Is there an ongoing controversy surrounding amalgam/mercury/silver fillings?
Yes there is, and this controversy predates the founding of the American Dental Association (ADA) back in the 1800s. The ADA continues to stand by its affirmation that mercury fillings are 100% safe for use in the human mouth. The material is, however, classified as a controlled / restricted material both before putting it into your mouth and after it is taken out of your mouth. In fact, the EPA regulates dental mercury waste as a “hazardous material” and imposes serious fines if not properly handled. The ADA has recently changed their previous stance that no mercury evaporates (off gasses) from the mercury / amalgam fillings once they are safely placed in the mouth of the patient. Their current stance is that minute amounts of mercury vapor do indeed escape from the mercury fillings, but that the amount is so small it poses no negative health risk. Under substantial pressure as a result of a 2006 lawsuit, the FDA has also recently changed its stance regarding mercury fillings. It now
