Mercury Fillings - Advice Please!

[Sophrosyne1]

Have just had an appointment with a new dentist, thought I'd better go before my free maternity treatment period runs out. I need 2 fillings but can only get mercury ones for free. The dentist said that there may be a risk from mercury vapours released when eating hot food, chewing, etc so it may be better to get composite fillings instead.

I'm just not sure, I don't really have the money to pay £140 for 2 non-mercury fillings (NHS won't stump up for this I'm afraid). I don't know my dentist so I'm unsure if this is just a money making racket for her practice (they do private work and 'rejuvinating' procedures like botox which, if I'm not wrong, is also a toxin). A brief internet search shows a clear divide in opinion over the safety of mercury fillings but, it seems, composites may be just as bad - they contain BPA's!

Does anyone have more info on this? What would you do?

I would always go for a mercury filling over a composite on a molar.
If they were that harmful would the nhs let us have them?

I was a dental nurse for 5 years and every dentist i worked for said they were stronger and lasted longer.

I once heard there was more mercury in a tin of tuna than in a filling.

I have a feeling that this dentist might be trying to make money out of you. I'm not sure if i'd have my treatment there.

Get the mercury ones- it means that you won't have to have them replaced as quickly = less trips to the dentist. Winner.

There is a lot of research done on the effects of mercury fillings. What I believe professionally is

1. they are stronger than composites so more suited for molars

1. Mercury is bound up in the structure of the filling and doesn't come out with hot foods or chewing

1. Mercury vapour is released with extreme heat generated by drilling out a filling, and when placing a new filling before it has set. Good aspiration and water spray should reduce the amount ingested (take charcoal tablets prior to the appointment - avaliable in health food shops will aid in absorbing any ingested and pass through your system harmlessly

1. There is mercury in a lot of other things (environment, fish etc), so having/not having these fillings doesn't really make much difference.

I thought you could get the white ones on the NHS when you're pg? There is definitely a notice up in our dentist saying that you can - I remember being most annoyed that (for once) I didn't need any fillings when I had my MAT B2 or whatever it's called.

The nhs only provide white fillings on front teeth irrelevant of wether you are exempt or not.

please please please remove all mecury fillings as once you breast feed the mercury will seep into your childs blood steam and may cause auto immune
diseazes ........

get the white fillings from now on
from a mum who knows

IIRC, they no longer use mercury for fillings, it's a sort of algalum (sp?), a metal mix, not mercury. Sounds like he's spinning you a line. I may be wrong here though.