Traditional silver amalgam fillings have been in use in dentistry for many years. They are economical, durable and relatively simple to place. There has been a great deal of recent controversey over the safety of using silver amalgam as a dental filling material due to the presence of mercury. Currently there is no strong scientific evidence that the mercury in silver amalgams is a health risk. Silver amalgam fillings will be offered in my practice until there is evidence showing they should not be used.