well, i am living proof that amalgams can ruin your health, and there are many more out there.  some people have no problems they notice, but end up with cancer or another disease out of the blue.  yes, it can be other things, but i would not take a chance with mercury, especially since they found out that it leaks out into the body and goes into the brain and it is the 2nd most toxic substance on the planet.

here are some things to consider.  they may or may not apply to you:

you can have your bite checked, because that is the number one thing that causes pain.  you can also get a night guard or buy one at wal*mart.  you could be grinding or hitting at night without knowing it.  sometimes fillings are big and need crowns or possibly a medicated ZOE filling for a while until the sensitivity goes away.  sometimes the filling material causes sensitivity and the fillings have to be done over.  this happens sometimes with diamondcrown, especially if the dentist is not highly skilled at using it, but it can happen with other filling brands, too. 

pain and sensitivity is not normal and should not be happening.  if you do not get it taken care of, you could end up with abcessed teeth.  when teeth become sensitive, it means the nerve is irritated.  it gets irritated enough, it can cause abcess.  everyone is different and teeth are different, in that, some people can tolerate a lot of irritation before an abcess would occur and some cannot and each tooth can have different tolerance levels (or relatively the same, it varies person to person). 

Torrie

Curezone Forum

well, you might consider some of the things i suggested, otherwise things could get worse.  where exactly is this tooth, because even if it is an end tooth, sometimes a bridge can be done. 

here is info on implants:

http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=839980

Torrie