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Over 100 years ago a great new breakthrough in the repair of damaged teeth was made. By dissolving silver and tin in liquid mercury a compound was formed that would harden into a durable metal. This alloy, while still in its soft phase, could be compressed into the cavities prepared in teeth and thus became the “silver” filling we know so well. But wait… did I say “over 100 years ago?”  Well, actually, it’s closer to 200 years. The first dental fillings made with this material were placed in England and France in 1826. Since that time they have become extremely common, but across all that same time there has persisted some controversy, mostly due to the presence of mercury, a known toxin. The subject of mercury toxicity is too large for this forum, but in this day and age we have plenty of other reasons to move beyond amalgam in Wilmington Delaware's modern dentistry.