Mercury-Free and Metal-Free Dentistry

While the ADA officially states that the mercury level in amalgam fillings is safe, our office takes no chances with your health. In fact, we won’t compromise your all-white smile with any mercury-based or toxic dental work of any kind. Additionally, all of our restorations are 100% made in the U.S.A. and not in China, Mexico, or some other foreign country where health standards are not monitored. For fillings, we use safe, durable composite resin, and for most crowns, we use all-porcelain restorations. Your smile is part of your personality and your image. We will partner with you to maintain your oral health and your natural-looking, gorgeous smile.

Composite vs. Amalgam Fillings
Amalgam fillings were initially developed from a combination of silver shavings, zinc, copper, tin, and mercury as a low-cost alternative to gold restorations. Despite the knowledge that mercury is one of the most toxic metals in the world and is widely known to be hazardous to humans, amalgams gained popularity as dentistry became more available to the masses. Aside from their potential toxicity, amalgam/mercury fillings pose other risks. Amalgams are temperature-sensitive, expanding and contracting when they come into contact with hot and cold. This can cause hairline fractures and tooth sensitivity. Over time, an amalgam-treated tooth can weaken, often creating a liability to your long-term dental health. Amalgams on biting surfaces can change shape with biting and chewing impact. Tiny cracks in the material or between the filling and natural tooth structure can allow bacterial reinvasion, creating a bigger decay problem than you had at first. Additionally, metal fillings detract from the integrity of your smile and can damage your self-confidence.

Amalgam Fillings	Effects
Toxic metal (mercury)	Health effects unknown
Expand/contract with temperature	Fractures and sensitivity
Not bonded	Decreased strength of tooth
Not sealed	Leaky margins: more decay in the future
Corrosive	Turns tooth black, causes stains

Composite Fillings
Composite fillings are bonded with adhesive to your tooth structure, protecting against decay and strengthening the tooth. This bond can make a composite filling last for seven to ten years. Composite fillings provide long-term bacterial invasion protection, too. Once bonded, a composite filling won't wear down or change shape, despite the incredible forces of biting and chewing. Bacteria and food particles cannot enter the tooth. Because they're tinted to match your natural tooth color, composite fillings will blend seamlessly with your smile.

Composite fillings are:

Non-toxic
Increase the strength of the tooth
Cause less sensitivity
Less likely to fracture
Non-corrosive (no black stains)

All-Porcelain Crowns
Porcelain crowns are highly-esthetic and return structure, strength, and function to a tooth with extensive decay or damage. Porcelain's translucent quality reflects light similarly to tooth enamel, making the crowned tooth difficult to discern from the ones nature gave you. Designed to fit snugly and function as a healthy tooth, a crown will protect your tooth from further damage and preserve the jaw’s correct natural alignment. Typically, we can design, fit, and place your all-porcelain onlay or crown in just ONE VISIT! More complex situations like smile enhancements or full-mouth reconstructions are typically done in two visits.

Discover the Difference
Call our Jacksonville Beach dental office today and reserve your appointment with general and cosmetic dentist Dr. Scott Wagner. Located in Jacksonville Beach, patients visit our office from across the nation, as well as the surrounding areas of Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, and Ponte Vedra. Dr. Wagner is known throughout the U.S. as the dentist to visit for exceptional dentistry and life-changing smiles.