The Impact of Mercury Exposure within the Dentistry Industry Free Essay Example, 4250 words

The most frequent utilized dental recuperative substance in dental fillings is a dental amalgam. It was made in the early 1800s in France. Dental amalgam is made up of 43 to 54% mercury and several components of metals such as tin, silver, copper, zinc, palladium, and indium. It has been used for many years as a recuperative material because it is cheap, strong and durable. Moreover, it is easy to apply and has bacteriostatic effects. In spite of the numerous advantages associated with amalgam in dentistry, its use has been declining. One of the contributions to this decline in the recent past is a persistent concern in aesthetic values. The color shade of the natural tooth does not match the bright metallic color of the amalgam. While this issue is important to many dental patients, there are additional, more serious considerations. Environmental and health concerns have also contributed to the decline in amalgam use in dentistry. Environmental concerns arise from the fac t that there are emissions of mercury in the process of preparation or grounding and emissions of amalgam waste during cremation or incineration of the deceased people. Though emissions pose a potential indirect threat to health, absorption of mercury in dental recuperative work, using amalgam, is often viewed as a more direct threat to health for dental professionals. The first or earliest occasion when amalgam was used as a dental recuperative material cannot be well traced. We will write a custom essay sample on The Impact of Mercury Exposure within the Dentistry Industry or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page After many years, the combinations of different types of metals like platinum, antimony, cadmium, and bismuth came to trial for purposes of filling the destroyed teeth.