Over time, silver tooth fillings will breakdown the remaining natural tooth. Since silver is a metal, it can undergo expansion and contraction with change in temperature. We drink coffee and eat ice cream, which results in cracks in our teeth around the metal filling. The crack that we see around the silver fillings is like a crack in the windshield of a car and, with further stresses, the tooth can end up breaking. While we do not believe silver fillings to be innately harmful, we do take precaution when removing them. We use an isolation system, such as a rubber dam or isolite, which ensures that our patients do not swallow the silver upon removal. Our suction systems have silver traps which keeps the filling from re-entering the environment.
