Q.  What is dental amalgam?

A.  Dental amalgam, commonly known as a silver filling, is a mixture of mercury and an alloy of silver, tin, and copper.  The mixture is made up of 45-50% mercury.  Mercury binds the metals in amalgam together to form a strong durable filling.  Mercury is the only known substance that can bind the metals in such a way that they can be manipulated into a cavity.

 

Q.  Is the mercury content within amalgam safe?

A.  Yes, amalgam is not poisonous.  When mercury is mixed with other metals, it’s chemical property changes in such a way that it basically becomes harmless.  The tiny amounts of mercury that are released when you chew with an amalgam filling in your mouth are negligible.  In fact, the amount of mercury that you are exposed to while chewing is less than that associated with being exposed to food, air, and water.  Scientific studies over the past 100 years have proven that amalgam is safe.  Claims of diseases brought on by amalgam or of amazing recoveries attributed to removing amalgam fillings have not been proven scientifically.

 

Q.  Why do dentists use amalgams?

A.  The primary reason that dentists use dental amalgam for restorative fillings is that they have stood the test of time.  They have a 150 year proven record as the safest, most durable, and least expensive material for filling cavities.   An estimated 1 billion dental amalgam restorations are placed in dental treatment  each year.  Dentists prefer amalgam because it is the easiest material to work with, and can be placed very quickly.

 

 

Q.  What if a patient is allergic to mercury?

A.  Fortunately, the occurrence of allergy to mercury is less than one percent of the population.  If you suspect that you are allergic to mercury you should receive a test from a qualified physician to verify the allergy.  If it turns out that you are allergic to mercury you should then seek an appropriate alternative to amalgam restorations.  You should not, however, have amalgam restorations  removed if it is not entirely necessary.   

 

Q.  How long do silver amalgam fillings usually last?

A.  With some exceptions, it is reasonable to expect amalgam fillings to last anywhere from 10 to 15 years. Larger silver fillings often begin to fail after only 3 to 5 years. Tiny dot-size silver fillings often last 25 to 30 years. As a material, silver amalgam  does not  resist the corrosive aspects of certain foods or the acidic nature of oral bacteria. With time, it breaks down and fails.