Hi Sharon,
This is a good topic and it seems to come and go over time. I did some research and found the ADA (American Dental Association) position on this topic. My take from it is...save your money unless you have a specific allergic problem with the amalgam fillings. Here's what I found and the links...
Chutz
The debate over the safety of mercury in dental fillings shows no sign of quieting down.
By Denise Mann
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD
The debate over whether mercury in dental fillings can leach out and cause a wide range of health problems -- from multiple sclerosis and cancer to Alzheimer's disease --refuses to die down.
The mercury in dental fillings is an amalgam, or blend, of copper, silver, and mercury that has been used for more than 150 years. Silver dental fillings contain very small amounts of inorganic mercury, which is not easily absorbed by the human body, according to the American Dental Association (ADA) and other public health groups.
The ADA's position that dental amalgam is a safe and effective material to fill cavities is supported by the U.S. Public Health Service, the European Commission and the World Health Organization, and many studies. In late 2004, a group called the Life Sciences Research Office Inc. reviewed seven years worth of scientific studies and concluded that there is insufficient evidence "of a link between dental mercury and health problems, except in rare instances of allergic reactions."
www.webmd.com/oral-health/features/debate-over-mercury-in-dental-fillings************************
The American Dental Association (ADA) has asserted that dental amalgam is safe since its foundation in 1859. In its advisory opinion to Rule 5.A. of the ADA Code of Ethics, it has also held that, "the removal of amalgam restorations from the non-allergic patient for the alleged purpose of removing toxic substances from the body, when such treatment is performed solely at the recommendation or suggestion of the dentist, is improper and unethical". According to the Boston College Law School study, "A dentist who is found guilty of violating the ADA Code of Ethics can be sentenced, censured, suspended, or expelled from the ADA" and the "ADA forbids its dentists from suggesting mercury removal under threat of license suspension". The same study pointed out that state dental associations and disciplinary boards have "not only adopted the ADA's position as a matter of routine" in proceedings which have sanctioned anti-amalgam dentists or stripped them of their licenses in California, Maryland, Arizona, Colorado, and Minnesota, but in many cases "the board members themselves often belonged to the ADA as well". A 2002 article in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported allegations by anti-amalgamists that the ADA had effectively imposed gag rules which forbade them from discussing their positions with patients. The Boston College Law School study also cites proceedings in which an Arizona dentist, "is facing sanctions for advocating alternative materials", a California dentist lost his license, "for running an advertisement entitled: "Mercury Emission from Silver Filings Unsafe by Government Standards", and a Maryland dentist, "was sanctioned for writing an article on dental amalgam removal". More recently, the ADA has entered into litigation "aimed at defending its reputation and discouraging further lawsuits by patient-plaintiffs against dental amalgam".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_amalgam_controversy