tik tok, because as a mother, as someone who is extremely risk adverse, as someone who has miscarried, who has suffered and continues to suffer crippling anxiety regarding my own pregnancy, who has seen 4 friends deal with stillbirths, my judgement is coloured by my awareness of people's psychological foibles. Obviously I cannot assume all mothers feel the way I do. I do prefer to stick to the evidence base, in conjunction with(though not over ridden by) my experience. I agree absolutely that the patient should decide, and nowhere did I say that I would not place an amalgam in a breastfeeding woman. I take the same attitude to all non- emergency treatment including rads in pregnancy. We know that modern intra oral radiography with rectangular columnation (with the exception of the vertex occlusal) will not irradiate the fetus. If a woman expresses concerns we will discuss her options, the relative risks of various treatments and of postponing treatment.
With regards to "covering my arse" (a badly chosen turn of phrase), one of the important factors that might sway an individual to complaint / litigation is poor "bedside manner". I believe that by understanding and addressing concerns is part of "bedside manner" and getting informed consent, and by giving choices we are all better off. If I placed an amalgam in a BFing woman without discussing risks and alternatives, she might later allege, even psychological harm as a result. Because like so many things there is no guarantee it is safe. So, while as I said myself there is little evidence for significant passage of mercury into breast milk (and indeed as your link says the risk from tuna is more significant), I think that patients need to know that there is some risk, however small.
OTOH I am not adverse to amalgam at all and certainly would not as a blanket approach overlook it as an option, including in lactating or pregnant women.