Amalgam is made from a combination of metals that have been used for this exact purpose for more than 100 years. Also called silver amalgam, the metals used to make them include mercury, silver, copper, and tin. In some cases, small traces of palladium, zinc, and indium are also used to manufacture dental amalgam.
Amalgam is Becoming Outdated
Now that there are new advances in technology in the dental industry, many people are choosing dental implant and filling options that are tooth-colored. This, along with the health concern of mercury on the rise, is making silver amalgam a thing of the past. So if you are one of the many people choosing to replace their silver fillings with tooth-colored fillings, you may be curious to know if your old fillings retain any value or can be recycled. Well, since all metal is recyclable, and dental amalgam tooth fillings are made from a variety of metal alloys, they are indeed recyclable!
All Metal Can Be Recycled
Metal and metal alloys are elements that can be cleaned, melted down, and reused over and over again, without losing strength or dependability. Common recyclable metals include copper, steel, aluminum, iron, brass, and tin. Even precious metals can be recycled, like gold, silver, zirconium, chromium, tungsten, and more. Many scrap metal recycling companies offer cash for scrap metal. However, you might not expect much profit out of a few tooth fillings. Items to recycle for cash include sheet metal, motorized vehicles, appliances, power tools, copper wiring, electronics, and construction equipment.