MERCURY in
Dental Fillings.
Silver
amalgam fillings have a very long history in dentistry. For years it has been the best filling material that
dentists could offer their
patients, and to some dentists it still is.Those were the time when the
risk of using
MERCURY was considered lower than the risk of losing the tooth to dental caries.This is the reason why newer materials were brought into light that were as strong as amalgam, but without mercury. New techniques and materials gave dentists much more options. These materials are strong enough to withstand the stress and also are tooth coloured.Why, then, is mercury still being used in dentistry ?I agree that the amount of mercury used in dental fillings is very small and the side effects and risk it poses is also small, but then why take the risk? The mercury once used in the filling leaches out and continues to , posing health risks.And how do we dispose the unused and remaining mercury? Dump it in the ocean!!!I have been into private practice for just four years and have already seen so many amalgam failures that makes me advice my patients against these fillings. Big amalgam fillings are bound to fail due to marginal leakage and secondary caries. The mercury leaches out giving the entire tooth its hue and once you get the amalgam removed you realize the cavity has actually increased in size.Why, still do dentists use amalgam fillings? Is it due to the cost factor, or the ease of use?Some dentists still argue that there is no substitute for silver amalgam fillings, without having used the latest that science has offered dentistry.The composite resins that can be used as a substitute for amalgam fillings are relatively costlier and are technique sensitive and time consuming. But they do not contain mercury and pose very little health risks, if any.I have done more amalgam fillings in one month of dental college than I have done in my practice of four years. Which other health industry uses mercury? Why do we have to use it when we have some thing safer?This concept has to change right from the dental colleges , where students are being developed. We , as dentists should advice our patients against amalgam fillings. Patients should understand the relative risk they are taking if they opt for amalgam fillings. At the age of Implants and Esthetics we are still using mercury……
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