For many years amalgams or " metal based " fillings and gold crown and bridges were the norm in restoring damaged teeth. Although not visually appealing these metals were regarded as the best solution for managing dental restorations. A vigorous debate is still ongoing within and outside the dental profession about possible health risks resulting from having these various metals in a patient's mouth for a long period of time.

Today, metal-free dentistry completely side-steps the debate by providing non metallic, visually appealing and more structurally sound solutions for tooth restorations. Using state of the art synthetic, tooth coloured materials with distinct advantages over "old style " metals.

• These materials have high strength yet can be kinder to the natural dentition.

• They are attached to the existing tooth structure by bonding, with very high adhesion.

• The materials can be molded for a custom fit even after they have been bonded inside the mouth.

• They are tooth coloured for a more desirable aesthetic result.

• They do not corrode ( electro-galvanism )

This said at the Integrative Centre for Dental & Natural Health, Dr. Jacques Imbeau is aware that metal-free, as frequently advertised, does not automatically mean " biocompatible dentistry " because many tooth coloured dental materials can also present their own problems including toxicity and estrogenicity. In fact we see a growing number of patients who had their amalgam replaced randomly with tooth coloured materials that were not biologically suitable for them.

If the materials are carefully selected to suit the biological and physico-mechanical needs of the individual patient, then a metal-free approach, as part of an integrative concept of oral health care, can be a biomimetic solution.