The US FDA has laid down it’s final verdict into the controversy that is dental amalgam a long time ago. It gave credence to the use of the material in dental work considering it safe but with conditions for it’s safe use. Classified as a Class II Medical Device, it gives the FDA ample regulatory control to lay-out guidelines as to the proper way of working and handling the said material.
Guidelines include; having ample ventilation when working with the material, assurance that the patient is not allergic to mercury and that they do explain properly to the patient the risks of the use of the material. Mercury has been known to affect the health of people who are exposed to vapors that can lead to death. Proper education is the key according to the Us FDA.
Dental amalgam has been in the spotlight ever since people started to raise questions about the safety of the mercury it contains. Studies showed that mercury is detrimental to health and can even cause death in certain conditions.
So just what is dental amalgam? For most parts, it is the element mercury mixed with some metal alloy that makes it malleable. Mercury on it’s own is a unique metal that has the qualities of a metal but flows like a liquid. Mix it with the metal alloy and you get a material that is easy to work with yet hardens to a tough filling. Mercury is also a bacteria killing material hence it’s widespread use in dental work.
Amalgam fillings has been utilized by dentists for more than a hundred years. It is the most scrutinized and examined research on restorative material among all used in the present. It is very much recognized because of its durability, resistance to chewing and easy usage. It is also relative cheaper than to other materials. It still remains to be an important treatment choice for dentists and for clients.
So what is dental amalgam composed of? It is a merge of stable alloys which includes elemental mercury, tin, copper, silver and other metallic elements. Though it remains to be a safe, recognized restorative material, there have been questions being raised because of its mercury level. Even if it’s mixed with other metals which makes it more stable and safe for dental purposes, there are still doubts in its mercury composition. Though risks have been raised, it is still considered as reliable, safe and effective restoration material.
Efforts to decrease both human and environmental exposure to mercury poisoning and contamination were done by European countries through proposed restrictions and policies on the use of dental amalgam fillings. However, there are still no credible scientific proofs that mercury exposure from dental amalgam fillings cause serious human diseases in a community.
The effects of mercury poisoning and contamination have alarmed environmentalist on how mercury from excess dental amalgams can reach water supplies and, therefore, destroy the environment. They say that sewage plants cannot filter out the toxin from amalgam fillings which have directly contaminated a local body of water, resulting in disturbing effects on the community water supplies.
According to the California Dental Association, dental amalgam is safe to use as a dental filling material and that dental amalgam is an economical and appropriate choice for dental patients who want to undergo dental reconstruction. Thus, CDA calls for the continued research and study of the use dental amalgam.
Mercury, being a toxic substance, when placed inside a patient’s mouth is said to cause health risks such as hair loss, gum diseases, eczema, asthma and other kidney diseases. It is also said to result in mental and emotional problems like migraines, poor memory, depression, anxiety and mental lethargy. Mercury is also claimed to cause muscle and skeletal problems like backaches and arthritis.
Since it has been proven that dental amalgam uses mercury as its main component, some people claim that cases of early hair loss in both men and women can be traced to mercury poisoning. Once mercury gets transformed from solid to vapor, people using this restorative material will be prone to inhaling mercury and this will result to health problems such as hair loss.
Some disadvantages of using dental amalgam include: 1) Destruction of healthy tooth tissue; 2) Lack of esthetic qualities; 3) Replacement as a result of “ditching” caused by long-term corrosion at tooth-restoration interface; 4) Existence of galvanic response potential and local allergic potential; 5) Possible mercury toxicity, and; 6) Marginal breakdown.
Dental amalgam is said to be durable, flexible to suit a broad range of clinical situations, economical and is easily moldable in case of repair. It also lasts for a long period of time and is proven to prevent bacterial leakage since the corrosion products close the tooth-restoration interface. Also, having dental amalgams is convenient since it only needs one appointment replacement.