10 Reasons to Ask for Amalgam Free (Amalgam 8,721 hits)

By: JD Theis..

1) Ask for amalgam free fillings to preserve your overall health and wellbeing. Amalgam is a mercury alloy, containing 43 - 50% mercury. It is dangerous when used in your mouth and even more dangerous when it is removed. Protect your health and avoid unnecessary exposure to heavy metal. Choose only mercury free or naturally compatible materials for your dental treatments.

2) Amalgam cannot restore your beautiful, natural smile. Amalgam fillings are dark gray in color, and become darker as they corrode. When used, especially towards the front of the mouth, they are very visually unappealing.

3) Ask for amalgam free to avoid potential allergic reactions. According the California Dental Materials Fact Sheet, there are documented cases of allergic reactions to dental amalgam fillings. There are also reports of toxicity to dental amalgam. The safety of amalgam free alternatives such as porcelain was rated excellent in that there are no known adverse effects on the patient's health when using it. There are also no known allergic or adverse reactions to porcelain.

3) Using amalgam free materials will prevent potentially harmful long-term effects of mercury-based amalgam. The inescapable fact is that many foreign governments' regulatory agencies have banned the use of amalgam all together, or in pregnant women and children under the age of 18. The reason is that amalgam is a mercury alloy - mercury being the most poisonous non-radioactive naturally occurring substance on our planet. Symptoms and diseases related to chronic mercury poisoning include problems with your digestive system, emotions, energy levels, heart, lungs, muscles and joints, nose throat and neurology. Essentially, your entire body can be negatively affected by exposure to mercury. Take the safe route and use amalgam alternatives. There are many mercury alternatives available - it is simply up to you to ask for them.

4) Amalgam alternatives preserve more of the healthy tooth. In order to fix a cavity, your dentist must remove the decayed part of your tooth and fill it with dental material. When your dentist uses amalgam, a hole greater than the size of the actual cavity must be drilled in order to accommodate the amalgam filling. When you ask for amalgam alternatives such as ceramics or composite resins, minimal removal of the natural tooth is necessary to repair the cavity.

5) Amalgam can actually crack your teeth. Amalgam is a metal alloy that is placed inside of the tooth cavity - with no adhesive bond. Amalgam's lack of adhesion may weaken the remaining tooth. Furthermore because of its nature, amalgam fillings expand and contract differently than the tooth structure, sometimes cracking and breaking the teeth that they are in. Composite resin fillings contain no mercury and are bonded to the tooth, therefore helping to prevent fractures.

6) Amalgam does not last as long as some of its alternatives. It has a low resistance to surface wear - and is compared to dental enamel. Amalgam can also fracture under stress. Furthermore the tooth around the filling may fracture before the amalgam does. Alternative fillings actually bond with the tooth and last much longer than amalgam.

7) Amalgam alternatives create less post-operative sensitivity. Because amalgam is a metal alloy, it has a high thermal conductivity and so promotes sensitivity to hot and cold in patients. Amalgam also causes occasional and transient galvanic response - which means if you have amalgam fillings, you could experience the uncomfortable feeling of an electric current in your mouth due to the reaction between amalgam and other metals. The electric current may even be high enough to irritate your dental pulp and cause sharp pain. On the other hand, amalgam alternatives such as porcelain, do not conduct heat and cold well - so sensitivity for the patient is very low. Furthermore, it is non-metal based so it will not cause a galvanic response.

8) Choosing amalgam free dental work will help you avoid further decay. Porcelain in particular has a good resistance to further decay if the restoration fits well. Its resistance to leakage is also very good. When amalgam begins to deteriorate, there can be leakage because it is not adhesively bonded to the tooth. An added problem with amalgam is the fact that recurring decay around amalgam is difficult to detect in its early stages, which means ultimately, you could end up with a more serious cavity.

9) Choose amalgam free for peace of mind. Your body is not a toxic dumping ground. Give yourself serenity knowing that dental materials used in your mouth are non-toxic and non-detrimental to your health. Ask for your dentist to use amalgam free materials for your treatments.

10) Amalgam alternatives are simply the smarter choice. It used to be that you did not have many option as to what dentists used to fill cavities in your teeth. But with the advancement of modern medicine there are numerous alternatives available to you. And the irrefutable fact is, the safety of amalgam is at the very least contentious and at its very worst toxic. Choosing amalgam free dentistry is one of the easiest decisions you can make to ensure your overall health and wellbeing are protected.

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By Dr. Mina A. Mafi DDS. Natural Dentistry Services ? Amalgam Free, Cosmetic Dentistry and More, Available in San Diego, California.

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