Tooth coloured fillings and safe amalgam removal

Tooth colored fillings, otherwise called white fillings, are used to restore fractured or decayed teeth. These dental fillings are also used to change the color, shape or size of the teeth, repair chipped teeth, straighten or even them out, or close the gaps between them. Tooth colored fillings, are made up of composite resin, are safer to use than amalgam fillings. The tooth colored fillings are chemically bonded to the teeth. Anesthesia may not be required unless there is an advanced tooth decay.

Amalgam fillings carry the risk of mercury poisoning. Those who have had these dental fillings may choose to have them removed. Extra precaution is needed, however, to ensure that removing the fillings does not expose the patient further to toxic mercury vapor.

Precautionary procedures for safe amalgam removal include:

• Putting safety glasses over the patients eyes and covering the nose with a dental mask to protect them from mercury vapor or particles 
• Squirting cold water on the filling while the dentist drills it out to prevent the mercury from vaporising
• Using air evacuator to pull the air-borne mercury particles away from the patients face.