Key messages
- Dental amalgam is a silver-coloured filling material.
- It is no longer commonly used to fix teeth.
- There is no quality scientific research that shows that using dental amalgam to fix teeth causes health issues.
- Dental amalgam is no longer commonly used due to concerns about the environment.
Dental amalgam is no longer commonly used to fix teeth. But dentists are commonly asked "should I have my amalgam fillings removed?" Below is information on the safety of amalgam filling material and if amalgam fillings need to be removed.
Amalgam safety
Some people claim that mercury in dental amalgam can cause health issues. There is no quality scientific research that shows this is true.
Scientific research shows that the mercury in amalgam fillings is not absorbed well by your body. Small amounts of mercury from amalgam do get into your blood but are removed by your kidneys and passed out of your body in urine.
There are only two proven side-effects of amalgam.
Lichen planus is a condition that causes small sores on the gums or inside of the cheeks.
An allergic reaction that affects the soft tissues near the amalgam filling. Signs of an allergic reaction can include:
- swelling
- redness
- itching.
But these are rare.
Dental amalgam is no longer commonly used due to concerns about the environment. One way mercury gets into the environment is through dental clinics. To prevent this, dentists have created policies and installed equipment to help them safely get rid of amalgam waste to decrease the amount released into the environment.
Should I remove my amalgam fillings?
Dental amalgam is a safe and very useful filling material. There is no need to have your amalgam fillings removed and replaced without a sound reason. There is no scientific research that shows that replacing a healthy amalgam filling for no reason with a different material will give you better health outcomes.
If you choose to have your amalgam fillings removed, make sure you understand the effects of this decision. Each time a dental filling is cut out of a tooth, some tooth structure is also cut away. There is also no guarantee that the new filling will be better than your current amalgam filling. All dentists are trained to remove and replace amalgam fillings. Dentists do not need specialist training to do this.
Even though dental amalgam is not commonly used for dental fillings anymore, your dentist may still recommend it as the filling material of choice for certain dental fillings.
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Our experts continually monitor the oral health space. As research and recommendations change or we get reader feedback, we update the information in our articles.