I went to see my Dentist not too long ago to have a filling done. I should have called in advance to ask him what he used, being aware of mercury fillings, etc. -- but I didn’t. When it came time to fill it, I asked him not to use a mercury filling. He said they don’t use that any more, their new product is safe and strong. (I remember specifically asking him for no mercury and him replying it was mercury free.) So he put in an metal filling because of its strength instead of a resin one in that I had such a large area to fill. This was a tooth I’ve needed to take care of for maybe six years.

Well, after reviewing the forum at “Curezone.com”, I wanted to know exactly what he put in there. I called them, and then had to call again, and finally the Dentist returned my call. He told me he had put in an Amalgam filling which did contain mercury in it. He apologized that he didn’t make things clearer to me then in his reference to “Mercury-Free””. The new compound is not mercury free, but it doesn’t contain any free particles of mercury in it. He went into great detail on how they used to make Amalgam fillings in the office. They would have to take actual Mercury and mix it with the other metal in the office. He said something about a cheese cloth and squeezing the Mercury out of that — that was confusing. But in other words, in the past, they had to handle the Mercury in the office. This new Amalgam is premixed and once placed and hardened it will have no chance in leaking or releasing any Mercury. He used the example of a stainless steel pot. It may contain many harmful metals, but once it is a hardened into an alloy it poses no threat to use for cooking. So like stainless steel, this new compound fuses together to become a hard alloy.

Many of the people on the Curezone forum prefer using a “Diamond Lite” filling. This seems to be the safest/strongest of many of the resin fillings out there. My dentist said that he could use that later on as the base when I’m ready for a crown. Because of the amount of tooth missing, I needed the strength of a metal filling or to actually have a core and crown there.

I wish he would have been upfront from the beginning. I was prepared that day to go ahead and get what ever was needed to be done, done. But since he explained to me, at that timing, that it was “New” and Mercury free I opted for the cheaper route.

BTW: He’s also told me he’s been using this "new" stuff for about 15 years now.

He’s a nice guy. I understand he was trying to keep my expenses down by not having a crown done — I appreciate that. His beliefs on the safety of the new mercury fillings are in line with documentation he gets from his trade. So I don’t feel he’s out to hurt me. Besides, if it was about money, he would have insisted on a crown.

I need to read more about the hazards of Mercury fillings. I just know general ideas that it’s harmful. I still have one of those old fashioned fillings (20 years old) in my mouth holding strong. All my other fillings has been replaced by those resin fillings and have been wearing away to nothing over the years. Plastics too carry compounds that are unsafe.

So . . . I think I'm now more worried about the new filling than the old one. I will have to go back and have him remove the new filling now! :-/

I just wanted to let others know what was said about my filling. I had posted a few days ago in regards to what was good to use. Thanks for your help!