Shockingly, we still use mercury fillings in dentistry. You probably thought they were a relic of the past, like lead-based paint. Though less common nowadays, they are still used by many dentists.

The recent Minamata Convention COP-6 conference has called for their ban by 2034. You would think this means your mercury fillings were slowly poisoning you and you should yank them out immediately. But you shouldn’t. It’s overall a good idea to start phasing out the use of mercury, even though the mercury in your mouth won’t make you sick.

Mercury fillings are called dental amalgam, though they are sometimes called silver fillings because of their colour. They are usually half mercury and half other metals like silver, tin, copper or zinc.

Dental amalgam has been in use for over 100 years an

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