Amalgam fillings are
only unsafe if the patient is allergic to the substance.
This is according to Dr Alisdair Mckendrick, a dentist at Anterior Dental Care, who said that the calls to ban the filling had nothing
to do with patient care.
He explained that the shift from Amalgam fillings in the dental industry was
based on the environmental damage that free mercury can cause.
Dr Mckendrick also stated that those interested in cosmetic dentistry did not
like to use the material as it was not very nice to look at.
"Patients and dentists - myself included - are waiting for the day we can
place an aesthetically-pleasing filling that lasts as long and is as easy to
place as amalgam," he commented.
Amalgam has been used for over a 100 years and will continue to be utilised
until a more effective alternative is found, the dentist added.
According to the NHS, 29.3 million patients had a dental appointment in the
24-month period ending September 2011.
© Adfero Ltd
Private dentistry news: 12 February 2012
