Amalgam fillings (or silver fillings)
(With thanks to the Victorian Government Better Health Channel)
So, your dentist tells you that you need a filling – how will you know if that’s going to be a tooth-coloured (composite) filling or a silver (amalgam) filling?
Tooth –coloured filling or silver filling?
Tooth-coloured fillings (composite fillings) have been used in front teeth for cosmetic reasons for many years. Recent improvements have made tooth-coloured fillings more affordable and they are often used as an alternative to dental amalgam. However, tooth-coloured fillings may not always be suitable. For example, this filling material may not be the best choice for a large filling in a back tooth.
Dental amalgam is often used for filling molars (back teeth) that get a lot of wear and tear. Amalgam is made up of a mixture of metals, usually including silver, tin, copper, zinc and mercury.
Mercury in dental amalgam
Some people are worried about the use of dental amalgam because it contains mercury. While high levels of mercury are harmful to human health, the level of ‘free’ mercury (mercury that could get into the body) in set amalgam fillings is so tiny that it has no effect on health.
International reviews of scientific evidence have not linked the use of dental amalgam directly with poor health. The current advice from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia is that, for most people, this very low level of mercury exposure will not affect their general health. There is also no evidence to support any connection between amalgam fillings and cancer.
Some countries have been trying to phase out the use of amalgam fillings for environmental reasons. Although mercury occurs naturally in the environment, incorrect disposal of dental amalgam can add to mercury levels in the environment that build up in the food chain.
Every cloud has a silver lining
At DBay Dental we dispose of our amalgam waste according to the Australian Dental Association Guidelines for Dental Amalgam Waste Management by using an accredited EPA-licensed mercury recycling company. So you’re in safe hands having any filling at DBay Dental, especially the ‘silver’ ones.