When you picture a filling, there’s a good chance an unsightly piece of silver comes to mind, wedged inside a cracked tooth to fill the hole. That “silver” is actually an amalgam of several different types of metal. In many cases, more than half of that amalgam is mercury. This means of restoring and repairing teeth has been around for more than 150 years. But in recent decades, health and dental professionals have become wary of amalgam fillings, with their worries centered largely on the mercury involved. For that reason, there’s been an increasingly strong movement for mercury free dentistry.

Health Concerns

Strictly speaking, mercury is a toxic substance to humans, with adverse effects setting in once concentrations reach high enough levels. According to the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA), “High levels of mercury vapor exposure are associated with adverse effects in the brain and the kidneys.” While the FDA has concluded that the mercury used in amalgam fillings does not pose a significant risk, and considers amalgam fillings safe for use in adults and children older than six, not everyone is in agreement with these findings, with other countries instituting harsher limitations on the use of amalgam fillings.

Structural Concerns

Mercury-related health concerns are, of course, important to consider. But even outside of these concerns, there are significant drawbacks to amalgam fillings, especially when compared with more modern composite fillings. These composite fillings are composed of a mixture of glass and plastic.

Amalgam fillings require a larger area for support than their composite counterparts. For this reason, placing amalgam fillings typically requires the removal of healthy tooth structure. But the shortcomings of amalgam fillings continue well past their initial placement.

Temperature is the primary structural concern with amalgam fillings. Are you familiar with mercury-in-glass thermometers? This is one of the oldest thermometer technologies, with silver-colored mercury liquid rising and falling inside a glass tube to indicate the temperature. The mercury inside amalgam fillings is just as reactive to changes in temperature, meaning amalgam fillings expand and contract as temperatures change. That means that with every hot cup of coffee and every cold glass of ice-water, these fillings change size. This constant expansion and contraction strains teeth, often leading to cracks, chips, fractures, and snaps.

Amalgam fillings also twist and bend much more than healthy teeth when chewing. Conversely, composite fillings react very similarly to your natural tooth structure in the presence of temperature variation and pressure from chewing, allowing the filling and the tooth it’s bonded with to move as one.

Aesthetic Concerns

Even judged purely on aesthetics, amalgam fillings fall short. Silver may be a good look for jewelry, but it loses its appeal once it’s inside your mouth. Composite fillings can actually be matched to the existing color of your teeth, making them an incredible resource when it comes to dental restoration. The composite fillings blend together visually with the teeth they’re repairing, leaving your smile unencumbered and free to shine in its own, non-metallic way.

As a mercury free dentist, Carol E. Follette, DDS has seen firsthand the tremendous results of patients who have sought out alternatives to amalgam fillings. Our office here in Santa Monica, CA is specifically designed to facilitate the replacement of amalgam fillings. Give us a call today at (310) 870-0040 for more information on getting the metal out of your mouth.