Title : ALL YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SILVER FILLINGS
Many of our patients come to us asking for the facts about silver fillings. Do they need to have them replaced? Are they a health risk or just unsightly?
What is usually a silver filling?
Silver fillings, also called, mercury or amalgam fillings, have been used in dentistry for more than 150 years. They are made up of 50 percent mercury mixed with silver, copper, tin along with some other metals. Mercury fillings were created as a less expensive alternative to gold over 100 years ago. The use of mercury, one of the most toxic substances on earth, has prompted some of our patients to question the safety of these fillings.
Should I be concerned about having This kind of material in my mouth?
According the the American Dental Association, as long as the amalgam is usually intact, the risk of mercury contamination is usually low. The risk comes when the silver fillings start to break down as they age. The FDA has concluded the levels of mercury in dental amalgam are not high enough to harm patients. However, they classified This kind of as a class 2 device, meaning This kind of has moderate risk along with the FDA has left the issue open for further discussion.
As continued research is usually done on using mercury for fillings, we focus our concerns on the potential dental problems silver fillings can cause, most commonly tooth fractures along with recurrent decay. Dr. Zollinger decided nearly 30 years ago not to use silver fillings both for This kind of’s potential toxic effects nevertheless also because its use required a lot of Great tooth to be destroyed inside process.
What is usually the problem with silver fillings?
Amalgam does not bond to the tooth. This kind of requires the dentist to wedge the filling into the tooth to keep This kind of through falling out. This kind of also allows decay to get under the filling material over time where This kind of can grow, sight unseen for a long time before causing any pain. Dental xrays cannot see through the mercury filling so these areas of decay are nearly impossible to see.
As mentioned before, the placement of silver fillings require the removal of a lot more healthy tooth structure than some other materials such as composite. This kind of can weaken the tooth structure doing cracks along with fractures more likely inside future.
The material also expands along with contracts. These expansions along with contractions can cause the tooth to crack along with split over time.
What does This kind of mean to me?
The two very common problems we see when replacing old amalgam fillings is usually fracturing along with decay of the tooth surrounding the silver filling, resulting inside need for a root canal treatment or a crown along with sometimes both.
The lack of a bond between the amalgam along with tooth may permit bacteria to find its way underneath the filling. This kind of can cause decay that will is usually frequently not detected until the tooth has suffered more damage. We see decay under silver fillings in about 80% of silver fillings that will we replace. A lot of times, by the time we see the patient This kind of decay has already made its way into the nerve along with root canal treatment will be necessary.
The some other problem is usually that will due to the compromised tooth structure, a lot of times teeth with silver fillings ultimately become cracked or fractured along with need to be replaced having a crown. Dr. Zollinger watches for any cracks or fractures surrounding silver fillings during your preventative visits. If he sees these, he will suggest that will you look at replacing that will filling before any more damage occurs.
How are the fillings that will you do different?
In comparison, in our office we only use the newer tooth-colored composite resin which is usually adhesive, highly cosmetic along with mercury-free. This kind of carries a lot of great benefits:
· The coloration can be closely matched to the patient's natural teeth.
· The filling material is usually strongly bonded to the tooth using a state-of -the art technique that will intimately binds the material to the surrounding tooth structure. This kind of means there is usually very little chance that will bacteria will get between the filling along with the tooth causing further decay.
· Less tooth is usually lost because composite resin fillings can be made much smaller than an amalgam, so less natural tooth structure is usually lost, reducing the risk of future fracturing.
What do I do if I have concerns about my silver fillings?
If you have concerns about your silver fillings, feel free to set up an appointment for a free consultation. We’ll be happy to take a look at your options with you.
That is all articles ALL YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SILVER FILLINGS This time, hopefully can provide benefits to all of you. Okay, see you in another article post.
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