How Dangerous is Mercury?

Dental amalgams have been around now for about 150 years⁽⁶⁾. At first when these were created people did not mind much about these mercury-containing fillings. With more research and knowledge gained, individuals started to realize that these dental amalgams might be dangerous to the human body. An amalgam is basically a mixture of metals and dental amalgams are liquid mercury mixed with alloys of other chemicals such as silver and tin⁽⁶⁾. Another name for mercury is quicksilver⁽⁴⁾. Some of mercury’s properties that make it useful includes that it is a liquid at room temperature, expands and contracts with temperature, conducts electricity, amalgamates with other metals, and kills bacteria and fungi⁽²⁾. Mercury is released as a vapour when cinnabar ore is crushed and heated; the vapour is then cooled, condensed, and collected⁽⁵⁾. The harmful and toxic effects of mercury depend on several different factors. The form, dose, age of a person who is exposed, duration of the exposure, and the general health of a person are just a few to start off with⁽⁴⁾.

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For people that are concerned with getting mercury in their fillings, there are alternatives available such as the composite resin and gold foil fillings. The composite resin fillings are the more common alternative to dental amalgams. These fillings can also be called “white” or “tooth-coloured” fillings⁽¹⁾. The advantage of the composite resin fillings is that they blend in with the colour of the surrounding teeth and a disadvantage is that they can be a bit less durable than the dental amalgams and you might need to get these ones replaced at a faster rate compared to the dental amalgams⁽¹⁾. The other less common alternative is the gold foil fillings. These are more advantageous because they are much more durable and stronger, but the disadvantage is that they do cost more and they are more visible as they are gold-coloured⁽¹⁾. Overall, the amount of mercury that is present in the dental amalgams is minimal and are not as dangerous as people think and there are alternatives available for people that are strictly against getting mercury-fillings. 

References:

1. Alternatives to Dental Amalgams. (2014, June 6). Retrieved November 5, 2014, from http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/DentalProducts/DentalAmalgam/ucm171108.htm
2. Case, R., Thompson, D., Hedin, K., Edwards, J., & Sieg, K. (n.d.). Mercury All Around Us. Mercury Pollutant Minimization Program Guidance Manual For Municipalities, 1-3. Retrieved October 31, 2014, from http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wastewater/documents/mercuryPMP.pdf
3. Greene, S. (2004). Composite Fillings. Retrieved November 5, 2014, from http://www.qualitydentistry.com/dental/composite/composite.html
4. Mercury. (2014, March 10). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://www.epa.gov/mercury/effects.htm
5. Rank, J. (2014). Mercury. Retrieved October 30, 2014, from http://www.madehow.com/Volume-4/Mercury.html
6. Schwenk, M., Klein, R., & Templeton, D. (2009). Immunological Effects of Mercury. Pure and Applied Chemistry, 81(1), 153-167. Retrieved October 30, 2014, from http://pac.iupac.org/publications/pac/pdf/2009/pdf/8101x0153.pdf