04 May

Getting a filling in London

If you didn’t already have one, you’d know what an amalgam filling is in London. It’s those grey fillings made from a mixture of metals, used in the on-going fight against tooth decay and has been doing so for a good 150 years or so. Yet, there is a good chance that this type of filling will start to become phased out and the reasons are many fold.
Part of the amalgam filling is made up from mercury, an element that leaves a bad carbon footprint wherever it treads, but also it can become strangely unstable as it ages, as well as being very toxic. As well as this, amalgam fillings can look quite ungainly in the mouth and what with dentistry becoming very fashion conscious, they are starting to give way white, resin and composite based fillings or trendy gold ones (that are non-poisonous too). So why are they still being used, especially since some countries have banned it use altogether?
Well, when amalgam was first used in the 1800’s, little was known about the toxicity of mercury, but the filling was cheap to make and once in is extremely durable and this still applies today. They last so much longer that the more trendy types of fillings around and with all of its foibles and the amount of bad press being thrown at it, the dangers are very minimal, it can withstand grinding and chewing forces placed upon it a lot better and this type of filling is cheap. If you still have any doubts, you should consult your dentist before opting for this treatment.