Mercury Tooth Filling?

Question

Hi, what is the danger of mercury tooth filling? What can develope from having them? I actualy had the filling in my tooth and then swallowed then they filled it up again and again I swallowed it. What can I get from this? Your help is greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

You are more at risk at being poisoned with seafood containing high levels of mercury than you do with amalgams. Amalgams are safe and durable and last a long time if they are placed properly. They can last for more 20 years!
The risks of tooth colored fillings are discoloration, leakage, and durability under high stress (like chewing on fillings on your back teeth). Tooth colored fillings actually get replaced more often than amalgams. Sometimes your dentist may feel an amalgam is a better choice for that tooth because of some of these factors. Tooth colored fillings are best on small to medium sized fillings and especially on your front teeth.

The amalgam issue is definitely back in the media and getting lots of press. Like Dr. Sam said, go to www.ada.org. That is the only true and real source to go to.

A professor of mine was involved in the amalgam debate that started a few years ago. He went to the press conference and was interviewed. He brought a great point: "Table salt is composed of 2 very volatile elements, Sodium and Chlorine. Separate, yes, they can kill you. But together, you get salt. And we eat it every day."

Amalgams are just that. Yes, mercury is stabilized by the other components of the filling and it is safe. So you are safe.

Answer 2

I am a dental student and I will try to answer your question, according to the literature I've read and lecture notes I have.

"Mercury" fillings are Amalgam fillings. These are usually composed of 40-50% mercury. These fillings give off mercury vapor, which depends on the number of amalgam fillings you have, grinding teeth, etc. Mercury vapor may be inhaled, enter the bloodstream, and carried throughout the body.

However, any mercury from amalgam fillings we swallow is very poorly absorbed and little enters our bloodstream. So, I would not think this would be a concern (*). But you may want to speak to your dentist or physician and get their advice, since I don't know your personal medical history.

Hope this helps.

[* This is my opinion from research literature and lecture notes. This reply does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and does not constitute medical advice. Patient should discuss their situation with their physician, who is aware of their medical history.]

Answer 3

The fillings have very little mercury in them. Only having a large number of these fillings for a very long time will cause any kind of nasty problems, mercury poisoning, organ damage (minor), Static shock in the mouth (like when you get shocked when touching something only it's in your mouth and causes a tooth ache), Swalloing two of the fillings will not cause you any damage, you would have to swallow dozens to become ill. No worries :). You should ask your dentist about tooth colored fillings as opposed to mercury, they are better for you in the long run and they look better too. here is a good website with information on mercury fillings.

http://www.heartlandhealing.com/pages/reader/mercury_fillings.html

Answer 4

I had my silver mercury fillings replaced 19 years ago because I did not like the look of them. I had six fillings in my molars replaced with white composite ones and other than one falling out 11 years ago I have had no problems. The silver mercury fillings seemed to be always falling out and did not seem to last that long. I always seemed to be getting one particular tooth filled and now it has got a white composite filling it has been fine. I do not get a metallic taste in my mouth anymore. I did not any of the physiological symptoms to begin with, other than I was a bit embarrassed to laugh as I did not want anyone to see the silver fillings in my teeth.

Answer 5

The mercury in the amalgam filling is bound with silver. It can't hurt you because it is bonded to the silver and can not enter your blood stream. If you swallowed some amalgam, you will pass it out of your digestive tract long before it could ever cause you any harm. No need to worry.

Answer 6

Lucy heard Japanese radio transmissions on hers!

while they are not perfectly safe, the silver/mercury filling material should be OK in an adult, the problem is the soluble forms of Mercury in developing children. Most heavy metal are like this. worry about something more important.

Answer 7

Mercury is a trace component of silver teeth fillings, but it is chemically bound to the silver and so is inert. So far there is no evidence that it can cause similar effects as exposure to raw mercury, which can damage the nervous system.

Answer 8

Go to http://www.ada.org and read all about it. It's the hot topic - back in the news again. There is so much scientific data supporting the notion that silver amalgam fillings are safe, I won't bore the world by repeating it here.

Answer 9

Mercury is toxic to the body. you can get Alzheimer's. liver, kidney and brain poisoning this effect slowly builds up with time (accumulative) as the mercury leaches out of the fillings.
Many(most) vaccines are in a mercury based solution

Answer 10

Ummm...any of the docs here even a little concerned that these fillings keep falling out? Forget what's in them, why aren't they staying put?