Are there health concerns with the old style silver mercury amalgam (SMA) fillings?
This continues to be a controversial issue, as some people believe that silver mercury amalgam fillings are unhealthy, while other people believe the material is quite safe. My personal position on this issue is that the debate may be a mute point. In this day we have more contemporary options for restorative materials that offer many advantages over the silver mercury amalgam option, irrespective of the supposed health issues. The properties of the new materials stand on their own to warrant using them over the older SMA material, but add to that the mere potential for health risks associated with SMA filling, and the choice is clearly in favor of using the contemporary materials. So, no matter what side of the SMA health debate a person is on, the advantage goes to the modern materials based on its performance, making the SMA debate mostly academic. That said, below is some information on silver mercury amalgam fillings that may be of interest to you. Mercury fillings, euphemisticall
