A patient came into our practice with several amalgam fillings in their molars and wanted to have them removed because of their concerns about mercury.
BEFORE Dr Charlotte de Courcey-Bayley and her team prepared the patient for this procedure to take place in a safe environment. This entailed using rubber dam, providing the patient medical air to breath and using a scavenger unit (which collects the toxic mercury vapours). Once all these precautions were fulfilled the amalgam fillings were removed. Here is what the teeth look like after the fillings were removed.
AFTER: The teeth were then filled with composite resin, a tooth coloured filling material. They thought the teeth looked great. This proceedure took 60 mins to complete.

This is as large an amalgam replacement as can be done reliably with a direct filling technique, ie one where filling is placed directly into the open tooth cavity.
BEFORE: Note how the amalgam is coming away at the edges. It is possible to see a gap opening up between the filling and the tooth. This is the most common way in which old mercury based fillings breakdown and fail. This gap allows new decay to start below the existing filling without the patient knowing.
AFTER: This is a very big filling. If it were any larger it would be necessary to take a mould of the tooth cavity and have a piece of porcelain made to fit the cavity and bond the porcelain to the tooth. The bonding of porcelain to a back tooth is called an inlay. This time this tooth has been restored with a composite filling. AFTER The final crowns

This lady requested removal of all her amalgam filling for health reasons. You will notice the difference in appearance between the right and left halves of her mouth as the treatment has been half completed already.
BEFORE: Four amalgam fillings have already been replaced in the lower left corner of this ladies mouth.
AFTER: The treatment is complete. Note the difference in colour of the teeth on the right between the first and second photographs. Amalgam (mercury) fillings do not have to be failing to have them replaced. If you want the mercury safely removed or want your teeth to look better please ask us what is involved for your treatment.