Help! 5 weeks pregnant and mercury filling fell out!

[MyThumbsHaveGoneWeird]

Half of one of my amalgam fillings has fallen out. I found a bit in my mouth and can feel a big hole with my tongue. I dont know if I have swallowed any or not.

I have made an appointment with the dentist tomorrow, but I am really worried! Isnt mercury poisonous? Isn't that why we are not meant to eat loads of tuna? I'm new to all this, please stop me panicing!

im not too sure but didnt want your post to go unanswered. I have no idea but call NHS direct and they will tell you...sorry couldnt be of any help x

I lost one when i was pregnant before and my dentist said the guidelines had changed and they no longer thought that amalgam fillings were a risk, she also pointed out that i wouldn't be the first person it had happened to by a long chalk. Try not to worry there can't be that much mercury in a filling.

Hi!

Try not worry although there are risks (i'm not sure what the actual research is ie when they were done and what equipment they used at the time etc) but I think they are small and chances are you won't have any problems with it.
I would suggest you get it replaced with a white filling, you may need to find another dentist as it will depend on the white material they use to whether they say they can or not. Was very annoyed when I changed dentists and discovered my new one hadn' used mercury filling since before 2000 as he was using a white material that can do big fillings and last as long as mercury ones.

Also for white fillings NHS and private are the same price, its just the appointment may be a little more but I have been to one who I have explained and arranged to have an appointment and treatment to save me money.

Good Luck

Thanks for answering.
Hevster, thats really reassuring- phew. Have done a bit of intenet research and it seems to be the fumes released when they are drilled out which are the worst problem. It hasnt all fallen out, so maybe they will be able to do a patch up with the white stuff and not remove all the remainder. The dentist will be first person I've told apart from DH - weird.

I've had all these silver fillings since I was a child. What I dont understand is if mecury is so bad why on earth did they used to put it in our mouths? Very annoyed.

Ohhh...hope its ok. Don't know what happens if its not. Guess I'd better lay off the tuna this week.

Hiya, hope I can offer some reassurance, I'm a practice manager/ dental nurse.
The risks are very minimal, if you get an amalgam filling drilled out the risks rise as it turns to a fine powder and you can ingest more mercury. There has been years and years of extensive research on amalgam fillings and they are still deemed safe. Otherwise we'd have lots of very ill Dentists!!
White fillings are available on the NHS up to your 4's (count 4 backwards from your front tooth..... Does that make sense?!) you may find they temporise it until you've had your baby ( I had a temp in for 6 years! They never have space for their own nurses!) but really really don't worry. We had a lady who, while pregnant, chewed on gravel....... We saw her quite a lot for broken teeth and lost fillings and she had a perfectly healthy lo

Thank you jstock!!!

i lost part of a tooth at 5 weeks too and have been back to the dentists 3 times in 6 weeks - they won't use amalgam filling and so keep putting the white filling into the gap instead (but it's fallen out twice since hence 3 trips!) my dentist said that all they will do is keep putting the white filling in until i've had my baby, and then fix it properly as it'll need a crown. But at least it is all free thanks to the maternity exemption certificate so whilst it's a pain that it keeps coming out, at least its only costing me time and not money as well!!!