Dental Amalgam
Amalgam dental restorations which are also known as silver fillings are the number one choice for restoring teeth. These silver fillings have been used for over a hundred years to fill in cavities where there has been tooth decay. The question many have is “what is dental amalgam?” Dental amalgam is a mixture of materials containing powdered alloy, metals and mercury. There have been some concerns, however about the safety of this mercury containing filling material. “Amalgam is in the same safety class as gold and composite fillings” (FDA) and does not pose the safety concerns as once thought. Compared to other dental materials, such as composite and glass ionomer, amalgam is the “most studied and tested.” (NCAHF) Many dentists, throughout the world, use silver filling material as opposed to composites to restore teeth because this metal filling material is durable, relatively safe and can be placed where moisture control is an issue. (CDC)
There are many reasons to use amalgam for restorations but one of the best reasons is the durability of this material. Amalgam is very pliable and can withstand the wear and tear of chewing on the posterior teeth, such as molars. In some patients, amalgam fillings have been in their teeth for many years without cracking or leaking. “A seventeen-year long study published in 2003 found a significantly higher survival time for extensive amalgam restorations than for extensive composite restorations.” (JADA, p. 764) The use of amalgam is very common for pediatric dentists to use on children and shows to be a “viable and safe choice for dental patients.” (ADA) Another plus for using amalgam is when there is severe tooth damage. Occasionally, it is used by some dentists for crow...
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... U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 11 Aug. 2009. Web. 20 Mar. 2011. .
“Dental Amalgam Use and Benefits.” Dept. of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control. Dept. of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control, 28 May 2010. Web. 20 Mar. 2011. .
National Council Against Health Fraud. “Postition Paper on Amalgam Fillings.” National Council Against Health Fraud. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. .
Soncini, Jennifer Ann, et al. “The Longevity of Amalgam versus Compomer/Composite Restorations in Posterior Primary and Permanent Teeth.” Journal of the American Dental Association 138 (June JUNE, 2007): 763-772. JADA. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. .
Afshar H, Jafari A, Khami M, et al. Evaluation of Microleakage in Composite-Composite and Amalgam-Composite Interfaces in Tooth with Preventive Resin Restoration. Journal of Dentistry 2012; 9(2):128-34.
...at more tentatively, with fluoride gels and varnishes or a chlorhexidine varnish. Some dentists may restore root caries with amalgam restorations. Another treatment option used by some dentists to restore root caries is Glass Ionomer Cements. Glass ionomer cements were first introduced in the early 1970s. They have good adherence to mineralized tooth tissue, which keeps the removal of tooth structure to a minimum. Glass ionomer cements also have the ability to leak and absorb fluoride into the tooth, which decreases the rate of secondary caries. These factors have increased the potential for glass ionomer cements to replace amalgam as a restorative material. (Hammel)
Teeth #1, 16, and 17 are unerupted. There is a PFM on tooth #22. There were two 3-unit bridges: teeth #19 through 21 with a gold abutment on tooth #19, the pontic on tooth #20 and a PFM abutment on tooth #21, as well as on teeth #23 through 25, with PFM abutments on teeth #23 and 25, and the pontic on tooth #24. The amalgam restorations are as follows: an MO on tooth #2 and an MOD on teeth #3 and 5. There are cervical composites on teeth #3 and 4. Tooth #15 was missing the crown. Tooth #13 was a root tip. There are class two furcations on the lingual surface of teeth #1, 18, and 19, and a class one furcation on the buccal surface of tooth #18. There is 2mm of recession on the facial surfaces of teeth #4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 15, 29, 25, 26, and 27, as well as the lingual surfaces of teeth #3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 15, 21, 22, 26, 27. There is 4mm of recession on the facial surfaces of teeth #3 and 23, as well as the lingual surfaces of teeth #12, 23, and 25. There is 6mm of recession on the facial surface of tooth #22. Teeth #3, 4, 18, 26, and 27 had attrition. There was erosion on the lingual and incisal surfaces of teeth #8 through
Stoll, Betke et al. (2005) In a retrospective study estimated that the survival according their apical extent. Flush fillings had a 94% survival estimation while short and long fillings estimated results were 80.9% and 74.0% respectively in 5 to 10 years.(Caplan and Weintraub 1997) in a case control study found similar results but it was insignificant. They also found that teeth which had long fillings were extracted rather than retained in contrast to short filling which were retained more often than extracted. The previous results show that RCT within 2 mm of the radiographic apex have the best outcomes.
Dr. Gary Silva and his team are highly trained and experienced in providing restorations for all sorts of dental issues. We offer complete and partial dentures, tooth-colored fillings, crowns, bridges, and more. Dr. Silva’s unique background gave him real restorative experience early in his career. For more than 20 years, Dr. Silva has been offering patients the chance to gain a beautiful, functional smile with his restorative dentistry.
... teeth was 79% and 65% in the permanent first molars. The arrest rate for caries on both permanent and primary teeth was 77%. In comparison, a study done on children in Greenland, the arrest rate for dentinal caries applied with just NaF varnish was only 33%(Ekstrand, et al; 2010)
After the treatment and procedure is complete, patients leave with healthier, more beautiful teeth, giving them the confidence to ask someone out on a date or the confidence to smile on an important job interview. Dentistry is and has been for centuries, an important aspect of people’s ...
Dental sealants are a thin film that is used to coat the pits and fissures on your teeth. These areas are more susceptible to cavities because food can easily get stuck in these grooves. The film is not typically applied to smooth surfaces on your teeth. Dental sealants are ideal for children because they help to protect your child’s teeth from tooth decay at a young age. However, dental sealants do not last forever. They need to be taken care of in order to prevent premature chipping and breaking. Luckily, there are a few tips that you can use to prevent your child’s dental sealant from chipping.
Cavity contamination results in failure to achieve adhesion between the filling and the tooth and subsequent leakage at this interface. Although composite resins have become stronger and more resistant to wear, it's not clear whether they last as long as amalgam fillings under the pressure of chewing. The composite may shrink when placed, producing gaps between the tooth and the filling. This can lead to more cavities in areas where the filling is not making good contact with your tooth. The shrinkage is reduced when your dentist places this type of filling in thin layers. The cost of the composite resins is less than gold filling but more than amalgam
Its advantages consist of the fact that they bond chemically to teeth, making it much easier to insert. Another advantage is from its constant release of fluoride into the mouth, which in turn reduces the chances of tooth decay. It is also a very good adhesive in the sense that it is very efficient when it comes to permanently cementing crowns, bridges, etc. The disadvantages of glass Ionomer cement fillings are actually a step down from composite fillings. For example, they are not as strong as composite fillings, nor are they less expensive than composite fillings. Another disadvantage is its ability to wear and they are also prone to
All-porcelain - Zirconia or aluminous materials are the most popular material choices for all-ceramic dental crowns. These materials provide a metal-free dental crown with a number of benefits. An aesthetic all-ceramic dental crown can be created with a thinner material because the accommodating metal core has been reduced or eliminated. The thinner option makes all-ceramic, or porcelain, dental crowns a treatment choice that is favored for areas with a limited amount of space. These crowns are more beautiful, but they do require care. These crowns are getting stronger all the time, and researchers are discovering new ways to use these crowns in high-impact areas of your
The existence of micro-leakage in dental restorations was first identified in scientific research in 19126. In a study done by Harper (1912), air pressure was used to penetrate the surface between an amalgam restoration and cavity preparation7. By applying pressure through a hole in the pulpal floor, Harper could quantify the amount of pressure needed to establish leakage through the emergence of bubbles from the margins of the restoration. Research has come a long way since Harper first recognized micro-leakage. Adaptations of new materials used when placing composite restorations like BondAband, a light-cured glass-ionomer cement has been shown to reduce marginal micro-leakage in posterior restorations8. A decrease in microleakage has also been shown with the use of an ...
My ambition to study dental hygiene has been further reinforced over the course of my gap year experience, working and studying as a dental nurse. I have become more aware of the growing importance of helping educate the general public about oral health paying closer attention to causes of some of the most disastrous oral conditions. Whilst working at the Ivory Dental Studio in London, I observed numerous procedures such as tooth onlays, root canal treatment...
The contraction moulding method can be used to process an acrylic denture base. In this method, bite blocks are fabricated in the lab and sent to the clinic for patient trial. These are then received from the clinic and teeth are mounted onto the bite blocks. The wax is eliminated and teeth are pressurized and attached onto a gypsum mould. (McCabe and Walls. 2008.) Sodium alginate is applied onto the mould to act as a separator to prevent any monomer from the acrylic base seeping into the base and the mould. Acrylic PMMA is applied onto the mould and either heat-cured or auto-polymerized. Both of these curing methods form the...
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2000) Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General .Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, 2000.