Men Are From Mars, Silver Fillings Are From Mercury

If you were to ask peope what qualities they value most in life, you are likely to hear words like strength, integrity and honor. I hear this when they talk about teeth, too. Patients often tell me they want their teeth to look good, feel good, and last a long time. For this reason, they often choose to change their silver/mercury fillings to materials that are healthier and support their teeth better.

Silver fillings, also called amalgams, contain the element mercury. We used to have mercury in thermometers because it expands with heat and shrinks with cold, allowing us to measure temperature. Silver fillings are about 50% mercury. We put hot and cold in our mouth, so this expansion and contraction is also happening in our teeth. Over time the expansion of the silver filling and the undercuts needed to place it can initiate cracks in your teeth. These cracks are why many teeth become sensitive or break, resulting in a need for crowns and possibly root canals.

There are also conce
s about the safety of silver fillings and having mercury in our mouth. Mercury is a powerful toxin. Dentists used to believe that it was sealed within the tooth, but some studies show that it can vaporize, allowing the mercury into your system. You can learn more about this on the website iaomt.org, if you are interested. Dental offices are required to handle mercury as toxic waste and for this reason; it does not make sense to me to put it in someone’s mouth.

The good news is that we have better materials available. For teeth that are not too damaged for another filling, we have tooth colored fillings. These fillings are bonded into the walls of the tooth, which re-supports it and makes it stronger. They look great too! For teeth that are more damaged, there are crowns. We like to prevent the need for crowns, but they are wonderful when they are needed and save a lot of teeth. A crown is like a suit of armor that wraps around the tooth completely, protecting it and restoring integrity. Crowns can be made of tooth colored porcelain, gold, or a combination of both.

I haven’t been on Mars, but I do know about mercury. Changing out your silver/mercury fillings will help you have teeth that look good, feel good, and last a long time.

Bite of Wisdom: “Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right use of strength.” Henry Beechle
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