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Far from being an essential dental product with no viable alternatives, amalgam (mercury) fillings are substitutable with other filling materials.

Yet this toxic material is still being widely used by dentists in the United States by about half the dentists, the other half refuse to use this toxic material.

It’s high time for this archaic practice to be put to rest, as yet another report, this time from the Health Care Research Collaborative, has ruled that the impacts of mercury on human health and the environment far outweigh those posed by safer alternative materials.

Mercury Alternatives “Less Hazardous” to Public Health and the Environment

Such was the conclusion of researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of public Health when comparing mercury-based dental fillings with alternatives like resin composites and glass ionomer fillings.i

They reported:

  “Based on current evidence, the ultimate goal of a phase-out of virtually all usage of dental mercury is recommended. This phase-out must be planned and deliberate, assuring continued emphasis on adequate restorations to prevent continued tooth decay and the potential of malnutrition in economically impoverished areas   Based on this comparative review and the practical experience of countries and dentists that have essentially eliminated mercury amalgams, a virtual phase-out of dental amalgam, with exceptions provided for difficult cases, is possible and advisable.”

Already, Denmark, Sweden and Norway have banned dental amalgam (a specific exception can be granted for individual cases), and Canada, Italy and Australia have taken steps to reduce amalgam use.