12/07/2025
Finally! …. I stopped placing mercury amalgams in 1995. 😉
Dentistry is heading into one of its biggest shifts. After nearly 200 years of relying on amalgam as the cheap, fast, durable workhorse for posterior restorations, the world is phasing it out. The Minamata Convention bans the manufacture, import and export of mercury-containing amalgam by 2034. The issue is not clinical safety. It is global mercury pollution from waste streams and cremation.
Amalgam earned its reputation by being strong, moisture tolerant and perfect for high-caries and low-resource settings. Losing it creates real challenges. Adhesive dentistry works beautifully, but it demands time, isolation, cost and technique. Countries that already eliminated amalgam report longer appointments, higher costs and the need for new strategies for high-risk and medically complex patients.
The upside is environmental. Mercury emissions drop, dental waste becomes simpler and countries see measurable reductions in contamination. The profession also shifts culturally. Dental schools now teach almost entirely adhesive techniques, prevention becomes even more important and clinics serving vulnerable groups will need support so disparities do not widen.
There is nostalgia too. Amalgam restored billions of teeth and trained generations of dentists. Its retirement feels like closing a long chapter. But the future still moves toward esthetics, conservation and bonded dentistry. Materials improve. Workflows evolve. Dentistry adapts.
Full story:
https://www.dentaltown.com/messageboard/thread.aspx?s=2&f=94&t=394182
