Everybody knows the importance of having white teeth and healthy smiles. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean everybody takes proper care of their teeth. Only about half of all Americans claim — “claim” being the operative word — that they floss daily. About 3 million people in the United States already have implants, and that number is growing by an astounding 500,000 per year. Over 30% of adults over the age of 75 have no natural teeth remaining in their mouths. It’s not just that age group, either — almost 5% of adults between the ages of 20 and 64 have no remaining teeth, either.
While teeth whitening dental procedures are incredibly common — having increased by 300% in the United States in just the past five years — there are many people that have had metal fillings and crowns as part of a minor oral surgery. A rising trend in the dental industry — whether it’s for cosmetic dentists or implant dentists — is the idea of “metal-free dentistry.” Metal-free dentistry is exactly what it sounds like — dentistry that refrains from using metal whenever possible in its fillings and crowns.
Typically, metal casings, also known as “amalgam” were used in the reparation of damaged teeth. However, recently, there have been debates — on both sides — of the effects of metal casings. The enamel of teeth is the hardest substance in the human body, but — as mentioned earlier — many people don’t take proper care of their teeth. The debate comes with the possible health and safety risks of having various metals in the human mouth for extended periods of time. Not only are there those safety risks, but metal in the mouth is not typically visually appealing — it’s heavily noticeable, no matter how well taken care of your teeth are. In metal-free dentistry, those amalgams are replaced with synthetic, durable compounds. These are custom fit, and the compound is very durable but won’t damage any of the adjacent teeth. Another added benefit of these compounds is that they’re tooth-colored, which allows a much more naturally beautiful smile.
If you have any kind of metal fillings in your mouth and are interested, try talking to your family dentist about the benefits of going metal-free.