There is a strong link between getting mercury fillings and depression. If you do your research, you will find that high levels of mercury can be toxic to your body and brain. Many individuals that have gotten mercury dental fillings have noticed that they have become more irritable, depressed, anxious, and have suffered because of them. Although major changes in mood are certainly not plaguing everybody that has gotten mercury fillings, many people believe that these amalgam fillings were the sole cause of their depression and years spent in therapy trying to overcome their illness.

In some studies, over 25% of all individuals with mercury dental fillings had experienced mood swings and irritability. Mercury is a metal that is found naturally in the environment and exposure to it can lead to an onslaught of health issues including: anxiety, depression, memory loss, irritability, and low energy. The two primary sources of mercury toxicity are: eating fish with mercury in their tissue and/or from the amalgam dental fillings. Getting mercury poisoning from dental fillings is extremely more common than from eating contaminated fish.

Mercury fillings a.k.a. amalgam fillings and depression

Each filling contains about 1g of mercury. The way people can get mercury poisoning from these fillings is when it manages to leak from the filling into the body via vapor. It can also sometimes be swallowed as a liquid after it leaks out of the filling. Depending on the number of teeth you have had with mercury fillings may dictate how much poisoning you experience. On the other hand, you may only have a couple fillings, and if they leak, you may experience some major neurological problems.

Psychological symptoms of mercury poisoning include:

  • Anxiety
  • Memory loss
  • Mood swings
  • Depression
  • Anger (Rage)
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Obsessive thinking
  • Insomnia
  • Irritability
  • Dizziness
  • Psychosis
  • Confusion

Mercury poisoning has also been linked to greater potential for developing things like migraine headaches, MS, epilepsy, cancer, as well as thyroid problems.

Common physical symptoms of mercury poisoning:

  • Hair loss
  • High blood pressure
  • Muscle aches
  • Muscle pain
  • Tremors
  • Metallic taste in mouth
  • Hormonal imbalances
  • Tingling
  • Muscle weakness
  • Tiredness

How do you know if mercury fillings are causing your depression? Think.

Simply take the time to think back as to when your depression started. Was it kind of around the same time that you got mercury fillings? Did any other major health problems occur at nearly the same time as well? There is no full-proof test to determine whether these amalgam fillings are causing your depression, but you should be able to think back for yourself as to when your depression first started. If it was in a timeframe close to when you got these fillings, I would certainly be concerned.

Here’s where things can get tricky. Even if the fillings were not the initial cause of your depression, they may have perpetuated your depression and made it deeper or worse than it should have been. Additionally, you do not know what kind of physical effects the mercury is having upon your body and brain over the long term.

What can you do if mercury fillings are causing depression?

1. Get them removed.

Perhaps the most common sense thing is to get the mercury fillings removed in hopes that your depression and mood will improve. If these are truly the culprit for causing your mental illness, you will want to make sure you get them taken out as soon as possible. The longer you leave them in, the greater the potential for damage.

2. Get them replaced.

Obviously if you get your mercury fillings removed, you are going to need a replacement. Most people that can afford it opt for white composite fillings because they look like natural teeth – there’s no discoloration. If you get your fillings removed and replaced, make sure your dentist is properly trained and knows what he is doing. If you have an inexperienced dentist remove your fillings, mercury may leak into your mouth and/or become hazardous. Always go with someone that has plenty of experience.

3. Urine mercury test.

If you want to know whether there is any mercury in your system, you can take a simple urinary test that will help determine how much mercury is in your body. I don’t know much about the test other than it’s pretty cheap and uses DMSA, a chelator – a substance that binds to mercury and that allows it to be excreted through urine. Should you take this type of test, the urine will be taken both before and after the chelator and will be compared to determine the approximate amount of mercury circulating throughout your body.

4. Chelation therapy.

If tests come back positive that you have mercury in your body, you will probably want to get rid of it as soon as possible. One method of removal is called chelation therapy – a type of therapy that has been helpful in removing heavy metals from the body. DMSA (dimercaptosuccinic acid) is used in cases of lead, arsenic, and mercury toxicity in the body. The only purpose of this therapy is to remove the heavy metals from your body. None of these products are available for chelation over-the-counter, so you would need to work with a professional if you are a candidate for this type of therapy.

When will you finally start feeling better after mercury fillings are removed?

There is no exact timeframe for recovery from depression following the removal of mercury fillings. It may take weeks or it may take months. Most people will start feeling a noticeable improvement within the first few months following the removal procedure. In some cases, people have reported feeling a significant improvement within the first few days following the removal of their mercury fillings. The speed of recovery totally depends on the person – there is no prediction that can be made with 100% accuracy.

If your depression, anxiety, and mood swings continue following removal, maybe it wasn’t the fillings that caused the problem in the first place. However, it is better to have the peace of mind knowing that you have them removed and that they aren’t contributing to the underlying problem of major depression. Continue to work with your doctor and treat your depression if it doesn’t improve following the removal of mercury fillings.