i've been using a very good dentist at BNH for past years. my teeth are healthy and i do yearly checks and cleaning with her.

when i was a small child over 30 years ago i had some dental fillings done. they used mercury amalgam (only choice back then). it served me well until about 2 years ago i noticed the cover had come off and the mercury (on one molar) is now exposed.

i've done a lot of reading and i want to get rid of it. it hasn't caused me any problems yet but i don't want to be exposed to mercury.

i asked my BNH dentist twice about the procedure. she just basically said she didn't see the need and she will do it if i really insists.

i read that removing mercury amalgam is a tricky job because of its toxicity and needs experienced hands. while i think it is a good hospital, etc the fact that she couldn't give me a lot of info and told me i don't need it makes me think about searching for experienced hands.

i want to know if anyone out there had this done or can recommend an excellent english speaking/very experience dentist?

hi . you are paying the dentist for her advice. so why not take it . you are worrying over nothing , james hat yai sydney .

The mercury in dental amalgam is tightly bound to the other constituents (silver, tin, copper and zinc), it is not free mercury. As such it is not, contrary to what some scare mongers claim, seeping into your system.

See these posts for lengthy discussion of this issue

It is far more dangerous to remove those old fillings than to leave them there. If they are finished, they will fall out on their own and you will eiher spit them or poop them out safely.

I am impressed by your dentist's honesty and integrity. Redoing fillings is a money maker for some dentists.

Keep in mind that in the old datys the practice was to drill and fill even minor indications of dentl caries. The result is that alot of kids got a lot of surface fillings. As one of those kids, I can tell you that my fillings are still there 25 -30 years later and I have no signs of mercury poisoning (even though as a kid I was exposed to broken mercury thermometers even playing with the stuff with my bare hands.)

Our bodies are pretty good at containing and clearing toxic substances. Don't look for a problem.

Having amalgam fillings changed can actually give you hell. I mean i used to discuss this with my dentist and she advised me not to take an unnecessary risk. If the amalgam filling is not deep,the only complication seems to be temporary sensitivity of the tooth. If that amalgam is very deep,the tooth nerve could be irritated in the amalgam removal process. That means you could have some severe pain which eventually leads to a root canal treatment. Come on, we are talking about a root canal! Not just that,but after a root canal you will need a cap because a root canal tooth is weak . By the way,They say chewing gum increases the Mercury release rate of amalgam filling.