Amalgam

Why it is not good to have amalgam on the teeth?

The most obvious reason that the amalgam is harmful is that this is an alloy consisting of, among other things the highly toxic substance mercury. This mercury over time will be consumed in the body and can cause poisoning. This usually occurs when old fillings that are both worn and releasing much friction by eating, drinking and generally by biting.

In addition, if another metal is in or around the teeth this process will be enhanced and this process is called ionization, albeit weak, it can also be strong enough that the level of mercury released may be measurable.

What are the implications when increased concentration of toxin is in the body?

As with any other toxins the liver and kidneys are attacked,But what makes this so difficult to measure is that this is a very small dose and otherwise healthy people will not feel any difference.  For patients with poor immune system or going on strong medication or struggling with toxins in the body, it can be this extra dose that makes effects more noticeable, for e.g Stiff joints, headaches, difficulty concentrating are some typical Indications and consequences of this.

We’re not saying you can eliminate the frustrations of replacing old amalgam fillings by new composite fillings, but it could be an important step in the right direction.

Problem number two:

Some fillings  where their size can damage the tooth, the amalgam is not a suitable material. It is a material that moves by temperature change. Imagine that you drink 5-6 cups of coffee every day throughout your adult life. When hot coffee enters the mouth, the temperature rises and amalgam in your teeth will expand since it is what we call an unstable material (reacts to eg temperature changes) we are of course talking about minimal movements, but by a sufficient number of repetitions so it can be dangerous enough.When you have finished with the coffee  the temperature will go down and the amalgam will retire.

When this happens many times a day, day in day out it will eventually harm the tooth core and we get something called “shelling”. The first stage is that the filling does not become clogged and bacteria can enter between the tooth core,  the filling is there to prevent exactly this happening. The next stage is then the bacteria will develop in peace to rest under this embankment and damage the tooth further. stage three is that the hole during this filling has been so great that the entire tooth core collapses and the tooth needs to be built up from scratch. By shifting to composite filling early,you will prevent this from happening.

We’re not saying you have to replace all amalgam fillings immediately, what we are saying is that it is better to fit in some and not wait too long to replace such fillings. Deposition of mercury is greater when broken or fillings are worn. The tooth damage is greater the older and poorer fillings are.

A simple procedure of shifting from amalgam to Composite filling with us costs about €45 (for one small hole). If One waits too long there will be inflammation in the root, so you can risk having root canal treatment on the tooth or at worst we will have to pull the tooth (and possibly have it replaced) and this can lead to quite different costs and a far more complicated surgery.