Mercury Free Dentistry at Riverside Center for Esthetic Dentistry
Hi, I'm Dr. Jacobs. Today, we'll be talking about mercury-free dentistry, a safer and more natural way to care for your smile. We're moving away from traditional silver fillings, also known as amalgam, which can contain about 50% mercury and can release small vapor over time, even while chewing.
Here at Riverside Center for Esthetic Dentistry, we use mercury-free alternatives such as composite, porcelain, and glass ionomer. These materials match your tooth's natural color, bond securely to the tooth structure, and reduce the risk of allergic reactions. Not only are these options healthier, but they're also better for the environment. Let's explore how these modern options can give you a cleaner, more beautiful smile and why they're becoming the smart choice for many patients today.
What is Mercury-Free Dentistry?
Mercury-free dentistry is essentially silver-free dentistry. Silver fillings contain mercury that allows the material working time, meaning it's pliable and then makes the silver set hard over time. There is controversy about the mercury as it releases, or not release, but that doesn't really matter. It's not a problem.
The most important thing is that silver fillings do not bond or adhere to your tooth. What we have is one structure inside of your tooth. Two separate structures and the internal structure expands over time. It absorbs water and gets bigger, weakening the outer structure, mainly your tooth.
A silver filling will weaken and undermine your tooth over time. In contrast, a white filling chemically unites to your tooth and engineering-wise it becomes one structure. When you have one structure, you're 95% or more of the original tooth strength. So the question then becomes, as a dentist, do you want to give your patient a tooth that is half as strong or a tooth that is mostly intact in its original strength? The answer is mostly intact in its original strength. As a side benefit, it looks nice. It looks just like it, too. And it's certainly better than those black fillings we used to use in the past.
This, my friends, is the old silver filling bottle. Check out the video above!
There are lots of silver fillings in here, maybe a hundred. Right here on the side, it says alloy silver 600 milligrams mercury 447 mg, which is almost 40% mercury. As we turn it sideways, the bottle has a skull and crossbones, and it says poison. It says poison. And if you look at the health risks, severe health risks with a skull and crossbones. Do you really want this in your mouth? If we spill mercury, we have to call the hazmat team. Why? There are far better alternatives.
I haven't used it in 30 years. Many dentists are not using it anymore. It doesn't matter about the controversy about whether mercury is toxic, is it not toxic, is it encased in the silver, not encased, does it leak? It doesn't matter. Why use it? For the simple fact that if you use this, you have a weak tooth. I promise you 10, 20, 30 years later, after someone uses this, your tooth cracks or you have pain and you need a root canal, and then your tooth breaks and you need an implant. Why? Every day, there would be broken teeth that would come after these old silver fillings were in there for a while.
With modern-day dentistry bonded composites, I don't see broken teeth. It's a miracle. It's amazing. So why use it? Forget whether it's good or bad for you. It doesn't matter. The important part, and there is no debate about this, is that it cracks, breaks, and undermines your teeth. Modern fillings make your tooth as strong as possible after we fix it. And that's all that matters. That's it. Period.
Environmental Impact of Silver Fillings
There are many news reports about certain fish in our oceans that we should not consume because they have mercury, and we wonder how mercury gets to the ocean. A lot of it is due to dental offices. We would drill away silver fillings, and our machines would suck it all up, and it would go into the sewer, out to the ocean.
Now, there are regulations. We have to have something called amalgam traps. They're traps that capture all these silver fillings and prevent them from going into the sewer. As dentists, we worry about breathing all this stuff. We have our masks. Most importantly, there is a very important safety device called an isolator. It's a machine that fits in your mouth and has strong suction. This device blocks debris from being swallowed into your stomach or breathed into your lungs. This machine sucks it all up for you. It's safer for you, the assistant, the dentist, and the environment. There are all these regulations we must follow. In our office, we always wear a mask, have an isolyte, and the assistant suctions to minimize what you inhale into your lungs.
Benefits of Modern Fillings
The most important takeaway from this is that whether it's right or wrong, it doesn't matter. All we care about is what is best for your teeth and what is best for you. The answer is silver fillings, I believe, should not be used because they are not good for your tooth, simply because they weaken it, period. White fillings are better because they do not weaken your tooth as much, if at all. They last a long time and can easily be repaired. You don't have to remove all of it, just a little bit, whatever is amiss, and fix it. Very beautiful stuff. All our crowns are metal-free.
There are contaminants in metal, tin, and alloys that people are allergic to. We want to use a ceramic we can bond to your tooth. Just visit our SMILE GALLERY and you'll see beautiful dentistry. All metal-free, all very natural-looking.
If you’re searching for quality dental care, we’re here to help. Call (951) 904-3164 or email [email protected] to schedule your visit. Our team is committed to keeping your smile healthy.