hi tracii: welcome to the forum , a few years ago I had one filling that had cracked and a good size piece of it came out ,but was able to remove it before I swallowed it , back then I was unaware of the amalgam issue , and didn't give it a second thought and had then replace it with more amalgam . according to my mercury free dentist , he told me the amalgam fillings do not form a strong bond to the teeth ,and can fallout much easier than composite fillings ,so coposites are much better for you in health wise and as a dental material