No, all materials are not the same. There are approximately 5,000 different filling materials in both metallic and non metallic forms. It is my “given” rule not to have mercury-silver filling (amalgams) used in dentistry. They have been proven to be harmful (I have suffered first hand the effects of mercury toxicity). Even if you have tolerated amalgam in the past, you don’t want to risk any reaction or development of symptoms my placing new mercury amalgam filling. (See article on this site).