Dr. Quevedo is a member of the Florida Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry

See more Before & After photos in our Photo Gallery

We place primarily composite resin or porcelain fillings instead of amalgam (mercury-silver) fillings.  Silver has been around for over 150 years, and billions have been placed around the globe in that time.  However, silver does have some significant disadvantages:

1.      They corrode over time, turning both the filling and the tooth black.

2.      They have a tendency to chip and crack around the edges, which allows leakage to occur.  When this happens, the entire filling has to be drilled out, making the cavity preparation a little bit bigger each time.  Composite resin can be repaired and/or added to with a minimal amount of tooth loss.

3.            More healthy tooth structure has to be removed with silver as compared to composite when preparing the tooth.

4.            The prep design required for an amalgam can sometimes cause the filling to act like a "wedge" (splitting the tooth in two), which causes internal cracks to form, weakening the tooth.  

5.            They provide absolutely no support to the tooth whatsoever.

6.            The EPA forbids the disposal of dental amalgam into the trash can since it is classified as toxic waste because of the mercury content.  If it's not safe enough for the trash can, I'd rather not place it in your mouth! 

7.            A major manufacturer of silver in America (the Caulk company) has advised dentists to avoid placing silver fillings in pregnant or nursing mothers, kids under the age of 7, and people with kidney disease.

These are a few of the reasons why we no longer offer amalgam (mercury-silver) fillings in our practice.  Please take a look at examples of these fillings in our Photo Gallery.

For those of you concerned about mercury vapor contamination while removing old amalgams--
We'd like to introduce you to the amazing Isolite^TM.  It combines 3 elements into one wonderful device...suction, a mouth prop, and a bright LED light that illuminates the inside of your mouth fantastically.  It is made of VERY soft rubber and is very comfortable.

Unlike the rubber dam, which does not have built in suction at all, this device wraps around the tooth...providing high speed suction from 3 different sides!  It reduces the amount of free mercury vapor tremendously!

Daniel T. Quevedo, DDS - Cosmetic Dentist Serving Longwood, Alaqua, Heathrow, Lake Mary, Altamonte Springs, Apopka, Winter Park, Maitland, Casselberry, Winter Springs, and the Greater Orlando area. 
Sweetwater Smiles, 505 Wekiva Springs Rd., Suite 100, Longwood, FL  32779

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