What are amalgam fillings?
Amalgam filling, also known as silver fillings, was commonly used to restore tooth structure for many years. Amalgam fillings are made of different kinds of metal such as silver, mercury, zinc and copper.
It was said to be a cheaper option and a filling that can last for many years.
However, research shows that amalgam fillings expose you to the harmful effects of mercury.
Why do we discourage amalgam fillings?
Here are some of the downsides to amalgam fillings:
- Some patients may be particularly sensitive or allergic to mercury.
- Mercury is highly known to be a toxic element, and a patient may be a risk of mercury-poisoning
- They are not aesthetically pleasing. Because the fillings are silverish-black in colour, they can be more noticeable than composite fillings, which are tooth-coloured fillings. Especially when you laugh or open your mouth widely, these darker mismatched fillings can be quite visible.
- Amalgam fillings can also stain the appearance of your teeth as years go by, making them appear greyish and less aesthetically pleasing.
- Large amalgam fillings can also create stresses and crack lines that can lead to more significant problems such as large cracks in teeth.
How we treat amalgam fillings at DP Dental
We have moved away from amalgam fillings at DP Dental and instead choose composite resin fillings for our patients’ safety.
We make every effort to restore the damaged teeth with tooth-coloured composite resin fillings. We believe that tooth coloured composite fillings are safe and less evident and give our patients a natural-looking set of teeth as much as possible.
If your teeth are too damaged, our clinic also provides other dental services such as crown, inlays and onlays.
References:
https://iaomt.org/resources/safe-removal-amalgam-fillings/
https://sfgreendentist.com/the-dangers-of-mercury-fillings/