A British Columbia mother has lost her court battle against the use of silver dental fillings containing mercury amalgam.

The Supreme Court of Canada said Thursday that it will not hear Zsuzsanna Holland's appeal. Holland had hoped the top court would consider her claim that she and her son suffered a series of health problems as a result of getting mercury amalgam fillings.

Holland, who represented herself, argued in her statement of claim that when she had 17 mercury amalgam fillings as a teenager, she was not informed about:

• The composition of the fillings.
• Other options.
• The risks associated with the fillings for her or her future children.

She alleged the provincial government had a duty to prohibit or regulate the use of mercury fillings, and sued the province and its Environment Ministry. The B.C. Supreme Court threw out her case in 2008, and the B.C. Court of Appeal upheld that decision in June.

As is the norm, the Supreme Court of Canada did not give reasons in its decision Thursday to refuse to hear Holland's appeal.

In July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said a scientific review concluded that dental fillings contain too little mercury to harm people who've had cavities filled with them, including young children, and that only people allergic to mercury need to avoid them.

With files from The Canadian Press