I have been trying to do things healthier in every area of my life (and it isn’t even New Years yet!), including my dental work. For me, that meant no longer getting fillings that have mercury in them. One of my friends told me that silver fillings have some mercury in them. That certainly isn’t placing healthy things in your body. However, when I asked my dentist about getting fillings without the mercury, he told me that it has a high probability of infection from saliva. Is there any way to get fillings that do not contain mercury in them?
Thank you for the information, Stanley S.- Sande, UT
Stanley,
You can definitely get dental fillings that do not contain mercury. However, I would not push or pressure into a procedure that he is obviously uncomfortable with. There are special techniques that are necessary to place white (composite) fillings, which are mercury free. If they are bonded correctly, you will have no problems with them. In fact, they are better for your teeth than silver fillings.
A friend told you that silver fillings contain mercury. That is true. In fact, they are about 50% mercury. White fillings are mercury-free so you would have no health worries with them. What you have learned is you may have dentist problems. It’s not until recently that placing composite fillings was taught in the general requirements of dental schools. Most dentists had to learn it by taking post-graduate courses. Without that training, they are likely to make mistakes during the bonding process. That is when you have to worry about contamination from saliva.
This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentist Dr. Raymond Bolt.