It may surprise you to hear that mercury fillings are still being placed in dental practices. Mercury is a toxic metal if exposed to significant levels it can cause you harm. Studies have shown that mercury fillings do leak mercury into your sysytem, however the levels are not high enough to cause any harm.
At Tme Dental we like to give our pateints the options available and give you our recommendations. At the end of the day it’s your mouth and we want to give you the best advice and help you make the choices that are right for you.
When cavities are small to medium sized the current white composite fillings are a fantastic way to restore your mouth to health. White composite fillings do not contain mercury, they bond to the teeth which helps to bring the strength of the tooth back, and they alos look like your natural tooth.
Mercury fillings over time actually weaken your teeth. As they are metal they expand and contract and can cause micro enamel cracks to occur within the tooth. There will be a point where either the tooth may break, the filling may break, or decay will start aorund the filling due to the enamel crack.
Catching these issues early is the best way to deal with potential problems. Replacing mercury amalgam fillings is very common now and in the right hands is completely safe to do.
