Mercury exposure during amalgam restorations?

[starnova]

Hi all. I was wondering if mercury exposure during placement and removal of dental amalgams presents any concerns for practicing dentists and patients? After mixing the amalgam, when it's still pliable, does mercury vapor pose any noticeable health hazards, say, to a dentist who doesn't wear face mask and the patient who breathes in the vapor? Thank you.

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[OhioDMD]

40 years (if you count dental school) of placing and removing amalgams most without a mask with no notable health effects.

 

[doc toothache]

Hi all. I was wondering if mercury exposure during placement and removal of dental amalgams presents any concerns for practicing dentists and patients? After mixing the amalgam, when it's still pliable, does mercury vapor pose any noticeable health hazards, say, to a dentist who doesn't wear face mask and the patient who breathes in the vapor? Thank you.

Basic chemistry of alloys is generally covered in the intro courses.
Dental amalgams are alloys of mercury combined with silver, copper, tin, zinc and other trace metals. Amalgams have/continue to receive negative publicity because of their presumed toxicity. Elemental mercury is found in liquid form, easily vaporizes at room temperature and is well absorbed by inhalation. After inhalation, only a small amount of elemental mercury continues to persist in the body and accounts for the central nervous system toxicity. In dentistry today, the amalgam is sealed in capsules, decreasing the amount of possible exposure to elemental mercury. The capsule is mixed (triturated) in an amalgamator to form the alloy used. Once mixed, the reaction forms an alloy, which is a combination of silver mercury and tin mercury. The mercury is chemically bound and does not have any of the toxic properties of the elemental mercury. Mercury toxicity from eating fish has also received a great deal of attention. Coal-burning power plants are the largest human-caused source of mercury emissions in the air in the United States accounting for over 50 percent of all domestic mercury emissions. Mercury in the air eventually settles into water or onto land where it can be washed into water. Once deposited, certain microorganisms can change it into methylmercury, a highly toxic form that builds up in fish, shellfish and animals that eat fish. Fish and shellfish are the main sources of methylmercury exposure to humans.