Amalgam Replacement in Grande Prairie, AB

There are five main reasons that people are choosing to go with a different type of filling in recent years:

1. Safety: Amalgam is made of a mix of metals that includes around 50% mercury. Mercury has been known to be toxic to the brain. While research has demonstrated that mercury does not leak out in significant amounts, there is concern that small amounts may still leach out, leading to a form of mercury poisoning. So if we knew this danger, why was it ever used in our teeth? It was cheap, strong, and easy to use and many studies concluded that the amount that would leach from our teeth was minimal. For these reasons, dentists were willing to choose the best available product at that time. Recent studies continue to promote its usage.
2. Broken teeth: One of the significant long-term problems of using amalgam is that it breaks the tooth it is in, as well as surrounding teeth. As teeth age, they get weaker and when a large filling is involved, develop cracks. These will eventually break off requiring dental crowns, and implants if the tooth is damaged beyond repair.
3. Tooth decay: Amalgam does not bind directly to the tooth, so there is a microscopic gap in which foreign material can lodge and begin the decay process. This is a significant health risk as well since bacteria can enter through this unseen cavity.
4. Over drilling: Because amalgam does not bind directly to the tooth, your dentist in Grande Prairie often has to drill out healthy parts of the tooth to create enough surface to keep the amalgam in place. Unfortunately, this permanently weakens the tooth which leads to many other problems later.
5. Appearance: Though generally not used on the most obvious teeth, amalgam fillings will almost always be seen in direct conversation with somebody. Unfortunately, they have the appearance of decay and do not look attractive.

Risks

Removing amalgam fillings and replacing them is a very common process. Amalgam fillings near you typically last between 5 1/2 and 11 1/2 years. The risk associated with this service is based on the training and expertise of the dentist. During removal, exposure to mercury 1000 times greater than EPA allows can occur. The dentist must have the knowledge of how to prevent this during this treatment.

Just as amalgam fillings have a period of sensitivity, there may be a period of sensitivity after the removal and placement of the filling.

Based on the typical life of an amalgam filling, 10 years is the time when underlying decay and leakages make replacement important. If you have any concerns about this, be sure to contact a dentist near you for assistance.

At our local dental practice, we do not use amalgam. Instead, we provide composite resin fillings to our patients in Grande Prairie. New research demonstrates that this product is safe, effective, and attractive when properly handled and bonded. We also strongly recommend changing from amalgam to this material if you already have existing fillings.