Health Warnings About Silver Fillings

“Smoking Teeth” (YouTube video)

“It Really Is Mercury!” (YouTube video)

Dallas Dental Arts does not use amalgam or silver fillings in our practice. We place only the most up-to-date and technically advanced materials that are backed by scientific literature.

Every day, we see people with broken teeth and toothaches caused by old silver fillings that have expanded with temperature and time like the mercury in old thermometers. These teeth now need crowns, root canals, or extractions.

Frequently, there’s decay under the fillings due to the fact they were done before recent advances in caries (decay) detectors and bonded restorations that seal out the decay from forming at the margins. And of course, there’s no avoiding those warnings on the label.

In the past, replacement of big, ugly silver fillings entailed restorations fabricated in the lab. This would involve excessive tooth removal, impressions, temporaries, and two appointments.

Now, by combining old-style care with new-age technology, we can save teeth, remove these mercury fillings, and fix the broken-down teeth during a single appointment.

BONDED TOOTH-COLORED INLAYS / ONLAYS

• We follow the IAOMT protocol for removal of amalgam fillings.
• We remove amalgam fillings under a rubber dam for isolation and your protection.
• We use special air filters, and an oxygen mask (with or without nitrous oxide) to help reduce your inhalation of mercury.
• Generally speaking, teeth that have been prepared for silver fillings have holes that are simply too big or undercut to replace with direct bonded composite fillings.
• We remove the silver fillings, use a decay detector to eliminate any decay, insulate the tooth, take an impression, and fabricate a piece of polymer resin in the laboratory under heat, pressure, and light; then bond it during the same appointment.
• Rather than “cut the teeth down for crowns,” we prefer to put a tooth back together like a jigsaw puzzle. The more we save of your natural tooth, the better you feel. Of course, under certain circumstances, crowns are necessary.

Only a proper examination can determine what is best for you. If you have any questions, or would like to schedule an introductory visit, please contact us.