Dental amalgams are a great material that provided major leaps in the world of dentistry. While being such a major advance they have also became an issue of great debate. The mercury in dental fillings has been thought to cause central nervous system complications, an overall diminished well-being in some patients, and Alzheimer. The dental field should incorporate safer filling materials for patients. In this article we will take a look at the history of the silver amalgam and view both the negative and null views of this issue.
Throughout the history of dental medicine dentist have searched for the perfect material to aid in the treatment of the most common problem in people’s mouths, cavities. The material would also be useful in fixing chipped and broken teeth. Dentist needed a material that was strong, relatively low costing, easy to apply, durable, and able to limit the growth of bacteria. In the early 19th century in France dentist found their wonder material and that material was amalgam. The dental amalgam is constructed of a mixture of mercury and at least one other metal such as zinc, copper, tin, or silver. The combinations of these metals are the foundation of what gives silver amalgams their strong make up and shiny metallic appearance.
The earliest use of amalgams in dentistry is still quite unknown to researchers but there are claims that it may have been dated as far back as 659 A.D. in China. Before the discovery of the amalgam dentist tried all types of material to help in the restoration of teeth. Stone chips, resin, cork, gum, turpentine, lead, and gold were some of the early materials that were boiled up and poured on teeth to create fillings. A dentist by the name of Louis Regnart had the brilliant idea t...
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Pit and fissure sealants are tooth coloured materials that are applied on the occlusal surfaces of the posterior teeth in deep grooves, pits and fissures. They protect the tooth from various bacterial plaques in these caries prone areas of the teeth. The sealants protect these areas by sealing of the entrance to bacteria which give rise to dental caries in susceptible individuals especially in children. Pit and fissure sealants are now commonly being used due to the increase in the awareness among public about dental caries prevention
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
A techinque used to builded up a tooth by using a malleable filling material that will harden in the tooth quickly.
The biggest shortcoming of these archaic appliances was the fact that they were subject to decay in the wearer’s mouth. Thus, installed false teeth would have to be replaced on a regular basis, resulting in a very costly procedure. However, this problem was rectified in 1774 by Duchateau and Dubois de Chemant with their invention of the first full set of dentures that would not rot. This was due to their porcelain composition – a material that was much more conducive to the everyday wear and tear of one’s teeth. Although an incredible improvement, even the porcelain version had its difficulties. Unable to produce anything less than a full set of teeth (the surrounding porcelain was required to keep each tooth in place), patients who were missing only one or two teeth were out of luck, unless they were willing to have the rest of their teeth removed as well. And yet, in 1808, Giuseppangelo Fonzi developed the first individual appliance – a single porcelain tooth that could be held in place by a pin drilled into the jawbone. Finally, in 1845, Claudius Ash, known as the official “inventor of dentures”, produced the porcelain version that is now used today. His contributions included a suction method of adhesion for a full set of dentures, so that no form of attachment could be seen by an onlooker.
Dental carries is one of the most common oral diseases in the world, and it often goes untreated due to the expense of treatment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 60 to 90 percent of school aged children throughout the world suffer from untreated dental carries. Ethnic minorities, the poor, the elderly, and those who are mentally and/or physically disabled are other disparities who also suffer from untreated dental caries (Alcorn & Rogo; 2012). Looking for a way to solve the epidemic of dental caries by providing affordable treatment, silver diamine fluoride (SDF), also known as the “silver fluoride bullet,” was created. Claiming to be both affordable and effective, SDF could be the answer to low cost carries treatment the world has been searching for. The purpose of this paper is to research the efficacy of silver diamine fluoride in comparison to sodium fluoride varnish. Our PICO question is: In a patient with dentinal caries, will the use of silver diamine fluoride compared to sodium fluoride varnish, be more effective at arresting caries?
Nano-technology is a revolution in almost all disciplines of life today. Nanotechnology approaches the manipulation of matter at atomic and molecular level. This technology, which deals with matter in nano-dimensions, has widened our views of poorly understood health issues and provided novel means of diagnosis and treatment. Dentistry, not being an exception, also faces major revolutions to constantly provide better and more comfortable dental care to patients. Researchers in the field of dentistry have explored the potential of nano-particles in existing therapeutic modalities with moderate success. The important application in the field of dentistry
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 ...
In 1728, Pierre Fauchard, was well known for publishing a book called, "The Natural History of The Human Teeth". In today’s society dental persons still use many of the procedures that was used during the 17th century. For example, Pierre Fauchard was the man who came up with the process of dental fillings; he also proved that acid come from...
The future of dentistry is the end of the use of amalgam restorations. Amalgam restorations are believed to be the cause of many illnesses for dental professionals. Dental professionals are exposed daily to the harmful chemicals contained in the material that makes up amalgam, including mercury. With the advent of resin restorations and their more popular use, amalgam restorations will be a thing of the past, only read about in dental history books.
28.Austrian Minister of health, Austria to be amalgam free by the year 2000. FDI Dental World, March/April, 1993, page 6.
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 ...
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...
Cosmetic dentistry is a specialized field that deals with improving the aesthetics of teeth and the human face. The teeth are an important part of human beauty. Even minor damage to the teeth, such as breakage or loss can drastically alter the overall appearance of the face. This is where cosmetic dentistry comes in to restore beauty. Cosmetic dentistry has become a highly specialized branch due to various advancements in surgical procedures and diagnostic techniques. Several new materials have also been discovered. These materials are very close to the natural enamel and bone from which teeth are made and are virtually indistinguishable. Cosmetic dentistry is an option in conditions such as teeth loss, gaps between teeth, cracked or chipped teeth, cavities and dental
Growing up I heard many stories from my peers of their experiences at the dentist’s office. It is upsetting to say that most of my visits were vividly terrifying. As a child, the grinding, scratching, and high-pitched twangs of the instruments digging around in my mouth would leave my ears ringing and teeth vibrating every single time. The smell of fluoride and disinfectants permanently infected the air, sending chills through my body the minute I walked in. I quickly learned that latex posses an extremely unappetizing aftertaste. Needless to say, I was not always enthusiastic about going to the dentist’s office and getting braces did not make anything better for me.