/activated charcoal rinse.
  • The supply of oxygen to breathe through the nose

I am a biological dentist and have been trained and educated to thelowest possible mercury danger when removing mercury fillings. I am a SMART certified (IAOMT approved) to safely remove mercury fillings.

We know mercury is toxic and use a SMART protocol to keep your patients and staff from the toxic vapors when we remove any metals in your mouth and do a detox evaluation.

First we have an elaborate purifying setup, that we will walk you through before any treatment.

Sugarland, Texas: If you’d like your mercury fillings safely removed, see us! Using the SMART method we safely remove mercury amalgam fillings. If you need more information, or to set up an appointment, call (713) 489-3790 or click on the SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT button in the corner of any of our web pages.

Safe Alternatives for fillings in teeth.

There are several safe alternatives to amalgam fillings:

  • Composite Resin (AKA composite fillings)
  • Gold ionomer fillings (AKA gold fillings)
  • Porcelain fillings (also referred to as ceramic fillings).

But there are also mercury free fillings available even if they may be slightly more costly at this time. Alternative fillings, however, do not contain mercury and use materials that include those dental materials.

The above types of fillings are also biocompatible and do not provoke allergies and other adverse health effects.

It currently recommends the US start to phase out amalgam fillings immediately.

Amalgam and the government seem to be dragging their feet on phasing out amalgam, but if you are an informed patient, you can choose a better alternative to eliminate all of these unnecessary health risks.

Sources

H, Jirau-Colón, L, González-Parrilla, J, Martinez-Jiménez, and W, Adam, & Jiménez-Velez, B. (2019). Rethinking the Dental Amalgam Dilemma: Integrated Toxicological Approach. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16 (6): 1036. Full text: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6466133/?report=alien

Mutter, J. (2011). Is it safe for a human to consume dental amalgam? Scientific opinion of the European Commission scientific committee. 6(1):2. Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology. Full text: Epub ahead of print. Link: 10.1186/1745-6673-6-2. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1745-6673-6-2

Buchanan, L. H. & Counter, S. A. (2004). Mercury exposure in children: a review. 209-230, Toxicology and applied pharmacology, 198(2). Full text: https://testisguru.com/Fractals/paper1a_5negents-bionano.pdf

D. A. Geier, J. K. Kern and M. R. Geier (2009). Prenatal mercury exposure from maternal dental amalgams and severity of autism: A prospective study. 69(2): 189-97; 2009, Acta Neurobiol Exp. Abstract: Sakurai TS, et al. . https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19593333/ .