Mercury-Safe Removal of Silver (Amalgam) Fillings
We remove old silver amalgam fillings under a protocol designed to limit exposure to mercury vapour and particles: rubber-dam isolation, high-volume suction at the tooth, copious water, and sectioning the filling out in pieces rather than grinding it away. The tooth is then restored with ceramic or a BPA-free composite.
- Visits
- 1 per tooth, usually
- Time
- 60–90 min
- Replaced with
- Ceramic or composite
- Fee
- S$381.50 – 599.50
What happens
The tooth is isolated with a rubber dam, so debris and water are kept out of the mouth and away from the airway.
High-volume suction is placed at the tooth, with continuous water cooling.
The amalgam is sectioned and lifted out in pieces rather than being drilled through.
The cavity is cleaned, and the tooth restored with a bonded ceramic onlay or a BPA-free composite.
Amalgam is roughly half mercury by weight, bound in an alloy. Sound amalgam fillings that are not failing can reasonably be left alone — removing a filling always costs some tooth structure. The clinical reasons to replace one are the usual ones: decay underneath, a crack in the tooth, a fractured margin, or a filling so large the remaining walls are at risk.
If you would prefer metal-free restorations for your own reasons, that is a legitimate choice and we will discuss what each tooth needs. What we will not do is tell you that removing sound fillings will treat an unrelated medical condition — there is no good evidence for it, and we would rather tell you that plainly. A diagnosed sensitivity to mercury is the exception, and a real one: it is a genuine reason to replace amalgam, and we will say so.
Who does this at Calm Dental
Fees for this treatment are on our fees page, including GST. A written quotation follows examination.
Questions
Why remove amalgam in pieces rather than drilling it out?
Drilling through amalgam generates heat, vapour and fine particles. Sectioning it into chunks and lifting them out under suction produces far less of all three.
What replaces the filling?
Either a bonded ceramic onlay milled in the clinic, or a BPA-free composite, depending on how much tooth is left. We show you both options with the scan on screen.
Should I have all my amalgams removed?
Not routinely. Sound, sealed fillings can be left in place and monitored; removal always sacrifices some tooth. We will tell you which of yours are actually failing.
Are you IAOMT certified for amalgam removal?
No, and that is a deliberate choice rather than an oversight — we do not maintain the certification. What we can tell you is exactly what our own removal protocol does, which is the part that affects you: the tooth is isolated under a rubber dam, which keeps debris and water out of your mouth and away from your airway, high-volume suction runs throughout to capture vapour and particles at source, and the filling is sectioned into pieces and lifted out whole rather than ground away, which generates far less vapour than drilling it out. The one element of the certified protocol we do not use is an oxygen concentrator. If certification matters to you, ask at consultation and we will tell you plainly where we stand.