People are exposed to mercury not just through dental fillings, but also through certain foods, the air, pesticides, and sewage. However, fillings may be the largest single source of exposure to mercury. It is interesting to note that in Sweden, mercury amalgam fillings are banned.

If you presently have mercury fillings in your mouth, there is no need to panic and remove them. However, a few factors should be considered. As your amalgam fillings become old and require replacement, if you have no allergies to gold and cost is not a factor, gold is the best filling material. It is compatible with body tissues and can last up to twenty-five or thirty years. If the old fillings are too large and your dentist recommends a crown, one made of gold or porcelain with gold are equally acceptable. If cost is a factor, and you have no medical problems that can be traced to mercury sensitivity, then amalgam fillings may not be a negative health factor for you, and you can continue to have such fillings.

Conventional Treatment
The ADA has set strict codes, which indicate that amalgam fillings may be replaced by composite or porcelain if the patient requests it for aesthetic reasons. However, there is a harsh penalty for the dentist who recommends removing fillings because of mercury toxicity.

Your dentist or medical doctor may order hair analysis if you suspect a problem. Although hair analysis indicates the presence of mercury levels in the body, it is not able to ascertain the actual source of the mercury contamination. Vapor analyzing machines such as the Jerome analyzer used by the National Air and Space Administration (NASA) can measure mercury vapor from fillings; however, such machines are not readily available.

Blood and urine are not reliable indicators of mercury toxicity, since mercury accumulates in tissues. However, dentist Hal Huggins, author of It's All in Your Head, recommends a blood serum profile. He has found that when the body is affected by high levels of toxic mercury, the blood serum profile will indicate high glucose, low cholesterol, and slightly elevated globulin levels. He has also found that mercury interferes with the production of coenzyme A, which is necessary for the formation of hemoglobin. Huggins also recommends a urinary mercury excretion test. He maintains that porphyrins, chemicals manufactured by the body for the transporting of energy, are excreted in excessive amounts in the presence of high mercury levels. Some dentists use an electrical meter called an ammeter, which charts the positive and negative currents being generated from fillings. It is assumed that high negative currents (more than 4 microamps of current) may contain mercury molecules.

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