Lead materials can put our health at risk

dental fillings and the effects their materials can have

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Dental fillings and the toxic health effects of the materials 

A surprising topic for people who are not dentists. The average person does not ask himself this kind of question, he does not walk into the dentist's office with a list of possible types of dental fillings on the market. He has to a certain extent a priori confidence in competence of the doctor and doesn't bother with such problems.

However, at a closer look, it would be advisable to have some basic knowledge about the type of dental fillings that the dentist uses, because the material used has a direct effect on his or her health. It is usually at this point that patients become more attentive to the information they are given. During the discussion about the type of filling used they are usually semi-present, they listen to you somewhat peripherally, vaguely, as if the information presented is of no importance to them. 

But, as soon as I emphasize the decisive point, that their health is at stake, they suddenly become attentive. And that's natural. "I didn't know" is the most common answer, "I didn't realize there were such big differences in the materials used". The differences are significant, it happens that some dentists are not aware of the chemical or molecular consistency of dental materials. 

 

Dental filling material - potential toxicity

When we talk about chemistry, we inevitably feel like we want to be somewhere else. That's why we will summarize some basic information. Most dental composites are composed of methacrylate resin monomers of various sizes and molecular weights. Common dental filling materials used to fill cavities are composed of conventional methacrylate monomers, which are BPA, Bis-GMA, Bis-GMA, TEGDMA, GlyDMA and HEMA. These are harmful substances that, over time, are eliminated from the fillings in our body. 

Just a reminder, these substances are also present in the white-colored dental fillings, similar to regular teeth, that are currently used. What matters is the degree of toxicity that the various substances have for the body through absorption.

 

What are the absorption pathways in the body?

  • directly through the oral mucosa;
  • pulp diffusion through the dentinal tubules;
  • absorption of volatile components through the lungs;
  • ingestion of components released in the gastrointestinal tract;

Why are these toxic substances absorbed into our body? Because these types of dental fillings degrade surprisingly quickly, of course, we are talking about a micro-level degradation, insestible, but which causes serious effects on our health.

 

Causes of composite degradation

 

Saliva. The main component of saliva is water. These types of dental fillings start to dissolve in saliva or water and in this way harmful substances are released into the body. 

Chewing forces. Repeatedly subjecting resin composite fillings to the usual chewing force leads to progressive degradation and crack growth, which ultimately leads to catastrophic failure of these materials. 

Thermal modifications. Routine eating and drinking can induce intraoral temperature changes. These temperature changes produce an antagonistic environment for the materials as they have a different coefficient of thermal expansion compared to natural teeth. The thermal fluctuations encountered in vivo can induce surface stresses due to large near-surface thermal gradients which, in turn, can lead to degradation of these materials.

Oral microbes. Now here is a very important piece of information: an in vitro study showed that bacteria colonized more rapidly on dental fillings made of composite resin which led to a pronounced degradation of the surface of the filling. Basically, this type of material favored the development of dental caries

 

The harmful effects of this type of composite on our health have today become a certainty. Among the undesirable effects of methacrylates in composite resins on the body's health we list:

Toxic effects on the dental nerve (dental pulp) 

Toxic effects on gum cells (fibroblasts)

Mutagenic effect 

Impaired proliferation and mineralization of odontoblasts (dental cells) 

Alteration of local collagen production 

Can cause pulp inflammation and necrosis of pulp (nerve) cells  

Promoting the growth of bacteria that cause tooth decay 

Affecting the physiological processes of self-repair and development of teeth

 

Among those mentioned the most surprising is that this type of dental fillings favors the appearance of cavities, and therefore causes what it is supposed to fix. What's left to do? Inform yourself and choose non-toxic dental fillings, it's much more important than it seems at first sight. 

If you need more information about non-toxic dental fillings or would like an appointment, you can visit us in one of our clinics or make an appointment online.