kathkath Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Has anyone looked into the health risks of both?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Has anyone looked into the health risks of both?? Amalgam (silver-colored) fillings have mercury in them. I avoid whenever possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linguistmama Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Amalgam (silver-colored) fillings have mercury in them. I avoid whenever possible. :iagree:I'm not swayed by the arguments that claim the mercury is inactive etc. Not when there is a better option now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 And do the white fillings contain BPA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Well, I had a very bad experience with the white fillings. The dentist put them in without talking to me first about the pros and cons of each. (I know, I should have asked first. But I haven't had a filling in 25 years, and I honestly didn't know there were new options out there.) When I realized that he had put something different in my mouth, I asked him how long they last. He told me 10 years (compared with the 20 years of the metal fillings). So I asked him what the advantages to the white fillings were. He said, "Well you don't want metal ornaments in your mouth, do you?" to which I asked, "So the only advantage is looks?" He said that some people want to avoid the mercury in the metal fillings but that the only way that it gets into your system is if the filling breaks apart. But otherwise there is no advantage to the white fillings. And in fact, in addition to their much shorter duration, the white fillings can also irritate the nerve of the tooth. I had pain in my teeth after getting the white fillings. I went in for an adjustment, and when I still had pain, I went to a different dentist, and did another adjustment. (He was the one that told me that they irritate the tooth, and that the original dentist should have given me all this information and allowed me to make the decision.) So now I still have pain and cannot chew on that side of my mouth and am currently waiting for my next appointment, hoping I don't have to have the whole darned thing removed and replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genny Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Amalgam (silver-colored) fillings have mercury in them. I avoid whenever possible. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 One problem with silver fillings is that they don't bond to the tooth, and more must be drilled out to get them in. They shrink more over time than the white ones, which can allow in decay. Our policy doesn't cover white ones, unfortunately. I have old silver ones that now need to be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 When I realized that he had put something different in my mouth, I asked him how long they last. He told me 10 years (compared with the 20 years of the metal fillings). Well, I had composite (white) fillings put in as a child. They lasted 25+ years - until I was in my mid-30's - and when the dentist replaced them, she said the older composite didn't hold up as long as the more recent stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Dup. Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 We pay OOP for the white fillings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Has anyone looked into the health risks of both?? Amalgam (silver-colored) fillings have mercury in them. I avoid whenever possible. :iagree:I'm not swayed by the arguments that claim the mercury is inactive etc. Not when there is a better option now. He said that some people want to avoid the mercury in the metal fillings but that the only way that it gets into your system is if the filling breaks apart. But otherwise there is no advantage to the white fillings. My dentist is a throat cancer survivor. His dental hygienist told me that his doctors thought that the mercury in fillings that he has drilled out of people's teeth over the years might have caused it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 We pay OOP for the white fillings. We do too. Here the kids can get mercury fillings for free but we go to a private dentist to get the white ones. I had my mercury ones taken out last year. There is no safe level of mercury in the system. And they will break down, later if not sooner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyR Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 Get composite. Avoid silver fillings like the plague. The amount of mercury that comes out from them is just horrifying, and can cause lots of health problems down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 I had amalgam fillings from when I was a kid.. One of them broke sometime in the past 20 years. I had them remove it earlier this year and replace with white. Alzheimer's, Autism, and dementia runs in my family so I try to stay away from all free radicals/metals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 I have some of each. I like the look of white better but my teeth with white fillings are far more sensitive now than they were when they had silver fillings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 I have some of each. I like the look of white better but my teeth with white fillings are far more sensitive now than they were when they had silver fillings. That is weird. I have lots of composite fillings - probably every molar in my mouth has one, but my teeth have never been sensitive. The only work I've ever gotten that's given me tooth sensitivity is a gold cap, which I over a cracked tooth. They said it was stronger and would last longer than if I got a porcelain/gold one. They failed to mention its conductive properties every time a fork hits it. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathkath Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 My 5yo needs 6-8 on the sides of his molars where they touch. I'm leaning towards white. $$$$$$$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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