Spring/Summer 1999

WORD OF MOUTH

Dear Friend:

Welcome to the beautiful warm weather, and welcome to this issue of Word of Mouth. I have so much to share with you!

First, of course, is the birth of my daughter Annabelle Hunter in September ‘98. Mother, daughter, and proud Daddy are doing just fine, and Annabelle and I invite you to visit with us the next time you come to the Center.

And when you come, don’t forget to say hi to our new Hygienists. They’re in on Wednesday, Saturday, and alternate Fridays to help us serve you better. Also, we’ve added complimentary chair massage and reflexology before, during, and after your dental treatment. For more information on this terrific ‘value added’ feature, please call us.

Finally, I call your attention to this issue’s feature article on amalgam and non-amalgam restoratives. You can expect to be hearing a lot more about this topic as the debate surrounding it heats up again within the medical and dental communities. In the meantime, do read the article and feel free to call me with any questions or concerns you may have.

With Summer upon us, there’s plenty to smile about, and I want you to take the best possible care of yourself. Remember to include your teeth in any program of health or beauty self-improvement. Now is the time to give yourself the gifts of a healthy mouth and a dazzling smile. Just let us know how we can help.

I also take this opportunity to thank you for helping the Golden Dental Wellness Center make 1998 our best year so far. We’re more than half-way through, and it looks like 1999 is going to be even better. I know that wouldn’t be possible without you, so ...

Thanks for your support, and thanks also for referring your friends and family to us.

Enjoy every day and remember to SMILE!

Your Family Dentist,

Linda J. Golden, DDS

The Great Amalgam Debate

The Golden Dental Wellness Center Offers Non-Amalgam Fillings

You probably already know that cavities are caused by tooth decay, and that they’re treated by drilling out the decay and filling the hole to prevent further deterioration. Which is good.

What you may not know is that since as long ago as the 7th century, when dental medicine was still in its formative stages, silver – or amalgam – fillings have been the standard. Which is not so good.

Here’s why.

The Truth About Amalgam Restorations: The Great Amalgam Debate

Amalgam restorations (silver fillings) consist of a combination of the metals silver, tin, copper, and zinc. They also contain mercury (and some of the older amalgam restorations contain considerable amounts of mercury). The fact that amalgam is inexpensive, durable, and easy for the dentist to work with in your mouth makes it the most widely-used restorative material in the world today. However, the mercury content of amalgam has been the subject of debate within the dental community for more than 150 years. It’s a debate that’s getting a lot of attention these days.

Medical and dental science has known for centuries that mercury is highly toxic. It’s been proven that even just the smallest amount of mercury in a human body can damage cells. While some experts still say that there is no cause for concern over the health-related effects of mercury, a growing group of medical and dental professionals believe that mercury introduced into the human body does, in fact, produce a long list of negative health effects. These negative health effects include neurotoxicity, renal (kidney) dysfunction, birth defects, reduced ability to fight illness and disease, and compromised general health.

What’s more, even low-level exposure to mercury has been shown to produce such symptoms as anxiety, fatigue, stress intolerance, headache, and depression. In addition, it’s also interesting to know that the metals used in dental amalgam create a galvanic action that produces an electrical flow throughout the body. The electrical flow produced by dental amalgam can be as much as three times or more higher than the body’s natural electric current, and while no one knows for sure the effects of this increased electrical current, it’s certainly reasonable to assume that it’s not what Nature intended.

Concern about mercury’s effects on the human body is not new. The use of silver tooth-filling material was introduced into North America in the early 1830s, and by 1845 so many dentists were concerned about mercury poisoning that the American Society of Dental Surgeons and several other dental groups pledged not to use it. However, when the American Dental Association was formed in 1859, one of its primary platforms was the promotion of amalgam as an affordable restoration that would enable many more people to get the dental care they needed. The voices of those who opposed amalgam because of its mercury content were silenced for a time, and by 1895 the amalgam mixture of metals had become the most commonly used cavity-filling substance.

But the debate about amalgam would not go away, and it continues even now. In 1984, the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology was formed to research the safety of amalgam restorations. Today, despite the fact that the US Public Health Service still says that there is no link between amalgams and health problems, a growing number of scientific studies indicate that amalgam mercury indeed can and does pose a health threat to patients.

The Golden Dental Wellness Center’s Alternatives to Amalgam Tooth Fillings

You should know that there are four types of tooth fillings: silver, gold, lab processed, and compressed white composite fillings. Silver, of course, is metal-based and is the subject of the amalgam debate. Gold is still considered a choice restorative material; however, it is very costly and aesthetically unacceptable in some situations. The last two – lab processed, and compressed white composite fillings – are new restorative substances that offer significant advantages over amalgam fillings and are offered at the Golden Dental Wellness Center.

Lab processed fillings use either a porcelain or glass filled material that is made like a piece of jewelry in a cer-amics laboratory and fits into the hole that was drilled. Composite white fillings are a plastic type resin restoration that is put directly into a tooth in one visit. Both lab processed and composite white fillings are aesthetic in nature.

Amalgam restorations consist of a combination of the metals silver, tin, copper, and zinc. They are also, at times, high in mercury content. Medical and dental science has known for centuries that mercury is highly toxic.	Not only do the lab processed and compressed white composite restoratives contain absolutely no mercury or metal elements of any kind, but they also provide the added benefit of being white so they’re virtually undetectable when used to fill cavities.

Not only do the lab processed and compressed white composite restoratives contain absolutely no mercury or metal elements of any kind, but they also provide the added benefit of being white, making them virtually undetectable when used to fill cavities. For these reasons, the Golden Dental Wellness Center prefers and recommends lab processed and compressed white composite restoratives for patients who need their teeth filled in any aesthetic area, and gold for fillings in non-aesthetic areas.

Without question, there are certain situations in which metal must be introduced into the mouth, such as in the case of implants or restorations in difficult areas or below the gum line. But when it comes to filling cavities, Golden Dental Wellness Center patients have a choice among porcelain lab processed, white composite, compressed fillings, or gold restorations.

The Golden Dental Wellness Center believes in the use of non-amalgam-mercury restoratives whenever possible. The lab processed and compressed white composite restoratives we use give the benefits of greater biocompatibility and aesthetic results over amalgam (silver) fillings.

We’re proud that our practice is known for state-of-the-art dentistry, and for being educated and up-to-date in the use and placement of alternative restoratives. Ultimately, we look forward to the time when the American dental community, like other countries in the world, will use no amalgam restorative techniques at all.

Please Note: The Golden Dental Wellness Center strongly urges non-amalgam restoratives and recommends them for both their health and cosmetic benefits. Dr. Golden will be happy to answer any questions you may have about amalgam and non-amalgam restoratives.

©1996 The Golden Dental Wellness Center. Word of Mouth is the quarterly newsletter of The Golden Dental Wellness Center, 444 Community Drive, Suite. 204, Manhasset, NY 11030, 516-627-8400.

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