Amalgam Fillings – Why Replace Them?
Six out of ten fractured teeth are associated with old amalgam fillings. Dentists can clearly see multiple cracks underneath the fillings when replacing these old amalgam fills. All these cracks are just like cracks on the windscreen! One day a tooth just shatters and patients are surprised. Few patients blame their age, losing calcium, their diet, childbirth, etc. But the most common factor associated with such incidences is the amalgam/mercury fillings. ‘As a person eats hot and cold food the temperature changes create gaps around the fillings and creates cracks in the teeth. In these gaps food sits and rots, making the tooth weak, causing the whole tooth to crumble,’ says Dr. Amol Dabholkar. Research shows the average lifespan of any filling is 9-10 years. After this, they need to be replaced by a new filling to prevent the formation of a cavity/decay below and around the filling. You can replace the fillings any time but once the tooth is cracked it’s cracked forever. Mo...