The Time For Amalgam or Silver/Mercury Amalgam Fillings is Past!
Tooth-Colored Fillings – Forget Silver/Mercury Amalgam Fillings!
Tooth colored fillings also known as composite fillings are not new! They are better looking, better for your tooth, more conservative and tooth-colored fillings have stood the test of time for small restorations due to decay or fracture.
If your tooth needs a filling, there are still dentists that recommend silver fillings or amalgam fillings instead of tooth-colored or composite fillings. Silver amalgam fillings are about 50 percent mercury and EVERYONE knows that this material is toxic. Never mind that the mercury is bound to the silver in the silver filling and MAY not pose a health hazard. If there is a better choice of filling material that is safer AND better for your tooth wouldn’t you choose it?
It is common to see breakdown of the tooth around old silver fillings.
Cracks and rough edges around this filling indicate bacteria can get below and beside this amalgam. Time to replace it with something better!
In our office we used to place silver or amalgam fillings – that was until about 1995 when I decided that I wouldn’t put in a patient’s mouth something that I would not want in my own or my families teeth! So, I stopped doing silver fillings altogether and I have never regretted this decision. Like all metals, silver fillings expand and contract with hot and cold conditions in our mouth. Over time this can weaken or fracture the surrounding tooth structure. Tooth-colored fillings by contrast, actually bond to the adjacent tooth strengthening it, AND they look like teeth not a black filling!
If you want to replace your old silver or amalgam fillings, or if you need to get new fillings altogether, our restorative dentistry office has natural-looking porcelain and tooth-colored filling or composite filling materials available. These fillings can be created to match your existing tooth color, disguising your dental work from your friends and family. If you wanted to brighten your smile with our available teeth whitening procedures, talk to Dr. Gillis prior to receiving a natural-colored filling so that your new restorations will match your brighter tooth color.
Our office is located in Grand Junction, Colorado. Our phone number is (970) 242-3635. Please visit us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/juliegillisddspc) or call us if you have any questions or concerns. You can also email our office at jgillis@rosemontdev.com for further information.