Silver fillings used in dentistry are about 50% mercury. Technically, they are not silver fillings at all, but rather amalgam since they are a mix of metals. I had a lot of them in my mouth because I grew up without fluoridated water, but as I've gotten older, they have crumbled and have been replaced with crowns of porcelain.

Mercury is not good for us, that we now know. Hence, women who are trying to conceive are advised to limit intake of fish because of the possibility of mercury ingestion. But what about mercury in our teeth?

You will not get a good answer from your dentist, most likely. Amalgam fillings are much more durable than composite fillings. It's not just the tooth you are preserving with a filling, but also the root and ultimately the bone. That will be your dentist's concern. Other filling materials fail sooner, allowing bacteria into the root over time, leading to the need for a root canal. Okay, so we understand why dentists are concerned about our mouths, but why don't they care about the rest of the body? The old joke goes that you give a man a hammer, and suddenly everything he sees is a nail. By the same token, dentists are trained to focus on your mouth.

Other countries, however, are banning amalgam. There is research conducted in other countries tying mercury fillings to all sorts of medical problsms, such as allergies and infertility. Dr. Osterblad has researched the problem of mercury fillings and mercury exposure, and his work is very eye-opening. Search his name and dental fillings for complete information, but basically, mercury levels measured in the feces were much higher in people who had amalgam fillings.

What should the average person do, provided you are generally healthy? Dental work is expensive, and removing all fillings and replacing them is a major step if you have more than one. Also, just the process of removing a filling exposes you to even more mercury. What you can do is wait until they fail and replace them with composite fillings (or porcelain crowns if they are large).

On the other hand, if you are concerned that your dental work may be impairing your fertility or some other aspect of your health, then it is money well-spent to remove the fillings. Good dental health in general is important for a healthy pregnancy, so getting your teeth in shape before you conceive is a wise idea.

By the way, don't forget that those new long-life light bulbs contain mercury, too. If you break one, clean it up carefully, and dispose of the bulb outside immediately. When they burn out, don't just throw them away--dispose of them at an approved recycling center or else you're just adding more mercury to the landfills.