mercury free, book by Dr. James E. Hardy
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The History of the "Silver" Mercury Amalgam Filling

 
 
The "silver" mercury amalgam filling was introduced by the Crawcours brothers first to England and then to the United States in the 1830's.

With the introduction of the mercury filling, patients now had another choice with which to get a cavity fixed.

Previously, the patient had two options. The first was extraction of the tooth with no anesthesia (in the 1830's local anesthesia had not yet been invented). The second was a long appointment in which hot gold would be hammered into the tooth. The new third choice was the Crawcours' "silver" filling which they claimed would fill the tooth cavity painlessly in minutes.
 
 

 
It is clear why amalgam became the most widely used dental material in history. Mercury amalgam was the first inexpensive, room-temperature filling material ever available. The dental consumer finally got an easy-to-take filling.