To date there are over 12,000 papers investigating mercury amalgam, the majority indicating either that there is, or that there may be, some hazard with dental use; a minority indicate no provable risk factor, there are none proving safety.

The party line of the ADA and the BDA is that the mercury becomes 'locked-in' when mixed with the other metals and is thus inert. However in the 1980s the ADA devised a list of recommended procedures for handling amalgam 'scrap'. 'Scrap' is the part of the filling material left over when a dental filling has been placed. The 'INERT' scrap is considered so dangerous that the following procedures are recommended (caps emphasis mine).:

1. Store mercury in UNBREAKABLE, TIGHTLY SEALED CONTAINERS.
2. Perform all operations involving mercury over areas that have impervious and suitably lipped surfaces so as to confine and facilitate recovery of spilled mercury or amalgam.
3. Clean up any spilled mercury immediately. Droplets may be picked up with narrow tubing connected to the low volume aspirator of the dental unit.
4. Use tightly closed capsules during amalgamation (while it is being mixed).
5. Use a 'NO TOUCH' technique for handling the amalgam.
6. Salvage all amalgam scrap and STORE IT UNDER WATER
7. WORK IN WELL-VENTILATED SPACES.
8. Avoid carpeting dental operatories, as decontamination is not possible.
9. Eliminate the use of mercury-containing solutions.
10. Avoid heating mercury or amalgam.
11. Use water spray and suction when grinding dental amalgam.
12. Use conventional dental amalgam compacting procedures, manual and mechanical, but do not use ultra-sonic amalgam condensers.
13. Perform yearly mercury determinations on all personnel regularly employed in dental offices.
14. Have periodic mercury vapour level determinations made in operatories.
15. Alert all personnel involved in handling mercury, especially during training or indoctrination periods of the potential hazard of mercury vapour and the necessity for observing good mercury hygiene practices.

Since scrap amalgam is the other half of the amalgam that is placed in your mouth then these same recommendations should apply to your mouth. Let's see:

1. Use a NO-TOUCH technique (keep your tongue, teeth and gums from touching your fillings).
2. Store in an UNBREAKABLE, TIGHTLY SEALED CONTAINER (put your head in an airtight box and keep it there).
3. STORE AMALGAM UNDER WATER (store the airtight box under water)
4. WORK IN WELL-VENTILATED SPACES (keep air circulating through your mouth)

In other words if you have any amalgam filling in your mouth you must KEEP AIR CIRCULATING THROUGH YOUR MOUTH, WHILST KEEPING YOUR TONGUE, TEETH AND GUMS FROM TOUCHING THE AMALGAM, WITH YOUR HEAD IN AN UNBREAKABLE SEALED BOX AND THE WHOLE BOX SUBMERGED IN WATER!!!!!!