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Dental TopicsDental amalgamWhat Is Dental Amalgam?Most people recognize dental amalgams as silver fillings. Dental amalgam is a mixture of mercury, and an alloy of silver, tin and copper. Mercury makes up about 45-50 percent of the compound. Mercury is used to bind the metals together and to provide a strong, hard durable filling. After years of research, mercury has been found to be the only element that will bind these metals together in such a way that can be easily manipulated into a tooth cavity. Is mercury in dental amalgam safe?Dental amalgam has never been proven to be unsafe by most researchers. However there is some controversy. There may be a small percentage of the population who may b e allergic or sensitive to the mercury in amalgam. MERCURY IS HIGHLY TOXIC — WHY USE IT WHEN THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES. What alternatives are there to amalgam?The profession is moving away from amalgam use and using other safter and more costmetically appealing materials, such as composite resins and porcelains. Gold filling in certain areas of the mouth are also a great choice if aesthetics are not a concern. Dr. Barry's opinion on amalgamI personally feel that amalgam has been a good material and has been used for over 100 years. I don't replace amalgam fillings if they are servicing the patient well. Due to the toxic nature of mercury, why use it when you have great alternatives these days, which are safe and restore a mouth more aesthetically and naturally. The majority of patients would rather have non-mercury-containing cosmetic looking fillings. I have not placed a mercury filling since about 1996. |
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