A Date Has Been Set for the End of Mercury Fillings

In its original form, the global treaty known as the Minamata Convention on Mercury included a requirement for countries to “phase down” their use of mercury amalgam in dentistry. Last month, in Geneva, the 153 countries that are parties to the treaty agreed to amend it from a “phase-down” to a phase-OUT – something that advocates have been fighting for from the start.

Now amalgam must be made history by 2034.

It’s interesting to note that although filling teeth with mercury amalgam is something that’s been done here in the US for almost 200 years now, it’s been controversial practically since its introduction in the 1830s. Safety concerns were so intense that the American Society of Dental Surgeons required its members not to use it, considering that to be malpractice. The conflict over amalgam literally dissolved the organization by 1856. The new one that popped up in its place was what ultimately became the American Dental Association, which embraced amalgam as standard of care.

The question has never been whether mercury is toxic. Everyone agrees that it is. The question has always been what that means for the health of patients and dental workers alike.

By the 1990s, the modern push to get mercury out of dentistry was gaining serious momentum. One 60 Minutes exposé raised a great deal of concern.

One of the scientists interviewed on this program was Dr. Murray Vimy of the University of Calgary who had done a research experiment in which he had placed radioactively labelled amalgam fillings in the teeth of sheep. The results showed that the mercury quickly appeared in the body organs of the sheep, especially the kidneys. Dr. Vimy reported that the kidney function of the sheep had been impaired by as much as 60%.

Similar media coverage followed, and public pressure mounted. All the while, studies continued to add to the evidence base against dental amalgam’s safety.

It wasn’t long before countries started taking action. Norway declared a phase-out starting in 1991. Sweden banned mercury-based products, including amalgam, between 1995 and 2009. By the time the Minamata Convention came along, the writing was already on the wall, but with no firm deadline, progress remained uneven.

Then, in 2017, the European Union banned the use of mercury in kids under the age of 15, as well as pregnant and nursing women starting in 2018. Two years later, our own FDA finally updated its guidance, acknowledging the greater risk from mercury exposure not just for those groups but those with certain pre-existing conditions or an allergy or sensitivity to any components of dental amalgam. Eventually, the EU banned amalgam completely.

Such changes paved the way for a “Children’s Amendment” to be added to the Minamata Convention, likewise banning the use of amalgam in those same vulnerable populations. Meantime, the International Academy of Oral Medicine & Toxicology and DAMS filed a formal petition with the FDA in 2024, asking for an outright ban on mercury fillings.

As one of the 153 parties to the Minamata Convention, the US must now follow through on ending mercury amalgam use by 2034.

Through all this, pressure from both the general public and mercury-free dentists helped bring about change. So did decades of accumulated research showing that mercury in amalgam does not stay in amalgam and thus poses real risks. It became harder and harder for pro-amalgamists to claim that mercury amalgam is “safe for most.”

The evidence spreads across several levels of concern. These include the continuous release of mercury vapor from “silver” amalgam fillings and bioaccumulation in organs, including the brain, kidneys, and liver; developmental risks to fetuses, infants, and children; documented renal and neurological harms; environmental contamination from dental waste, cremation, burials, and human waste; and much more.

You’ll find a thorough discussion of the matter here, with comprehensive scientific references.

Moreover, safe and effective alternative filling materials have existed for decades. Both composite resins and ceramics perform well clinically, being both strong and durable – not to mention better looking, more like natural teeth. Still, many have been resistant to change. Amalgam is cheaper and easier to place than the alternatives, after all, and because it’s been used for so long, many found it easy to downplay or dismiss any concerns that it could impact a person’s health.

There was significant institutional resistance, too. As recently as 2019, the ADA argued that a phase-out would be “premature and counterproductive.” Even today, its website continues to describe amalgam as a “safe, affordable and durable restorative material.”

Although the deadline is still years off, no one has to wait until then to stop using dental mercury, and Minamata countries are encouraged to end amalgam use sooner rather than later.

Our own practice has been mercury-free for years. We don’t place “silver” fillings at all. Ever. Perhaps even more importantly, our office is also mercury-safe. That means that whenever we’re dealing with mercury in any way, we follow strict safety procedures to protect you, our staff, and our environment. This includes specialized filtration systems, protective barriers, and careful techniques to limit mercury exposure during removal.

The new amendment to the global mercury treaty is truly a watershed moment, but for biological dentistry, it’s just the world catching up to what we’ve known all along. The science supports it. The ethics demand it.

Mercury belongs in the history books, not in mouths.