Mercury Fillings

[fraserjim]

you know the electricity taste one gets from tooth fillings

and the shock if you get foil off a chocolate bar on them

is this caused by acid in the saliva 

if so is the mercury released in a electolitic process 

[Tweed]

I believe it's like a capacitor, the filling and the foil being the plates, and the saliva is the electrolite. As to how the 'plates' get charged, I don't know. If that is the case, the mercury wouldn't be released in a electolitic process.

[Tweed]

That should be dielectric, not electrolyte.

[redmug100]

Saliva is slightly alcaline so it probbibly just acts as a conductor.