There are increasing concerns and awareness of the effects of mercury fillings on general health. Although it is completely legal within the UK to use Mercury amalgam in fillings some patients would prefer white fillings to Mercury/Amalgam fillings.

Mercury/ amalgam fillings comprise of 50% mercury and are "amalgamated" with tin and silver. It was previously thought that was "locked in" to amalgam. This has proved not to be the case.

Mercury continuously escapes from the filling and is then deposited into the fatty tissues and major organs of the body. There is now a debate in the dental profession as to whether the mercury (one of the most toxic metals known) is harmful. Many patients report feeling remarkably better from a whole host of conditions after removal of mercury/ amalgam fillings. In the state of California it is compulsory for the dentist to display a health warning about the possible effect of mercury/ amalgam fillings.

In the UK the Department of Health issued a warning in 1998 to pregnant women to avoid having dental amalgam fillings during pregnancy to avoid causing possible harm to the foetus.