Are Amalgum Fillings safe?

1. Are Amalgum Fillings safe?

2. Are Amalgum fillings safe? • What are amalgum fillings? • Refute common misconceptions. • No Proof.

3. What is an Amalgum filling?

4. Amalgum is a material that is used to fill the hole that is created by a cavity. • Inexpensive, and very durable • Amalgum is 50% Mercury, and the other 50% is comprised of other metals such as silver, tin, copper, and sometimes smaller amounts of zinc, palladium, or indium

6. Common Misconceptions

7. Mercury used in amalgum fillings are hazardous. • Although some forms of mercury are hazardous, the mercury in amalgam is chemically bound to the other metals to make it stable and therefore safe for use in dental applications.

8. The mercury in the amalgum is being released into the blood of the patient, resulting in Mercury poisoning. • This is untrue. While it is clear is that mercury is a known neurotoxin, found in fillings that release small amounts of colorless, odorless mercury vapor into the body, these emissions are not high enough to cause health problems.

9. People who have amalgum fillings should have them removed and replaced with composite fillings. This can cause more harm than good many times. Removing fillings can actually release more mercury into the body temporarily, the procedure is more risky for people who feel fine. Also by removing the amalgum fillings the tooth can sustain damage to the point that it needs to be removed.

10. No Proof

11. Although it is true that Mercury does release small amounts of colorless, odorless mercury vapor into the bodies there is no proof that the amount of mercury present is enough to be considered harmful. • The American Dental Association stands firmly behind such fillings, saying they only rarely cause problems, in people with mercury allergies, and are more durable than the alternatives.  

12. Amalgam is the most thoroughly studied and tested filling material now used. Compared to other restorative materials, it is durable, easy to use, and inexpensive. The American Dental Association, Consumers Union, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Public Health Service, the World Health Organization, and many other prominent organizations have concluded that amalgam is safe and effective for restoring teeth

13. Improper claims It is against the law for a doctor to coheres a patient into removing all of their amalgum fillings. Some doctors will misdiagnose a patient with mercury poisoning to justify replacing all of their amalgum fillings with composite ones, to make a profit. Ex. Huggins's dental license was revoked in 1996.

14. The End