White fillings - yes or no?
 

I'm potentially having a couple of fillings replaced next year, and everyone seems to have a different opinion on white fillings.

Do we have any informed people who can give their opinion as to whether white fillings are likely to give me ongoing maintenance issues or are they as good as amalgam fillings if done properly?

Do i need to ask for any particular "type" of white filling, eg ceramic mix or something?

Cheers.

For you Sir only gold will do :razz:

I had a couple of mercury fillings replaced with white ones last year, this last checkup just gone the dentist had to 'top up' one of them as it had shrunk (causing a little discomfort).
Having said that, I've had a white filling on my front tooth that has lasted 15 years without any maintenance, although it's discoloured now so will need replacing prolly at the next battle of wills with my dentist ;)

White fillings have always been considered less long lasting than silver amalgam fillings. But there are now new materials available with properties comparable to silver amalgam, and these are proving to be very successful. The life expectancy of a white filling can depend greatly on where it is in your mouth and how heavily your teeth come together when you bite. Your dentist can advise you on the life expectancy of your fillings. However, any fillings provided on the NHS are automatically guaranteed for one year.

Some dentists prefer not to put white fillings in back teeth as they are not always successful. One way around this would be to use crowns or inlays, but this can mean removing more of the tooth and can be more expensive.

:)

I've had 1 or 2 white ones for maybe 20 yrs now. No maintenance, in fact I've forgotten about them.

The latest white fillings should be as good if not better than mercury based ones and they have the advantage of not being mde with the most toxic non-radioactive substance known to man! :thumb:

Ensure your dentist has the correct procedures in place to remove mercury fillings though, these should include a rubber dam in your mouth to prevent you swallowing large amounts of raw mercury! :eek:

Is there any option from a cosmetic point of view>

These have been in my mouth for so long now Paul that i wouldn't be surprised if they've turned to lead. :mad:

No, that's very true, but i also don't want teeth "issues" for the sake of a slightly better looking tooth, especially sisnce the filling that's in there doesn't actually need replacing.

Don't white fillings cost more than silver ones?

Dunno, but not really an issue to be honest.

Mercury has been banned as too poisonous for almost all uses except dentistry!!!!! Go figure and do some research on the subject. They always make your teeth look as though they're rotten anyway :D

So go white - and if you're having your mercury ones removed get a dentist who removes them properly - with dams to prevent you swallowing (steady ladies .... ) bits and fume extraction facilities.

Dave - a mouth with zero mercury fillings remaining ....

Yes, I'm mercury free as well now. :thumb:

I believe that in 50 years time people will look back in disbelief at the fact that we willingly put mercury in our mouths.

There is conclusive proof now that mercury fillings are constantly leaking into our bodies from fillings, even the dental authorities admit it. :eek:

I am actually surprised Mercury is still available - the EU have even banned thermometers that contain it I believe

lots here- no problems at all

I thought that amalgam fillings were bad for you so better go for the white stuff then.

Les

Some reading if you're interested, how many people can truly say they feel 100%? No allergies, intolerances, anxieties etc.


Signs to Look For
The earliest symptoms of organic mercury exposure may include forgetfulness; inability to concentrate and focus attention; cognitive decline; irritability; outbursts of anger; depression; apathy and indifference; headache; and, fatigue. Later manifestations consist of progressive loss of memory; emotional instability; general CNS dysfunction; incoordination; numbness and tingling of the lips, hands and feet; muscular weakness progressing to paralysis; dim or restricted vision; hearing loss; speech disorders; kidney damage; immune dysfunction; and, dermatitis. There is growing scientific evidence that long-term exposure to dental mercury amalgam causes Alzheimers disease and/or senile dementia.

Beautiful Smiles… with Deadly Results
Dental amalgam is composed of approximately 46% to 56% metallic mercury with varying amounts of silver, copper, zinc, tin and other trace metals depending on the manufacturing source. A large dental amalgam may contain more than 750 mg of metallic mercury. After placement of a mercury/silver dental amalgam, there is a persistent, low-level release of elemental mercury vapor into the body for many years thereafter. Scientific research has proven that the corrosion of dental amalgams by chewing, exposure to oxygen in breathed air, food acids and the electrolytic effect of minerals in saliva (called oral galvanism), causes the continual release of metallic mercury vapor into the body 24 hours a day. The uptake of inorganic mercury in swallowed saliva exceeds known standards of exposure by 10 to 100 times. Studies have shown that a single 0.4 cm2 occlusal amalgam can release 15 mcg of mercury vapor per day. Human autopsy research has validated the statistical correlation between the
number of dental amalgam fillings and CNS mercury levels.

The United States Public Health Service has ruled that chronic exposure to mercury from dental amalgams is not without risk to the general population (USPHS, ATSDR; Toxicological Profile for Mercury: Update TP-93/10; page 125). Moreover, in 1991, the World Health Organization confirmed that dental amalgam is the greatest source of mercury vapor in the non-industrially exposed population, significantly exceeding that from food or air.

According to Dr. Michael Ziff and his research associates, a widely respected dental authority on mercury toxicity, …mercury is so toxic to the human organism that there can be cell death or irreversible chemical damage long before clinically observable symptoms appear indicating that something is wrong.

Further, you could be experiencing some of the symptoms of mercury (poisoning) released from amalgam dental fillings. But since the mercury exposure is so gradual and because the time between the placement of the fillings and the onset of symptoms can vary so dramatically (from days to years, based on your own biochemical makeup and sensitivity), it may not be readily apparent or identifiable as being associated with dental mercury.

Under these conditions, your physician would have extreme difficulty in relating subclinical symptoms (not readily apparent or identifiable as being associated with a particular disease or health problem) to mercury toxicity. Dr. Alfred Stock, the distinguished German chemist, also alluded to the problem of diagnosing mercury toxicity as the primary source of clinical symptoms in the earlier stages of systemic poisoning as long ago as 1926.

Something to Chew On
Studies have demonstrated that the removal of dental mercury amalgam fillings can result in definitive and significant improvements in overall health status. The Foundation for Toxic-Free Dentistry compiled data on 1,569 patients from six different sources. Of particular interest in the FTFD analysis report is the fact that 14% of patients experienced some form of allergic symptomology and that 89% reported that their condition had improved or was entirely eliminated after removal of their silver/mercury
dental amalgam fillings.

Systemic mercury toxicity appears to have a direct causal relationship to the development of allergic sensitivity to foods, chemicals and other environmental factors. Extrapolating the FTFD data to the approximately 140 million individuals with mercury dental amalgams in the US, there would be about 19.6 million people (14%) with mercury amalgam-related allergies, and, 89% or about 17.4 million people would experience the amelioration or disappearance of their allergies by simply having their silver/mercury dental amalgam fillings replaced with non-mercury, hypoallergenic composite dental fillings.

Christ I think I suffer from mercury poisoning every weekend.

I've had a white filling for 20 years and no problem.

If they remove the old mercury filling to replace with a white one then dont they end up removing more of the good tooth,ie drill a bigger hole. If its cosmetic you're bothered about, last time i went to the dentist they put a white coating on top of a filling which i guess was for appearance. Wore off after 6 months though.

Sorry to hijack your thread Tel,has anyone here had a dental implant? PM me if you dont want to answer here.

one dentist i went to a few years ago refused to remove my silver fillings, i wanted to replace them with the white ones. i was told that messing about with them can cause them to get into the body and be poisonous:wonder:

Yes me too.

http://www.bondnet.de/galerie/movies...tswlm/jaws.jpg

Now that's the very thing for me! Amalgam every time!:thumb:

:lol1::lol1: :lol1: :lol1:

what are fillings???

then again what are teeth!!!!!


i thought mercury was a culmative metal? if so wouldnt removing them do sod all? , as the material was allready in your system?, and can t be passed out

Mart

You need to go to the right dentists! I use Dentist in Surrey. Mercury free dentistry. Jack Levenson. Maybe not too near you .. but get your nearest one from Society for Mercury Free Dentistry

Can't be bothered trying to find an NHS dentist these days. Always thought Billy Liar was just that ......

Dave

I swallowed a tooth with a silver filling :o

I've never had a filling in my life :razz: + :smug:


front 4 teeth are all capped, but that was due to a slight 'off' on my pushbike into the back of a car when I was 7.

A friend of mine had been unwell for a number of years, bad skin, gum problems etc. then after visiting a number of doctors a dentist said she should have her old fillings removed and now she is a much happier person with none of the old problems.

Is that down to the fillings though?

I don't have any fillings either :D....The one I swallowed was in a baby tooth that fell out whilst eating a old fashioned bap (they don't make them like that anymore :( )