Dental amalgam has been documented to be one of the most commonly used dental materials for restoration of decayed and carious teeth. It has greater strength as compared to other filling materials and has the convenience of easy manipulation for the dental professional during the operative procedure in the patient’s mouth. Dental amalgam has provides adequate mixing and working time to the dental assistants as well. Millions of people around the globe have silver dental amalgam fillings in their mouth for the last many decades. People are satisfied with the longevity and function of the silver dental amalgam restorations.
Few concerns have been raised in the past regarding dental amalgam restorations and the material went through serious controversy and criticism. Nevertheless still many dentists use amalgam material and patients do not hesitate from getting amalgam fillings. The major concern people raise about dental amalgam is its mercury content. Mercury is a known poison which is considered more harmful than arsenic. Mercury fillings in the oral cavity can cause serious damage such as neurological, respiratory and cardiac problems. Mercury fumes in the environment of dental clinics can be hazardous.
Another major concern about mercury is its silver or blackish silver color which gives an unaesthetic appearance to your smile. people now prefer the newly developed tooth colored fillings in their oral cavity. Dental composites with good mechanical properties have largely replaced dental amalgam fillings in the recent era. In spite of all the above mentioned problems, dentists still prefer doing amalgam fillings in areas subjected to high mastication forces and consider it perfectly safe for the human body
Some metro Atlantans strongly believe that the mercury fillings most people got as children could be making them sick.
As many as 180 million Americans have more than a half billion teeth restored with fillings made with mercury.
“Mercury is extremely toxic,” McKenzie said. “It’s more poisonous than arsenic. And you’re putting it in patients’ mouths.
McKenzie said the mercury readings in her 20-year-old patient’s mouth were enough to shut down a school. That patient, Elizabeth Tlapapan, wanted to get rid of the brain fog and headaches that had plagued her for year.
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) took five years to consider conflicting research on the issue. In January, the agency denied petitions to ban mercury or declare it a high-risk device. The American Dental Association (ADA) also has defended the fillings as having “established a record of safety and effectiveness.”
http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/2-investigates-are-fillings-your-mouth-toxic/nmJXk/
Answering concerns regarding dental amalgam fillings
No comments:
Post a Comment