MEDICINE
Does the Mercury Used in Dental Fillings Pose a Significant Threat to Human Health?
Viewpoint: Yes, the mercury used in dental fillings is dangerous to human health and can cause a variety of adverse effects.
Viewpoint: No, the mercury used in dental fillings does not pose a significant threat to human health. To the contrary, mercury-based fillings are safe, affordable, and durable.
Although dentists have used dental amalgam to repair cavities in the teeth for more than 150 years, since the 1970s there have been claims that the mercury in dental fillings is responsible for a variety of health problems. Dental amalgam, the material used in so-called silver fillings, is a crystalline alloy composed of mercury (approximately 50%), silver, tin, and copper.
When made aware of the composition of dental amalgams, many people worry about the possibility that mercury might enter their body and have detrimental effects on their health. Chemists, however, note that when properly combined in the form of dental amalgam, the metals used to establish the proper hardness and durability of dental amalgams become tightly bound to each other in a form that is essentially safe, stable, and biologically inert. To make this point clear, Dr.
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