Dentists will stop using metal fillings that have been used in teeth for 150 years

THE USE OF dental amalgam fillings are to be phased out in Europe – and it’s for environmental reasons.

The use of the silver-coloured fillings, that contain several metals including mercury, is to be phased out gradually starting from this Sunday 1 July.

From then, dentists will no longer use amalgam fillings on the teeth of children under 15 years of age, or on pregnant or breastfeeding women (except for in limited circumstances).

The President of the Irish Dental Association Dr Kieran O’Connor said the new EU regulations are being brought in with the aim of reducing the amount of mercury in the environment.

He said that Ireland had signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which “brought about a global agreement to reduce environmental contamination caused by mercury”.

Source:
https://www.thejournal.ie/dental-fillings-4096952-Jun2018/