signs of mercury poisoning from fillings

Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.

Talk to your dental provider about your health history and other available treatment options for fillings. As such, if you are a person who is in one of the high-risk populations identified and need a new filling, the FDA recommends you avoid dental amalgam if possible and appropriate. Little information is known about the potential health effects of mercury vapor exposure from dental amalgam on these groups of people. Who Should Be Concerned About Dental Amalgam?Ĭertain people, including women who are pregnant or who are planning to become pregnant, nursing mothers, children (especially those under the age of six), people with a known allergy to mercury, and people with neurological impairment or kidney dysfunction, may be more susceptible to the effects of exposure to mercury from dental amalgam and may be at greater risk for adverse health effects. Studies on people with dental amalgam do not show conclusive evidence that dental amalgam causes harmful health effects in the general population. In general, people with multiple dental amalgam fillings may have slightly higher mercury levels in their blood or urine, however, they usually remain at a level considered safe. While there are no known health risks associated with ingestion (swallowing) of small particles of dental amalgam, inhaling (breathing in) mercury vapors may be harmful in certain patients.

When a new amalgam filling is placed or an old filling is removed, patients and healthcare providers may experience a temporary increase in exposure to mercury vapor. Is Dental Amalgam Safe?ĭental amalgam fillings may release small amounts of mercury in the form of a vapor (gas), depending on the number and age of existing fillings, and actions such as tooth grinding and gum chewing. Dental amalgam is approximately half (50%) mercury, by weight.

Download PDF version of this page What Is Dental Amalgam?ĭental amalgam, sometimes called a “silver-filling” due to its appearance, is a mixture of mercury, silver, copper, tin and zinc used to fill cavities in teeth.

Signs of mercury poisoning from fillings