Dental amalgam

Composition

The amalgam consists of several materials in variable proportions:

money: it is majority metal
mercury: the plasticity of material at the time of its installation allows.
Copper
tin
Zinc (not always present)

Toxicity?

The amalgams regularly were blamed these last decades in particular because of the mercury which they contain.

Mercury is indeed a volatile metal with room temperature, but also a very reactive metal in the organizations living, more or less according to various factors (temperature, acidity, chemical form, absence or presence of oxygen, etc). It can bind to the organic molecules constituting the alive cell (nucleic acids, proteins…) and to modify their structure or to inhibit their biological activities, even with very low dose.

The majority of the recent studies available show with an absence from harmfulness or a very weak risk. However the toxicity or the not-toxicity of low dose, or the effects synergistic being particularly difficult to establish a doubt can remain.
the mercury salting out primarily takes place at the time of the installation and especially during demounting of the amalgams which are protected today (aspiration of the vapors, conservation safety of waste), but it can happen that a piece of amalgam is detached and is swallowed, and that exceptionally he is blocked in the appendix, with risk of production (weak but chronic) of méthylmercure toxic and bioaccumulable. Were also evoked and suspectés of the electric effects (displacement of ion following a anode-cathode effect of with the presence in the different material mouth (gold tooth, silver, pin, etc). To frequently chew Chewing-gum if there is many leadings is also a cause of rise in the mercury rate in the mouth.

The majority of the toxicological studies estimate that compared with average ingestion due to the food (mercury is increasingly present in certain fish in particular Thon, merlin, and Espadon.), the risk which can be charged to the mercury amalgams seems very weak have regard to the advantages which they get. Others estimate that the permanent contact with the tooth, the gum, saliva, in a sometimes acid, and anaerobic medium (under the amalgam) can - at least for certain patients - pose problem. Dentistry currently does not have an alternate getting the same advantages and facilitated material of installation. And the other existing materials were not tested in the long run and they are not free from risks (for example, risk of allergy to the dental composite ).

The question of becoming mercury aspired or ventilated, or sent to the sewer was put.

Lastly, the difficulty of becoming mercury after the death of the patient arises.

the decomposition of the corpse can generate a medium favorable to the production of méthylmercure and/or the mercury relarguage.
the Crémation which is a phenomenon under development strong is cause of the rejection in the atmosphere of very significant quantities of gas mercury. It is indeed frequent that the incinerated corpse has from 5 to 10 leadings.

Properties

Advantages:

Great mechanical resistance.
Cariostatique (because bacteriostatic)
Biocompatibility

Disadvantages:

harder than the tooth. There is a risk of fracture of the tooth in the event of reconstitution of large volume).
Unaesthetic.

alternative

The alternatives are the removal of the tooth, the prosthesis or especially the composite dental.

See too

External bond

Obturations in various materials, including the amalgam, composite and gold.

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