Are amalgam fillings harmful?

Since my teeth are of poor quality, I have to constantly repair them, and I currently have to replace several fillings. My dentist recommended amalgam fillings. However, I am concerned about the possible harmful effects of these fillings (due to mercury), which I learned about from the foreign press. Please tell me if they are and if so, how harmful are these fillings? – asks reader Marija Šimić from Split.

Dental amalgam, which is a mixture of metals with mercury, has been used to fill teeth for more than 150 years. In the last few years, especially since alternative aesthetic materials for fillings on molars have been developed, controversy has flared up about the harmfulness of amalgam due to its mercury content. Every material for filling teeth is a foreign body, and amalgam is no exception. Reactions to a foreign body in the oral cavity can also occur when a material other than amalgam is involved.

Given current knowledge, and the amount of mercury that humans get through food, water, and air, there is no reason to say “no” to dental amalgam. In addition, no adverse effects on the health of the body have been discovered so far. In the case of allergies – and this is a very small percentage of the population – amalgam fillings should be abandoned.

What to replace amalgam with?

A substitute for amalgam – which should be tooth-colored, metal-free, with the same price and durability – has not yet been found. Other options are significantly more expensive, the preparation process is more complex, and they place high demands on the patient’s oral hygiene. No country prohibits the use of amalgam by law, but environmentalists recommend the use of encapsulated amalgam and its proper storage. Today, there is a perfect mercury-free amalgam on the market. Patients, in consultation with their dentists, can choose which material to fill their teeth with.