Amalgam Fillings
Dental amalgam is a mixture of metals, consisting of liquid (elemental) mercury and a powdered alloy composed of silver, tin, and copper. Approximately half (50%) of dental amalgam is elemental mercury by weight. The chemical properties of elemental mercury allow it to react with and bind together the silver/copper/tin alloy particles to form an amalgam.
Dental amalgam fillings are often referred to as "silver fillings" because of their silver-like appearance, although the use of this term in not recommended because the term does not correctly explain the materials in amalgam.
Benefits of Dental Amalgam:
Strong and long-lasting, so they are less likely to break than some other types of fillings.
Useful in patients that have a high risk of tooth decay, for large tooth preparations, and where moisture makes it difficult for other materials such as resins to establish a bond to tooth.
Least expensive type of filling material.
Used for more than 150 years in hundreds of millions of patients around the world.
What does getting an amalgam filling involve?
When placing dental amalgam, the dentist first drills the tooth to remove the decay and then shapes the tooth cavity for placement of the amalgam filling. Next, under appropriate safety conditions, the dentist mixes the encapsulated powdered alloy with the liquid mercury to form an amalgam putty. This softened amalgam putty is placed and shaped in the prepared cavity, where it rapidly hardens into a solid filling.