At Gorelik Dentistry in Charlotte, North Carolina, we use the Safe Mercury Amalgam Removal Technique (SMART) from the International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology (IAOMT) to protect your oral health while removing your old amalgam dental fillings.

While Dr. Julia Gorelik doesn’t use amalgam fillings to restore cavities in your smile, she does remove existing amalgam fillings for our patients. Because removing amalgam fillings releases mercury from fillings, Dr. Gorelik uses the SMART technique based on the latest scientific research to help lower the risks of mercury exposure to our patients and staff.

Why remove amalgam dental fillings? 

You might need to remove a silver amalgam filling if the filling fails over time, if there are cracks in the tooth, or if you are unhappy with the amalgam because it stands out in your smile, unlike an aesthetically pleasing tooth-colored filling. Others have their silver fillings removed because they prefer to have fillings without mercury in their smile, especially since mercury gets released just by brushing your teeth when you have amalgam fillings!

How much mercury is released when removing the amalgam?

The amount of mercury released from silver amalgam fillings varies depending on how many fillings you have and how much you chew, whether your grind your teeth and your consumption of hot liquids. Mercury releases at increased levels during the placement, replacement, and removal of mercury amalgam fillings.

What kind of filling replaces the amalgam?

Gorelik Dentistry is proud to offer tooth-colored dental fillings are made of composite resin material. Not only are these fillings made to match your current teeth, being mercury-free they are safer for your healthy, they never react to hot or cold food and drinks, and they seal your teeth from bacteria. In addition, our composite fillings are free from the controversial material bisphenol-A (BPA). To find out more about this, check out our previous blog here: BPA & BIS-GMA

Do you have an amalgam filling you would like to have removed? Are you looking for a dentist that can remove your filling safely and place a more natural, healthy filling for your smile? Then please call our Gorelik Dentistry team at 704-553-1627 to schedule a visit with Dr. Julia Gorelik and our team in Charlotte, North Carolina. We are excited to get your smile back on a healthy track!