Question about white fillings?

Question

On Monday I am going to have a new filling. Is it possible to have a white one. I already have three silver ones which I am going to ask to be replaced by white ones. Is this possible thanks.

Answer 1

Yes.  Also, you can replace the old silver ones with composite (white) filling. But it means, the dentists will drill you old silver teeth again. Sorry.  I had mine done before.  Look at the following link and you can compare advantages and disadvantages of each kind. In general, silver ones are stronger than white ones.

Answer 2

Yeah it is but white fillings are more expensive.

Answer 3

I can't believe how people describe white fillings as reliable for you without knowing anything about you, the tooth, it's location or your hygiene habits.  Let alone the track record of the dentist who is about to change the filling for you.

White fillings are not the best option for every tooth, person and especially location.  All front teeth get white fillings. It's the back teeth that have traditionally had amalgams placed.  I'm sick of people & dentist describing White fillings as and advance, when,  they have caused so many problems for patients and dentist over the last 25 years.  

I'm a dentist, about twice a month a new patient will come throught the office with white fillings placed and  failing left and right.   Usually they are young have had them replaced with the last ten years and more than 50% of the fillings are failing. Why?  The dentist did not bother with the rubber dam,  poor technique for placement,  too many innovations in bonding materials make placement gamble.  Who knows.

But it happens.  

What you need to know.  

1.  Yes Amalgam does leak, it exchanges ions and metals through chemical leakage with the dentin of your tooth. In other words it stains them.  But, and I don't study the chemistry for a living, what I can tell you is I have seen that when I do remove old fillings the black stained part are more or less intact and caries free.  

2.  White fillings leak too,  when they leak it's called debonding, and thin grooves are created that suck in liquids from your mouth into the tooth between the filling and the tooth, furthermore when it is used it acts like a pump so sugars are pumped in constantly,  If your a good dental patient this kind of leakage  can be caught early and the filling replaced immediately.  If your not a good with your 6 month recalls then this type of leakage will cause a very large cavity very fast.  This tends not to happen with the silver fillings.  

There is so mush more, but the bottom line is.

Composites

They are very pretty fillings.

They are expensive.

If there is ANy and I do many Any contamination during placement, its and instant failure.  So, the larger the filling the more careful the dentist should be during placement.  (i.e. Rubber Dam)

They (in general, on average) fail more frequently on back teeth

When they fail they fail fast and big often causing way more problems than any joy you may have recieved from getting them placed.

Amalgams

Are ugly;

They are very good under chewing loads, like back teeth.

They tend to last longer on average, in general, mostly because they are so easy to place even when saliva is around during the placement

Yes I do place both type of fillings.  yes everyone of my patients hears this same information prior to me agreeing to place the filling in their mouth.  And yes I have refused to place white fillings before, if I don't think the patient is serious about following through on treatment.  Yes this is ethical;  smokers very often are passed over for lung transplants.

Here's how you decide if you should place them.  If the dentist is not willing to tell you the pro's and con's of each.  or engage in a conversation about you and your risk assessment as  a patient to receive the filling then find one that will.  Are you willing to accept increase expense of replacement if they fail. Do you really wake up each day and obsess about your teeth.

Dentist differ widely on their philosophies but if they don't care what type of filling they place in your mouth and its ability to last, and especially the placement technique, then you shouldn't be there.  

If all they do is white fillings and they don't even have a rubber dam in the office, then you definitely should not be there.  

If their only pro's and con's discussion is "Oh yes they are the best but they are bit more expensive" then, you should not be there.

If they place the filling on Monday, it falls out on Tuesday, and they refuse to replace it on Wednesday (for free due to frequency limitations) then you should not be there.  (that actually happened to a new patient of mine 6 months ago just threw that one in)

It's a lot of information, but thats the way it should be, your teeth are not fashion accessories, they are needed for you to maintain optimal health. chewing food into the right particle size, etc.  

Dentistry has taken a bad turn over the last 25 years or so.  Mostly from teeth being a functional part of your body to being a fassion accessory,  Your teeth can be both, make sure your dentist is a dentist first and a cosmetician second.

P.S. ignore the comment about composite shrinking over time.  99% of the shrinkage occurs at placement.  This goes to proper placement technique I was talking about above,  Most dentist have heard about directed shrinkage during placement so it iis a non issue to your tooth during its functional life.  It's the bonding that occurs during placement

that is the key to composite durabilty

OK, i'm done

Really good luck to you

Answer 4

yes,  Composite fillings (white/tooth colored fillings) are routinely placed instead of Amalgam (silver fillings) now (in most dental offices).

As for replacing your existing Amalgam fillings, yes you can have them replaced but you should know that sometimes there are some permanent staining that comes from an OLD Amalgam. So don't be surprised if you have a dark margin around your new filling. Also, if it is a deep filling you may aggravate the nerve and cause some sensitivity. Not always though, your doctor may use a special desensitizing agent under the new filling to help with that.

   Amalgam (silver) restorations are very good (and strong)but over time they do leak (get decay around the margins). So in time you will probably have to get them replaced anyway. So you could think of it in two ways... Why not just do them now since later I'd probably have to do it anyway...or If it isn't broken why fix it?

I say if it bothers you then do it. Being proud of your smile makes you more confident, and that makes you a happier

person.

from a dental hygienist

Answer 5

Yes its possible, it just depends on if you are willing to pay for them out of pocket, and the dentist.. usually if the fillings are on your molars( back teeth) they will use amalgam (silver) because your back teeth are not really visible when you talk.. and silver fillings are more durable and last longer..

Answer 6

Silver fillings are stronger and last much longer than a white filling. Silver fillings are made of a mix of different metals, and white fillings are made of plastic. The plastic will shrink over time, so white fillings only have an average life span of 5-7 years, whereas the silver can last a lifetime.

It will do more harm than good for you to replace your silver fillings with white, unless they already have signs of decay and need to be replaced anyway. There are trace amounts of mercury in silver fillings, which in solid form in your mouth, are not proven to be harmful. But once the dentist starts drilling the fillings out, an aerosol is created that you, inevitably, inhale. Also, anytime a dentist drills on your tooth, they must remove more of your healthy tooth structure, which will make your tooth weaker. Of course, people have silver fillings replaced everyday, but if there is no reason other than aesthetics, it's not really worth it. And any dentist that tells you that silver fillings are harmful to you are just out to make a buck. They know you'll be back in a few years to, once more, pay to have your white fillings replaced!