Mercury Safe and Mercury Free

Mercury in Traditional Dental Fillings

For over a century, the most common material for dental fillings was silver amalgam, with more than 100 million Americans getting silver amalgam fillings. One would hope that something so common (and which is still used by 47% of dentists) would be completely safe. Unfortunately, these fillings contain about 50% mercury, and there is no known safe level of mercury exposure. Amalgam fillings have actually been banned in countries like Sweden, Norway, and Denmark because of their proven toxic effects.

Dentistry Minus the Mercury

If you have a silver filling, the simple act of chewing your food releases between 2 and 20 micrograms of mercury into your body per day — and it’s even higher for people who regularly chew gum, drink soda, or grind their teeth. Over time, this can cause problems like tremors, insomnia, headaches, nerve damage, respiratory failure, and kidney problems.

A great way to prevent these problems from developing or worsening is to get your silver fillings replaced with a safe material, but if the dentist doesn’t use the correct procedure, removing the fillings can cause even more mercury exposure. With dentists who are mercury safe and mercury free, you know you’re getting the highest standard of filling replacement, and you can trust that your new fillings will be 100% free of mercury.

Get Mercury Safe and Mercury Free Filling Replacements at Westport Family Dental

Here at Westport Family Dental, we follow mercury-safe dental procedures to remove and replace silver fillings safely, and we offer new fillings that you can feel confident in. If you want to learn more about mercury in dental fillings and why you might want to get your silver fillings replaced, just give us a call at (816) 531-0382 or email us.