We have a lot of patients coming to us at The Courtyard Clinic asking for the replacement of their silver-coloured amalgam/mercury fillings. Many people have concerns over the safety of the material in the dental field, with certain countries in Scandanavia no longer using the material. Here at The Courtyard Clinic, we are a mercury-free practice, no longer using dental amalgam opting in favour of white filling materials for small cavities or ceramic restorations for larger ones.
The Mercury content of amalgam fillings is the most concerning aspect of the material, however, currently, we do not have enough evidence to establish exactly how much mercury is lost from these fillings during normal use in the mouth. For this reason, we at The Courtyard Clinic feel that it is in the best interests of our patient’s health to no longer use the material in favour of more modern techniques.
A further problem with amalgam is that patients with many metal fillings will occasionally feel that they have a metallic taste in their mouth, almost like batteries. The reason for this is that an electric current is being formed between the different metal fillings in the mouth which can be very unpleasant.
The final problem we find our patients have with amalgam fillings is the cosmetic appearance; here at The Courtyard Clinic we understand that being confident with your smile is very important and for this reason, we always try to restore our patient’s teeth back to the way they looked before they had any problems. Thus we use white composite or ceramic materials which match the colour of your natural teeth and our skilled dentists shape these materials so as to provide “invisible” fillings
For all of these reasons, we will frequently have patients asking for the removal of their amalgam fillings. However, the final difficulty with dental amalgam is that the removal of it can release vapours which can also be harmful. It is for this reason that we work with very powerful air suction. We will also often remove the amalgams under isolation with a rubber sheet in order to keep the amalgam out of the airways.
If you are unhappy with your amalgam fillings or would like to know more call 01932582949 to book an appointment or just have a chat about your concerns.