White Dental Fillings and the Mercury Question

Is mercury dangerous in dental fillings and, if so,  what are the alternatives for our Burton and Ashby patients?

If you have dental fillings, it is more than likely that these are amalgam based ones. This material has been used for many years due to its undoubted strength.

Whilst it is a strong material though, it has two potential disadvantages; the first is quite obvious and that is its colour. It isn’t the nicest sight in the world when someone laughs and shows a row of dark coloured fillings in their mouth.

The second disadvantage has potentially more serious implications in that one of the components of amalgam is mercury – the safety or otherwise of this is hotly debated.

In its liquid form, mercury is highly toxic and dangerous to health, yet, the general feeling for many years has been that, in its solid form, as in the case of amalgam, it is entirely safe.

Increasingly, this line of thinking is being challenged, with some claiming that fumes can be released even when chewing food and, whilst these may be in tiny amounts, the accumulation over a number of years could be detrimental to health.

Other concerns that have been raised is the possibility of the mercury being passed on through a mother’s milk and the possibilities of it playing a role in learning disabilities in children. Some countries, such as Norway and Denmark, have gone so far as to ban its use altogether. However, we do stress that the governing bodies in the UK state that the use of amalgam fillings is safe.

Alternatives

Whilst the argument about mercury in dental fillings is likely to continue for a while, it seems increasingly likely that its use may be phased out, given the doubt about it and the mercury free dentistry alternatives that are now available.

At Alexandra Dental Care, we have been able to use white fillings for some time with a great deal of success. Whilst there was a time when these fillings could only be used on the front teeth as they were not strong enough for those at the rear, advances have been made which mean that they now can be used on all teeth. For the rear teeth which need very large fillings however, it may be preferable to use crowns, inlays or onlays, as these will give the additional strength needed by the rear teeth.

Instead of using various metals, including mercury, these new white tooth fillings are made from a mixture of glass, synthetic resins and a setting agent and have the benefits not only of strength, but of cosmetic appearance too as they can be made to match the shade of your own teeth.

Amalgam Removal

Several patients at our dentists serving Burton and Ashby have asked whether they should have their amalgam fillings removed and replaced with white fillings. We like to treat each patient on a case by case basis and generally only suggest possible removal of the amalgam when there are other health issues that may be caused by an intolerance of mercury based fillings.

In the case of patients where the amalgam filling does need to be removed, we have experience in this matter and can ensure that the procedure is done both safely and effectively.

For more information about white teeth fillings and/or amalgam removal, please call our friendly team on 01283 216347.

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