(Repairing broken amalgam filling with Composite resin done by Dr.Sung)
Ever since the Netflix Original movie (currently unavailable to watch) 'Root Cause,' released, Many patients has encountered to me with questions regarding myth about mercury poisoning with Amalgam filling, Root canal nightmare.
Today, I want to focus on myth about mercury poison in dental amalgam briefly.
Fact check: Does amalgam has Mercury?
- Yes, Amalgam is a metal alloy composed of powder forms of silver, tin, copper, etc and liquid form of mercury which form through metallic bond.
Fact check: Does Mercury harmful to us?
- When both forms are activated by shaking them in capsule, they become malleable so dentist can work in the mouth, As they become solid form, some mercury vaporize and it can be dangerous. However, it is actually health professional placing amalgam in patient's mouth has more danger than patient who is receiving.
- Amount contents of mercury in amalgam is very minuscule that would not really affect our health.
Although there are numerous research backs up safety of dental amalgam, there are international movement that tries to ban amalgam. Some European countries already started to push amalgam out of market (starting from placing in children and pregnant women) and in us, starting from East coast states, they will slowly push the product out of market.
Personally I hold nothing against amalgam. They are very easy to manipulate and still works good. However, one of the side effects of amalgam is that over the period of time, it cause expansion and cause micro-crack or actual crack in the tooth.
so when you have old amalgam and wants to know if they are cracking your teeth, come visit us to find out if they need to be replaced or can be watched.