This is especially true of the mercury toxic patient.
All forms are cumulative and can contribute to the body burden.
The goal of this preferred procedure is to minimize any additional exposure of the patient, ourselves, or staff to mercury. During chewing the patient is exposed to intraoral levels which are several times the EPA allowable air concentration. During the removal or placement of amalgam the patient can be exposed to amounts which are a thousand times greater than the EPA allowable concentration. Once the drill touches the filling temperature increases immediately vaporizing the mercury component of the alloy. There are 8 steps to greatly reducing everyone's exposure.