Torrie,
Please note that DiamondCrown/DiamondLite are still new compared to some of the older composites and alloys and not to mention amalgam fillings. Compared to your statement that Diamond products have been used at thousand patients, amalgams have been placed hundreds of millions of times and more, and what does that prove?

It is my understanding that both of them use same bonding agent – DiamondBond which is HEMA based. The HEMA stuff is so strong that it goes thru dental gloves and if it touches skin it will create dermatitis that will stay on. Now imagine what happens when it gets in contact with sensitive tooth pulp tissue. Not to mention the other toxicity issues with HEMA mentioned in the article from my previous post.

It is important to educate public that many composites are indeed toxic, and is same cases more so compared to amalgams – that is especially the case for older amalgam fillings where most of mercury would have left the surface.

The problems with most of composites are the bonding agents they use – which almost always have some component of methyl acrylates, which are toxic. It is well established in many studies that BIS GMA’s are endocrine disruptors, HEMA is toxic as mentioned, and even more toxic are UDMA and TEGDMA. The other known problems with composites are:
• They almost NEVER polymerize fully, but it is most of the times around 90% - less or more depending on the depth of material used, length of curing process which needs to be balanced not to harm pulp, and other factors. By leaving percent of monomer compounds around for weeks or months or longer, they increase toxic load on the body and can produce many side effects.
• Composites can leak and crack which can cause tooth decay and they do not last as long.
• They can de-polimerize under the influence of intra-oral enzymes and acids. There are studies that document amount of methyl acrylate and MMA acids in liver and further decomposition to even more toxic epoxy compounds which are carcinogenic, mutagenic, etc.

You are correct to point out that almost all filling materials are toxic! That is true, but it does differ by the amount and implications by the material and the patient. This holds true for Diamond materials and other composites. Therefore, it is important for public to understand that the so called “biologic” dentist are in business of replacing amalgams and are not always putting non toxic stuff in patients mouth. There are increased number of studies and papers that document toxicity of composites and related cements/bonding agents. So, while there are issues with amalgams, one needs to understand risks of other materials and not just blindly replace all the fillings or take out all the teeth! I am not sure that ideal material is – in fact there is none so far, zirconia is promising, but is mostly used for crowns and bridges. The other development is calcium phosphate and mixes with it, but that is not yet clinically ready and there is research under way to improve its clinical readiness.