Mercury in Dental Fillings

Most people will get at least one dental filling during their lifetimes. Fillings are used to repair everything from broken teeth to damage from cavities. Fillings can be made from many different materials, such as porcelain and composite. One type of filling, silver or amalgam, often contains mercury. If this element leaches into your body, you can suffer from the disastrous effects of mercury poisoning.

If you have tooth pain, you can go to a dentist, who will then determine the source of the problem. If decay is the source of pain, the dentist may decide to stabilize your tooth with a filling. After cutting out the damage and cleaning the tooth, a dentist will put in the filling and harden it with a special light. Silver amalgam fillings typically last about 12 years, while composite fillings may only last 5 to 7 years.

Over time, as the silver amalgam breaks down, the metals in the substances can separate. Often, this type of filling includes things like tin or silver along with the mercury. After the filling gets old, things like eating, drinking, and even breathing can pull the mercury into your bloodstream. This is dangerous in high doses.

Now, the U.S. government only considers mercury in fillings to be moderately hazardous to your health. However, consumer advocate groups for dental health are displeased with this, and they are pressing for stricter measures against mercury in dental work. This is because high exposure to mercury can cause problems such as:

Muscle weakness
Tingling or numbness in extremities
Changes in mental state
Moodiness
Skin rashes
Loss of coordination
Peripheral vision loss
Difficulty with hearing or speaking

Frustratingly, mercury poisoning is difficult to diagnose as well as hard to treat. Thus, it is important that dentists use only a tiny amount of mercury in fillings and make sure that it is properly bonded. If you have suffered from mercury poisoning due to unsafe fillings, you should not let this go unpunished. Contact a Philadelphia dental malpractice attorney from Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., today for more information.