A study published in June found substitute materials to silver amalgam prove more beneficial for public and environmental health.

The Health Care Research Collaborative of the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, the Healthier Hospitals Initiative and Health Care Without Harm published the study in June titled “Mercury in Dental Amalgam and Resin-Based Alternatives: A Comparative Health Risk Evaluation.”

“Dentists should [seek out] the best tools and techniques to treat their patients and improve their patients’ oral health and overall health,” said Dr. Vincent Mariano, an Amherst dentist and Invisalign specialist.

Dentists became concerned with using silver amalgam, previously the filling material protocol used in dental practices, because of the side effects of amalgam partnered with the fact that metal fillings traditionally do not bond as well as composite materials and may conceal decay in X-rays.

Dr. Peter Orris, the study’s co-author, discovered that the dental use of amalgam is to blame for much of the environmental mercury burden. Mercury fillings can be harmful to fetuses’ neurological development.

Stimulated amalgam fillings can expel mercury vapors that seep into cell membranes, then the blood-brain barrier, and the central nervous system (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/07/03/dental-mercury-fillings-negative-impacts.aspx). Mercury relocated to these areas can produce immunological, psychological and neurological problems.

Patients are not the only ones [feeling the weight of the effects of dental mercury]. In 2003, the study uncovered that dental offices were the source of 50 percent of the mercury discovered in Publicly-Owned Waste Water Treatment Works.

Composite fillings repair and bond worn, broken, cracked or decayed teeth. Composite fillings contain reinforced glass and plastic.

“Resin fillings are less harmful to the environment and patients,” said Dr. Lisa Emirzian, a Northampton Lumineers specialist at EMA Dental, her East Longmeadow dental practice. “The composite fillings have proved to last as long as amalgam fillings and better preserve healthy tooth matter.”

Amherst cosmetic dentists like Emirzian and Mariano want the best for their patients’ oral and overall health. Their patients should rest assured dentists will have the patients’ best interests at heart and use the safest, most efficient dental tools for treatment.

Learn More
If you’re looking for an Amherst general dentist, visit the website: http://www.emadental.com/ or call: (413)731-8800.

About EMA Dental
EMA Dental is a multi-specialty practice committed to providing state-of-the-art dental care of the highest quality in a comfortable environment.

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