Hands down the most well known filling material, amalgam fillings are also known as silver fillings. These fillings, however, are far from being just silver. In fact, they’re actually made of a mixture of mercury, tin, silver, and copper. It’s estimated that about half of the mixture is mercury, as this helps to create a material that is both strong and blends well with other metals. In fact, mercury has proven itself as the most reliable filling material because it is easy to fill in a tooth’s cavity.
Are amalgam fillings safe?
Amalgam fillings are incredibly safe. In fact, when mercury is combined with the other metals during the process of amalgamation its chemical makeup changes. As a result, it’s completely harmless. While you might read news stories about mercury being released when a person chews, you’ll find they’re often biased and not based on scientific research.
The mercury that is released from chewing is much smaller than that of what we breathe, eat, and drink.
Why would a dentist use amalgam fillings?
Proven to work for over 150 years, amalgam fillings have shown that they’re superior when it comes to durability and affordability. They are the best option to fill a tooth. This is one reason why over 1 billion amalgam fillings are placed every year.
Amalgam is easy to work with, safe, and can be placed in a cavity relatively quickly.
Why not use an alternative to amalgam like porcelain or composite?
Ultimately the goal of the dentist is to choose the option that is best for the patient. While composite fillings are more expensive than amalgam fillings, they are a great choice for teeth that can been seen, such as your incisors.
Gold and porcelain filling materials are expensive and often require a couple of visits to complete. And while gold is as strong as amalgam fillings, it is more expensive yet does the same thing.
How do you treat a patient that is allergic to mercury?
A mercury allergy is quite uncommon and occurs in less than a percent of the population. With that in mind, it’s important that you discuss your allergies with the dentist so that an appropriate treatment plan can be created.
I have an amalgam filling, should I have it removed?
No. There is absolutely no reason to remove an amalgam filling unless it is falling out. Otherwise you risk causing more damage to your teeth.
Does working as a dentist expose a person to mercury?
Today’s dental labs use capsules to mix amalgam fillings. This reduces the likelihood of a spill or exposure. Additionally, the mixture used to create amalgam fillings has the least amount of mercury possible so that any exposure is completely minimal.
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