Mercury Removal in Long Beach
Are you living with outdated, unattractive mercury amalgam fillings?
For over 20 years The Dental Wellness Center has been “mercury-free,” which means that we do not use any mercury amalgam fillings. Importantly, we’re also “mercury-safe,” which means that our office is specially-equipped with technology that allows our team to safely remove and replace mercury restorations.
Traditionally, mercury amalgam fillings have been used to restore teeth that were damaged due to injury or infection. Although sometimes referred to as “silver amalgam,” dental amalgam fillings are actually composed from about 55% mercury, 44% silver and 1% of trace metals like zinc, copper and tin.
One downside of amalgam fillings is immediately visible post-treatment; amalgam fillings, being made of a mixture of metals, tended to make the affected tooth appear dark and dull.
However, even more importantly, mercury fillings:
- expand and contract in response to temperature. (Almost all teeth treated with mercury fillings will eventually fracture due to the expansion of the metal. Sometimes these fractures are so severe that the tooth requires root canal therapy, or it must be extracted.)
- continually release poisonous mercury vapor
- may release more mercury vapor depending upon their size, and type of stimulation (temperature, chewing, teeth grinding, etc.)
- can interact with gold fillings to heightened release of mercury
- have been banned in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, and Germany—Austria have banned using amalgam in pregnant women and children under 18 years of age
One of the times that mercury fillings are most volatile is when they are being removed. As a mercury-safe practice, our office is equipped to keep our patients and staff safe during amalgam replacement.
- A rubber dam in the patient’s mouth keeps filling debris from being swallowed
- Fillings are kept cool with cold water during filling removal to minimize mercury vapor release
- Fillings are “chunked” out, rather than being drilled away completely; drilling creates minute amalgam particles, which release more vapor
- High-volume evacuation is used to capture amalgam particles and mercury vapor
- The patient wears a nasal hood during the removal process
- Treatment room air is filtered to capture residual mercury vapor and other contaminants.
Why do many people trust Long Beach dentist Dr. Iman for mercury removal?
Holistic, Big Picture Care
Dr. Iman considers both your oral health and your overall wellbeing when replacing your mercury fillings. During your initial interview with our team, we’ll talk about how mercury replacement may affect any ongoing health issues with which you are dealing. Ultimately, bite, tooth wear, and plaque analyses will help us design an optimal restoration for you, specifically.
Restoration Options
The Dental Wellness Center offers both porcelain and gold dental fillings—we’ll work together to determine which type of restoration is best for you. In general, gold restorations are often better for back teeth, which will be under a lot of pressure. A patient may choose porcelain fillings to treat more visible front teeth. The important thing is that you have options; you won’t be stuck with a one-size-fits-all restoration.
State-of-the-Art Facilities
The Dental Wellness Center is specially-equipped to provide safe mercury removal and replacement. Safety measures include protective gear for patients and doctors, as well as high capacity ventilation and vacuum systems in treatment rooms.
If you’re in Long Beach or surrounding areas, please call our office at 562-421-3747 to get more information about Mercury Removal in Long Beach.
