Dental fillings, also known today as amalgams, are used to fill openings in a tooth where the dentist has drilled out cavities and the surrounding enamel. Prior to the use of fillings, teeth were covered with various items such as metal and wooden caps to keep food and debris from entering the drilled openings. As dentistry advanced as a profession, the composition of fillings changed. Amazingly, dental fillings have remained essentially the same since the turn of the 20th century.
19th Century Fillings
Metal fillings were regularly used to fill teeth beginning in the early 19th century, according to an article published in 1998 by Dr. Richard A. Glenner and Dr. P. Willey in the "Journal of the History of Dentistry." The metal was softened and then pushed into the tooth opening using specialized tools. The metal was then pushed and shaped again to fit the architectural shape of the tooth to facilitate chewing. Various metals were used, including gold, platinum, silver and lead amalgams.
Experimentation
Tin was used as a filling material beginning in the 1820s, and proved to be a popular material for individuals seeking inexpensive fillings. Dental work done on soldiers in the field during the Civil War frequently made use of tin. Dentists experimented with use of aluminum and asbestos filling materials during the mid-1850s.
Lead and Gold Fillings
Lead was abandoned late in the 19th century as scientists became aware of the harmful effects of lead, and dentists wished to avoid giving people lead poisoning.
Gold was first used in 1800, and gold foil quickly became the most popular metal for dental work. Adhesive gold foil was introduced in the mid-1850s, but it took several decades to be popularly used due to the lack of widespread dental training and the slow dissemination of information in that era.
Amalgam Fillings
Amalgam---a mixture of silver, tin and a small amount of mercury---was used as a popular filling material beginning in the mid-1850s. Some dentists and scientists questioned the use of amalgam when it was first introduced, fearing that the mercury had a negative effect on the body. Amalgam fillings, currently mixed from equal parts of liquid mercury and powered metal, use 20 to 30 percent silver. The remainder of the alloy is comprised of tin, copper, zinc and other metals, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Composite Materials
Concern regarding the use of mercury in fillings has been voiced since the Civil War. Although the FDA states that patients need not have silver amalgam fillings replaced, some patients and doctors are shifting to the use of plastic composites to fill teeth. Their durability does not currently match that of metal, but the product is improving, according to the FDA. Glass ionomer (a polymer substance containing a long chain of molecules) fillings are currently used as temporary dental material, but these do not yet have the durability to be used as permanent fillings.
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