What is Dental Amalgam?
Dental amalgam is a substance that has been commonly used to fill cavities. Dental amalgam is made of about 50% mercury by weight, with silver, copper, tin, and zinc making up the other 50% (Source: FDA)
Is Dental Amalgam Safe?
Fillings made of dental amalgam can release large amounts of mercury vapor whenever a patient chews, breathes, and swallows, or if a patient grinds his or her teeth. Inhaling and injecting this vapor can be harmful to your body.
Amalgam fillings can lead to higher amounts of mercury in patients’ blood and/or urine. At Division Street Dental, we do not use dental amalgam. Instead, as holistic dentists, we use safe, biocompatible materials that do not contain any heavy metals. People come to us when they want safe amalgam filling removal in Portland, Oregon.
Our fillings can be done conservatively with laser technology, so we remove only the damaged portion of the tooth, leaving as much of the healthy tooth in place as possible. We then use a composite filling material that matches the tooth for a beautiful uniform look.
Who Should Be Concerned About Dental Amalgam?
There are some groups who may be more susceptible to adverse effects from amalgam fillings, including women who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, mothers who are nursing, children younger than six years old, people who have a known allergy or sensitivity to mercury or any of the other metals in dental amalgam, and those who have neurological and/or kidney impairments.
While there are no studies yet that conclusively prove dental amalgam causes unsafe levels of mercury in patients, it’s important to consider whether your fillings may be the culprit if you are experiences symptoms like mood disorders, trouble sleeping, fatigue, memory difficulties, tremors, lack of coordination, or changes in vision or hearing.
Interested in Removing Your Mercury Fillings?
If you are suffering as a result of your amalgam fillings, our holistic dental team is here to help with safe amalgam removal. Once the mercury filling is removed, we’ll replace it with a biocompatible alternative. Contact us at Division Street Dental today to schedule your amalgam filling removal!
