Category “Dental Fillings”

You Can Have All the Advantages of White Fillings in Central London

February 14th, 2009

If you have cavities that need to be filled, there are alternatives to mercury filled amalgam. In particular, you may be interested in having white fillings that are made from white composite. Aside from being safer and more durable, these fillings will be far more attractive. Fortunately, you can obtain this type of filling in Central London.

As with amalgam fillings, your dentist will need to remove damaged tooth materials, as well as a tiny bit of healthy tissue. Interestingly enough, far less material will have to be removed in order to insert a white filling as opposed to amalgam. Since less of your natural tooth is removed, you can have peace of mind knowing that the structure will remain in good health for a longer period of time. This may help prevent the need for root canals, as well as many other kinds of procedures that are designed to manage complex tooth and gum issues.

Even though white composite fillings have many advantages over amalgam, it is important to realize that the procedure for inserting them is a bit different. Among other things, your dentist will need to make sure that no saliva touches your tooth while it is being filled. Depending on where the tooth is, you may feel some discomfort from the shields. That said, the remainder of the procedure tends to be a bit more comfortable than what is used for amalgam. At the very least, the composite filling is not as heavy, or as hot as molten amalgam.

If you need to have cavities filled, it may be to your advantage to ask for white composite instead of amalgam. Aside from reducing your exposure to the mercury found in amalgam, you will also be receiving more durable and attractive filling. You may even find that using white filling will be more useful for preventing dental problems later on in life.

Filling up the West London teeth potholes

July 19th, 2008

Londoners have a very efficient system in detecting and filling up potholes in their streets. Once the presence of a pothole is reported, a team will immediately fill it up to avoid future problems and accidents.This is very like our teeth, although no one can report the presence of holes except for your dentist and yourself. And once detected, it should at least be taken care of as soon as possible. Why? Well, a lot of people think that it is just a small hole and it does not interfere with how they eat. Unfortunately, small holes can be big holes plus the chance of bacteria getting inside and living in those crevices. When this happens, it can cause an infection in the area and lead to a terrible tooth ache, and eventually to the loss of your tooth.

One of the dental procedures often done by dentists involve filling up those potholes in your teeth. First, they clean the area thoroughly so as to not trap any foreign material inside the crevice after filling. They may also widen the crevice a bit more by scraping off decay with a burr. This is of course done with local anaesthetic unless the pain is tolerable. When everything is clean, they prepare a mixture of ingredients, which may include silver, copper, tin, and a very minimal amount of mercury. This is referred to as an amalgam filling which are often durable to grinding and chewing. Other fillings can be coloured to the natural shade of the tooth so as to not be quite noticeable. For worse cases, a crown may be fitted on the tooth.

So just like a pothole, these crevices on your teeth should be taken care of. This promotes a healthy oral cavity and great smile as well.

Is Mercury Dental Amalgam a health concern in Central London

June 21st, 2008

For the past 15 years, the health concern for mercury amalgam fillings is being discussed by health authorities in many countries throughout the world. This health concern is being reviewed at greater frequency is because of the recent increased in the incidence of people with symptoms like that of chronic mercury poisoning such as: nervousness, depression, general weakness, sleeplessness, headache and skin allergy. Are these ill-heath symptoms in the increase in the dwellers of London city?
Why is there a safety concerns about dental mercury amalgam?
It is believed that mercury vapour is being released whenever the mercury amalgam fillings are placed in the teeth or being removed from the teeth. Mercury vapour is also released during prolonged chewing. This mercury vapour is believed to cause neurological disorders in certain sensitive individuals.
Although there is no concrete scientific evidence that dental amalgam poses a significant health concern to the general population, many countries have their own protocol. This concern has resulted in a few countries like Canada and Sweden to take precaution measure to avoid the use of mercury containing products. Apparently dental amalgam is the most commonly used dental filling throughout the world. Perhaps there is at least one amalgam filling in those above 40 years old in London.
Before proceeding further let me tell you what is this dental mercury amalgam?
The silver-coloured material that is used to fill the cavities of teeth is called the dental mercury amalgam. This dental amalgam is made from two nearly equal parts of liquid mercury and a mixture of metallic powder which contains silver, tin, zinc, copper and other metals. This dental filling mixture is very durable and cost effective as compare to other materials like: tooth coloured resin composites and glass ionomer cement.
Is the concern for dental amalgam still valid today?
As per a new German study published in the recent April 2008 issue of the Journal of Dental Research, there is no good reason to worry about the health hazard by dental amalgam.
In this study 90 patients with unspecific medical or psychological complaints were divided into three groups.
Group 1 (removal group)
Patients with amalgam fillings removed.

Group 2 (removal-plus group)
Patients who had their amalgam removed and received detoxification by giving high doses of vitamin and trace elements.

Group 3 (control group)
This last group of 30 patients did not have their amalgams removed. However they were given a health-promotion program that consisted of good nutrition, exercise, and various techniques for relaxation.

In this study, the most common complaints were skin rash, headache, nervousness, sleeplessness, general weakness or tiredness, and more frequent attacks of infectious diseases. The less frequent complaining symptoms were those related to allergies, sensory disorders, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and the urological system.
At the end of the 12 months studies, there was a drop of 3.5 points in the main complaints sum score for the Group 1 (removal group) and Group 2 (removal-plus group). Group 3 (control group), the no-removal group had a drop of 2.5 points.
These symptoms continued to improve throughout the 18 months follow-up period in all the 3 groups. This improved in the health of all the three groups was found to be of statistically significant.
Hence the authors concluded that there should not be any overt worry about the health hazard by dental mercury amalgam. They suggested that those with amalgam dental fillings should adopt a healthier lifestyle with good nutrition, exercise, and some relaxation techniques. This change in the lifestyle can improve the patients’ immune system and thus able to reduce the anxiety over amalgam. However the placebo effect should not be overlook.
Although it is agreed that there is no convincing evidence that mercury amalgams can cause health problems in the majority of the population, the advisory panel to the FDA continue to hold meetings to review regularly. Many of the experts still believe that there is lack of knowledge concerning the effects of mercury amalgam on specific groups of people such as those pregnant women, small children, and people who are more sensitive to mercury.
If you still have concerned about the possible ill-health effects of mercury amalgam fillings, you are advised to talk with your dentist or doctor and choose the non-mercury based dental filling materials.