What Are Amalgam Fillings?
Dental amalgam is a dental filling material used to fill cavities caused by tooth decay.
Dental amalgam is a mixture of metals, consisting of liquid (elemental) mercury and a powdered alloy composed of silver, tin, and copper.
Approximately half (50%) of dental amalgam is elemental mercury by weight.
If you have an amalgam filling, it will release low levels of mercury vapors which can be breathed in and absorbed by your system. Although the health risk is small, some will be more vulnerable to their effects than others, such as pregnant people and children.
Amalgam fillings can be removed and replaced for several reasons.
- For a whiter, more attractive smile
- Many people have concerns about the mercury contained within amalgam fillings
- Decay under the filling
- Broken or worn fillings
At Vienna Dental Clinic, the replacement of amalgam fillings with porcelain restoration will be removed safely following specified guidelines to reduce the exposure of mercury vapors that may be emitted during old amalgam fillings removal.
Amalgam fillings removal safety steps include:
- Keeping the dental fillings cool by copious amounts of water to reduce heat.
- High-speed evacuator is kept near the tip of the removal site.
- The dental rubber dam is placed and properly sealed in the patient’s mouth.
- Immediate disposal of amalgam alloy
- The amalgam will be sectioned into chunks and removed in as large of pieces as possible.