Fillings

Are gold/silver fillings harmful and is mercury used - can it cause major problems/diseases?

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

The silver fillings contain mercury when its mixed and will become inactive once the filling sets.  There's some debate as to how stable it is and concerns about potential health problems with the mercury if it does leak out.  

I would recommend avoiding the silver filling if possible.  It may not be worth taking a risk on it although there's no ban on it in the United States.  

Gold filling are made of pure gold and don't require any mixing.  I wasn't even taught how to do a gold filling in dental school.  Its a relatively older material but its a great material if you don't mind the cost since gold is quite expensive.