What are the different types of fillings?
The three most common types of filling materials are amalgam, composite, and porcelain. 1. Amalgam Fillings — Amalgam fillings (sometimes called “silver fillings”) are a mixture of mercury liquid and small pieces of silver and other metals such as copper, tin and zinc. Amalgams have multiple disadvantages. Amalgam is a metal, which expands and contracts with hot, cold and biting. Therefore, with every meal the teeth are being weakened and over time and depending on the size of the filling the tooth becomes susceptible to fracturing. Amalgam fillings also raise a red flag because they contain mercury, which is a very toxic element. The literature is very unclear as to the amount of mercury that is released from amalgams and the long-term effects on the entire body. The safety of amalgam fillings has been in question for a number of years due to concerns over the absorption of elemental mercury contributing to several diseases, including Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, dementia and art
