Why amalgam fillings should be replaced
Dental amalgam was first used as a filling material way back in the 1820s. At that time, New South Wales was in its infancy, and Australia was still a penal colony. About half of a dental amalgam restoration contains a combination of metals such as silver, tin, zinc, and copper. The other half of the amalgam restoration is formulated from powdered mercury, a known toxin. The world has changed considerably in the last 10 years, let alone 200 years, however many dentists still place these fillings.
As a holistic dental practice serving the Melbourne area, from our Moonee Ponds and Sunbury offices, Smile in Style is built on a foundation of using only materials, techniques, technologies, and procedures that enhance oral health and overall wellbeing. Known toxic substances, which pose risks to our health, are not used in our offices. Moreover, our dentists, Drs Terry Rose, Helen Luo, and Meenakshi Rajcoomar, are all aware of the threats presented by removing amalgam fillings that contain more mercury than anything else.
Why we are “mercury-free”
Mercury is continuously being emitted from dental amalgams. This mercury is then absorbed by your body’s tissues and organs, where it accumulates. Certain behaviours and conditions intensify mercury exposure. For instance, more mercury is released from your teeth if you have bruxism (grinding) and chronically grind your teeth. Likewise, the heat associated with soups, coffees, other hot beverages, and hot foods can also increase the amount of mercury that is released from amalgam fillings. As a Holistic Dental Practice, we chose not to use amalgam fillings in our rooms.
The value of “mercury-safe” dentistry
Mercury vapour is also emitted during the filling removal process. This process poses risks not only to the patient but to our dentists, staff, and the environment. As a result, our office has taken considerable safeguards to assure our patients that mercury fillings are removed safely, precisely, and efficiently in our rooms. Our office has featured some of the numerous ways that we minimise mercury exposure on this website – from air purifiers and high volume vacuum extractors to remove mercury vapours, to providing a supplemental oxygen source to breathe during the removal process, use of rubber dam to prevent you swallowing any amalgam, to the use of protective masks and respirators for staff.
Additionally, we are proud to offer strong, durable, non-metal dental restorations. We can create everything from composite white fillings to veneers and crowns in the house in a single visit by using the CEREC system. CEREC is a state-of-the-art method of reconstructing tooth restorations. CEREC uses computer-assisted design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) to create restorations from biocompatible porcelain for our patients in a single day.
Phone 03 8400 4104 (Moonee Ponds) or 03 8001 6021 (Sunbury) to schedule your appointment. Restore your smile and restore your health safely!
