Tooth Whitening techniques cause a massive release of mercury from amalgam fillings.

The current fetish for making teeth whiter, comes with a price beyond dollars.
The bleaches that are used have a dramatic effect on amalgam fillings in your mouth.
They cause a massive release of mercury from the amalgam.
This mercury is absorbed into your body.

Ensure that all amalgam is removed before having your teeth bleached. 

Some of the published research supporting this position includes;

  • Rotstein I  Dogan H  Avron Y  Shemesh H  Steinberg D  Mercury release from dental amalgam after treatment with 10%  carbamide peroxide in vitro.  Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod (2000 Feb) 89(2):216-9
  • Rotstein I  Dogan H  Avron Y  Shemesh H  Mor C  Steinberg D  Protective effect of Copalite surface coating on mercury release from dental amalgam following treatment with carbamide peroxide.  Endod Dent Traumatol (2000 Jun) 16(3):107-10
  • Steinberg D  Blank O  Rotstein I  Influence of dental biofilm on release of mercury from amalgam  exposed to carbamide peroxide. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater (2003 Oct 15) 67(1):627-31
  • Certosimo A  Robertello F  Dishman M  Bogacki R  Wexel M  The effect of bleaching agents on mercury release from spherical  dental amalgam.  Gen Dent (2003 Jul-Aug) 51(4):356-9; quiz 360
  • Rotstein I  Avron Y  Shemesh H  Dogan H  Mor C  Steinberg D  Factors affecting mercury release from dental amalgam exposed to  carbamide peroxide bleaching agent. Am J Dent (2004 Oct) 17(5):347-50
  • Al-Salehi SK  Hatton PV  McLeod CW  Cox AG  The effect of hydrogen peroxide concentration on metal ion release
      from dental amalgam. J Dent (2007 Feb) 35(2):172-6
  • Gurgan S  Kiremitci A  Yalcin F  Alpaslan T  Yazici E  Effect of carbamide peroxide treatments on the metal-ion release and microstructure of different dental amalgams. Oper Dent (2007 Sep-Oct) 32(5):476-81
  • Al-Salehi SK  Effects of bleaching on mercury ion release from dental amalgam. J Dent Res (2009 Mar) 88(3):239-43
  • Oskoee PA  Kahnamoui MA  Oskoee SS  Zadfattah F  Pournaghi-Azar F  Effects of in-office and home bleaching gels on the surface mercury levels of dental amalgam. Eur J Dent (2010 Jan) 4(1):23-7

Mercury Vapor Release From Dental Amalgam
After Laser Treatment.

Ploch, T; Mathias, J. Eur J Oral Science, 106(l):600?2, Feb 1998.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to determine whether the treatment of amalgam with different lasers leads to an increased release of mercury (Hg) vapor. In the case of C02 lasers in pulse and continuous wave mode, there was no effect visible on the amalgam surface and no Hg vapor could be detected. Using an Nd:YAG, Er:YAG or Nd:YLF laser, crater formation could be observed on the amalgam surfaces. With the solid state lasers tested, however, the Hg vapor measurements taken indicated that pulses applied to amalgam cause a substantially increased release of Hg vapor. This vapor may contribute to the patient’s total mercury exposure.

Mercury release from dental amalgam
after treatment with 10% carbamide peroxide in vitro.

Rotstein I Dogan H Avron Y Shemesh H Steinberg D Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod (2000 Feb) 89(2): 216-9

OBJECTIVES: The effect of 10% carbamide peroxide on mercury release from dental amalgams was assessed in vitro by using a cold-vapor atomic absorption Mercury Analyzer System. RESULTS: Amalgam specimens exposed for 48 hours to 10% carbamide peroxide showed significantly higher concentrations of mercury in solution as compared with specimens treated with phosphate buffer (P <.001). Megaloy and Valiant Ph.D. yielded significantly higher mercury concentrations in solution than Mega+ and Nongama 2 (P <.001). Mega+ yielded significantly higher mercury concentrations in solution than Nongama 2 (P <.05). No significant differences were found in mercury concentrations in solution between Megaloy and Valiant Ph.D.

CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with 10% carbamide peroxide bleaching agents caused an increase in mercury release from amalgam restorations, possibly increasing exposure of patients to its adverse effects. Amalgam brands differed in the amounts of mercury release after bleaching with carbamide peroxide.