Dental amalgam is a mixture of mercury, silver and small amounts of tin, copper, zinc, palladium and indium. It's primarily mercury, so it's odd that they're not called mercury fillings. Mercury is toxic and hazardous. Its use by hatters in England caused hatters to go mad, hence the phrase Mad as a hatter. Mercury fillings have been used by dentists since the mid 1800s and the use has been grand-fathered by modern organizations that protect our health.

          There's no doubt that some mercury gets out of dental amalgam and is absorbed by the body. The question is, Is the absorbed mercury significantly harmful?. The controversy has calmed down since dentists are routinely being trained to use dental composites. However, not so long ago, the use of white filling materials in back teeth was frowned upon. Early pioneers of the use of non mercury filling materials were continually challenged by established dentists.

          Rather than debate their use, it seems obvious that if there are alternatives, then they should be used. There are. Many really good white colored dental filling materials have been developed that are accepted by the American Dental Association. In most case, these white fillings can be used instead of dental amalgam. Most patients have mercury fillings and many dentists feel that their removal can cause a patient to become sick. There are a number of steps that a dentist can use to help avoid this.

          A dental dam can be placed around teeth so as to isolate these teeth from the rest body. The powder and chunks of dental amalgam that are generated during this removal are significantly isolated. Because the drilling can generate mercury vapor, it helps to provide oxygen gas to a sensitive patient during the procedure. Most dentist have nitrous oxide and oxygen delivery systems in their offices. Using a saliva ejector under the dental dam can help remove mercury vapor that may penetrate the dental dam material. This combined with the use of high volume evacuation can remove the potentially hazardous vapor. By sectioning the mercury restoration and removing it in large chunks, the creation of mercury vapor is minimized.

          In sensitive patients, the dentist should consider only removing one or two mercury fillings per dental visit. Patients can take large doses of Vitamin C ( preferably Ester C ) before and after each visit. Some dentists advocate using intravenous Vitamin C before each removal. The removal appointments can be stretched out over many months to allow patients to recover between visits. Most dental authorities recommend to avoid elective dental treatment on pregnant women and this especially applies to its removal. If you are interested in dental care and would like to find out what our senior Georgia Cosmetic Dentist, Dr. Mark Allan Padolsky, can do for you, please consider scheduling a consultation by calling 404-874-7428.