Why Dentists Prescribe Metal-Free Fillings?
Dr. B. Kanagasabapathy
[M.D.S. (Ortho), Fellow ICOI]
Replacing the metal fillings with composites has become a common practice in Dentistry nowadays. Composite resin is prepared with a mixture of plastic and glass that resonates with the natural tooth color. Unlike traditional amalgam fillings, the composites resonate with the natural teeth color and do not leave an unaesthetic dark mark when the fillings are sealed.
Moreover, the composites are well-known for their versatility. Besides cavity filling, they are also helpful in repairing broken, chipped and worn teeth.
Apart from the cosmetic reasons and flexibility, dentists recommend metal-free fillings to fix decayed or disfigured teeth for a number of reasons. Scroll down to know more.
1) Metal allergies
Metal fillings are a combination of silver amalgams, copper, tin and mercury with which the fillings are sturdy. The mercury present in these fillings is harmful to our health. Moreover, certain contexts in the amalgam fillings are not biocompatible and they lead to systemic responses like allergies in the body.
In general, the allergic reaction of metals over the body is limited to inflammation. Rare are the cases it stimulates intense pain and necessitates removal of the fillings.
2) Cause hazardous diseases
Scientists reveal that metal fillings will cause diseases over time. The context of mercury present in the metal fillings induce mercury vapor that has advert effects on the brain and kidney. Because of this, dentists do not recommend metal fillings to restore kids who are under 6 years. This is because the mercury vapor emitted with metals is powerful to cause behavioral changes in children.
3) Requires a large portion of the tooth
Sealing a tooth with fillings require extracting the infected portion of a tooth. The metal fillings necessitate drilling a large amount of tooth to fit properly. It leads you to lose some healthy tooth structure along with the infected regions.
As most of the tooth’s structure is sealed with metal fillings, it compromises the cavity-filled tooth as per the metal’s tendency.
For instance, the metals can expand or shrink with the temperature variations, it will end in tooth shifting, cracks and other problems. Composites in contrast require fewer tooth portions and are not associated with any deleterious effects.
4) Oral Galvanism
The dental alloys like metallic implants, metallic crowns and metallic fillings emit electric current at times. Dental doctors called it oral galvanism but it occurs in very rare cases.
When the amalgam fillings are soaked in a salt solution like saliva for a long time, it will release electric waves. This in turn, increases the amount of mercury vapor the fillings discharge. If it occurs in a frequent manner, the fillings will corrode and breakdown quickly.
It results in various oral problems like salty taste in the mouth, orofacial pain, drooling and much more.
Meanwhile, the electric current from the dental alloys fixed will affect the trigeminal nerve and this is followed by deteriorating the brain cell activity. Such oral galvanism is also linked with various physical ailments as follows:
- Pain in mouth
- Eye problems
- Hearing disorders
- Epilepsy
- Insomnia
- Tinnitus
5) Bacteria infection
The metal filled in your teeth will undergo constant changes with different temperatures. For instance, the metal expands when you drink tea or coffee. It contrasts when you have ice cream of cold juice. It compromises the metal’s interaction with the tooth as time passes by.
This will weaken the fillings and cause cracks over the margin. Oral bacteria will enter the tooth through the openings and infect the tooth.
Bottom line
The advancements in Dentistry have made metal-free fillings like porcelain fillings are sturdy as well as the traditional black amalgam fillings. The ceramic fillings are tooth-colored and can be customized. They are not temperamental and are not prone to chip or crack with temperature variations.
To put it simply, the metal-free fillings are highly durable and restore the tooth’s shape, strength without leaving any noticeable mark.
Do you want to replace amalgam fillings with ceramic fillings? Communicate us for more information.
