Show #445 Airing Sunday 8/31/08
Silver and gold belong in your beautiful jewelry…not in your mouth. Here to make sure your most precious metals stay fashionably away from your smile is Dr. Steven Marsh.
Question: At our last "check-up" with you, you talked about metal-free dentistry. We received some questions from viewers which I'd like you to answer. First, you explained that metal-free makeovers can be aesthetically pleasing, but are there any health benefits?
Answer: Yes. As I explained, we very often can restore teeth without using metal, which is more aesthetically pleasing (no dark lines at edges of crowns, for example). That can also be healthier, because no mercury used.
Question: Another viewer asked: What material is used instead of metal?
Answer: Now, instead of silver and mercury, we use a natural looking composite. As you can see, Laurie, the composite is soft at first. [Demo]. But we then harden it with this light. [Demo]. Here’s an example of an old silver filling that was replaced by composite.
Question: You've been talking about fillings. Can other dental work be done without metal?
Answer: Crowns used to be porcelain-on-metal or made of gold. Here are some examples. Now, porcelains are strong enough that they do not need metal underneath. This allows the crown to be translucent and therefore more natural looking.
If people were missing teeth, partials were often used, or bridgework with metal could correct the gap. Now, in many cases, we can create light, non-metal bridges that look and feel more natural.
Question: Can you show us an example that wraps it all together?
Answer:
Question: Do we need to ask our dentist about metal-free dentistry, or will it be done automatically?
Answer: Because we can accomplish good restorations without metal lines and without using mercury, more and more dentists are doing metal-free work automatically. But not all dentists are using it at this point. So you should ask.
Wear your gold in a ring, not in a filling! For more information on how to get a metal-free smile makeover, call the number that’s next. My thanks to Dr. Steven Marsh.
