At NYC Smile Design we have always been of the opinion that Silver mercury fillings have no place in the mouth. It’s an outdated restoration that has outlived its questionable usefulness in light of the more contemporary dental fillings that are now available. The newer generations of dental fillings are bio-compatible and seal the tooth completely.
Numerous petitions have been made with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the safety and adequacy of these fillings. Recently a groundbreaking announcement by the FDA was made that it would hold advisory panel meetings in December of 2010 to discuss all the concerns surrounding this controversial material.
As we had previously blogged about this topic we discussed this restoration that was introduced in the 19th century is composed of 50% mercury. Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin and has a cumulative effect on the body and after years of this material in the mouth, there is a high probability that this material can leach out in the body.
It is also imperative that if the decision is made to replace these fillings they are done by a trained dentist who knows how to SAFELY REMOVE these fillings so the filling particles are not ingested in removal and the mercury vapors are safely trapped in a proper filtration device.
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