This won't hurt a bit

It was no April Fool’s prank. On April 1, Sweden banned the use of mercury in dental fillings, following a similar ban in Norway. Roughly 50 percent of every so-called amalgam or “silver” filling is actually mercury, which can be absorbed into the body through brushing, chewing or, if a piece of the filling breaks off, swallowing. Mercury is a neurotoxin that can affect brain development, which is why previous legislation prohibited its use in children and pregnant women. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, medical waste incinerators pump 70,000 pounds of mercury into the environment every year; eliminating amalgam fillings could help bring that total down. Some in the dental industry have resisted the move, but proponents of the ban say alternative fillings, made from materials like plastics and ceramics—which may have their own health hazards—are strong enough and cheap enough to fill the hole left by mercury.