These days, there’s a lot of movement to make things healthier, organic, more safe, etc. and this isn’t limited to just our foods. We are taking a closer look at any potential dangers that might be lurking anywhere from our food, to our beauty products, to even to our dental care. With the ability to “Google” just about anything, it seems like we are being bombarded by information on things that can harm us. We should keep in mind however, that not all that we read is true. Here is some clarification about dental amalgam and its safety.
Dental amalgam has been used for many years to restore teeth. Many dentists still prefer it to the newer restorative substances because of its strength and durability. However, amalgam is composed of a combination of silver, copper, tin and mercury and a lot of people have been worried that this might be potentially harmful to your health. Both the FDI World Dental Federation and World Health Organization agree that the amount of mercury that is present is minimal and has not shown to pose any risks to your health in any controlled studies. (The only exception is for people who are allergic to mercury.)
The ADA (American Dental Association) has also published that there is no connection between dental amalgam used and Alzheimer’s Disease, or any other brain related degenerative diseases. As fear of dental amalgam spread, the European Commission scientific committee also tasked SCENIHR (Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks) with researching the effects of dental amalgam. The findings were the same and the SCENIHR “recognizes that dental amalgam is an effective restorative material for the general population.” Now we can all rest easy knowing that we don’t have to replace all of our old dental work, and we can stick with the cost effective dental amalgam instead of having to use more expensive materials!
Dr. Lorraine Burio of Candlewood Dental Care in has been treating patients in the New Fairfield, CT area for over twenty-five years. If you have any questions or would like to know more information about the safety of dental amalgam please contact us at 203-746-1200 or make an appointment here.