Are Amalgam (Silver) Fillings Safe?

The safety of amalgam fillings (silver or metal colored) is a topic that recurs often in the media. Mercury is one component of amalgam and the one that stirs the most controversy. Here’s what dental research has shown:

• A safe amount of mercury exposure is 300 to 500 micrograms. A mouthful of seven (7) fillings is about 0.3 micrograms.
• After being placed in your mouth, the mercury in an amalgam filling only released a trace amount of vapors.
• Mercury vapors constantly surround you whether or not you have amalgam fillings.
• A can of tuna contains more mercury than an amalgam filling.

In addition we have decades of their use as fillings in patients’s mouths to know that they hold up very well in the oral environment against acids, the rigors of chewing and the like.

The choice of which filling material you use is up to you and your dentist. Amalgam fillings are not always the best choice. Each situation is unique, and your dentist is the person best suited to help you determine which filling material would best serve in that situation. But hopefully, this information will make the safety of amalgam fillings one less factor for you to consider in making your decision.

You can learn more about dental fillings by going to the patient education section of www.drjrobb.com

Dr. Jennifer Robb is a general dentist who places both amalgam (silver) and composite (white/tooth colored) fillings. She is accepting new patients at her office at 1612 Cooper Foster Park Rd., Lorain, OH. Schedule by calling 440-960-1940. Find Dr. Robb on the web at www.drjrobb.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DrJenniferRobb