Mercury Amalgam Removal

While there is a lot of controversy about mercury amalgam fillings and many authorities still claim it is safe, we never use amalgam, but we do remove it - safely!

Amalgam removal needs to be executed carefully to minimize risk of guests swallowing debris, and should be disposed of safely (it is toxic waste by law). Proper isolation and high volume suction are critical. Most of the time a rubber dam should be used to protect you while big fillings are being removed and to help improve the quality of the bond of the new restoration.

We seriously care about the environment, so we’ve made sure our disposal methods are safe. Our unique suction system separates 99% of the amalgam before letting the waste fluids down the drain. This mercury amalgam residue gets trapped in a special safe filter that we send back to Austria for recycling. This is the new standard of environmental care for dentists (one of the main contributing industries to mercury contamination of water) in advanced countries. It will soon become law for New Zealand dentists, but we thought we'd lead the way.

The big question is, what do you replace amalgam with? Many teeth that are heavily filled (with amalgam or other materials) are impossible to restore with more fillings as there may be nothing left to fill. Porcelain or gold onlays or crowns are the right solution in these situations if more than 50 percent of the tooth has been destroyed by decay, cracks or old fillings. Composite fillings (tooth-coloured materials) are excellent for medium-sized cavities and will last decades if bonded correctly. Composite fillings and porcelain onlays/crowns are very technique and operator sensitive, so make sure you have them done right the first time.

To discuss safe amalgam removal with one of our team, please make a no–obligation booking request.