White Fillings??

xzanti

I know this is the second dental thread of the day but Iv been thinking about having my silver fillings replaced with white ones because I sometimes get paranoid when yawning or laughing that the ones on the bottom are visible and make my teeth look bad... Has anyone ever had this done either in the first place or had silver ones replaced?? If so does it take much work and is it expensive??

secret_squirrel

I looked into this ages ago as was told that not only are white fillings more expensive they dont last as long either. Maybe this has changed but it was too expesive for a bit of vanity for me.

el tel

don't quote me on this as I'm not familiar with Vhi/psri etc. but if you choose white fillings for cosmetic reasons then you'll likely have to pay and they do cost more than the starndard filing. As per other thread, would be cheaper in the North for sure so check those golden pages!

claireoby

A few years ago when i was in secondary school and i got to go to the the dental clinic, which meant free work on my teeth, i needed 3 fillings and i got white ones without even asking for them!they're great. I cant even see them. if they were using them at the clinic they cant be that much more expensive.i would never get silver ones after having white ones.

AARRRGH

I only have one filling. It's white. It's totally invisible. Never had any problems!

rugbug86

i thought white fillings were silver ones painted - thats what mine were when i got my white ones

b3n

Got two white ones in may, to be honest i dont think i needed them in the first place. Never had a problem with my teeth. Since gettin the fillings i've had very sensitive (toe curling when drinking water!) teeth, especially with the two i had a small filling.

The white ones to my knowledge are the same price..i wasn't told other wise, but in fairness the dentist i went i think i was a bit of a rip of merchant anyways...

Victor

Some people do get it done, but realise that its probably an unnecessary trauma to your teeth. The white fillings are usually kept for the front teeth.

On average, I suspect the only person who sees your back teeth is your dentist.

OMcGovern

I can't believe I'm the first to bring this up... maybe it's not widely known..

But cosmetic issues are not the major problem with silver fillings.

The old silver fillings contain mercury.... one of the most poisonous substances known. It can create a minute mercury vapour, which you inhale.
Mercury accumulates in the body..... very nasty stuff.

The old silver fillings (amalgam) have since been banned.... all new fillings are the white ones.

See http://www.amalgam.org/

regards,
Owen

Victor

OMcGovern wrote:

The old silver fillings (amalgam) have since been banned.... all new fillings are the white ones.

Are you sure? Got a quote / link?

secret_squirrel

OMcGovern wrote:

The old silver fillings (amalgam) have since been banned.... all new fillings are the white ones.

Really show me a law?

OMcGovern wrote:

See http://www.amalgam.org/

Thats Rubbish - typical internet quackery.
See http://www.ada.org/public/media/releases/0207_release01.asp for a balanced picture on fillings.

eth0_

OMcGovern wrote:

The old silver fillings (amalgam) have since been banned.... all new fillings are the white ones.

See http://www.amalgam.org/

regards,
Owen

That's bullsh*t. Yes, amalgam fillings are (in my opinion) dangerous, but I don't know of anywhere where they're banned!

Interesting story - I have an apple powerbook and I noticed some black flecks on the part where my wrist rests. I looked this up on the net and found some other people had this problem, and that when they sent their powerbooks back to Apple, they were told it was corrosion.

Now, the only substance that will corrode aluminium is....mercury.

I had five amalgam fillings in my mouth at the time which my dentist had been urging me to remove.

I had a blood test done before I went back to have the first two filling replaced, and it showed considerable mercury levels in my blood.

I've one more filling to be replaced, and then i'll have another blood test to see what my levels are like now.

So...I don't recommend amalgam/silver fillings at all

DonkeyStyle \o/

Word of advise if you're getting white fillings... look after them carefully, quit smoking and anything else that causes stains because you can't brush white fillings clean again once they're stained. (based on my own experience and some things I've read)
Anyway, I highly reccomend them... you'd almost forget which teeth you have fillings in

secret_squirrel

eth0_ wrote:

Now, the only substance that will corrode aluminium is....mercury.

Last time I checked Aluminium also corroded in the atmosphere.

Im sure our slightly acidic sweat also has corrosive properties.

astrofool

Not when the aluminium forms its alu-oxide coating

dancin

I've a few fillings I got when i was young, big silver jobbies.

About 4 years ago I changed dentist because my dentist (guy who put in the silver ones) said I needed one converted to a crown and it would cost a packet.

New dentist said that yes the filling needed to be replaced, but not with a crown. He put in a new white filling, and while he was at it, changed another filling over to white - said he could reach it easily and seeing as my mouth was already numb...

Anyway, my regular PRSI covered it, so the charge worked out at something like €40 per filling for me.

The dentist said that in his opinion there was little or no difference between white and silver fillings (apart from the look of it).

So I would say to go for it, it shouldn't cost you any more.

Kernel32

I have several white fillings. The reason I was given to do white over silver was due to the danger of mercury. They are also pretty much invisible.

eamoss

I got 2 silver fillings on my back teeth when I was about 8/9, Then I hadnt been to the dentist in 5 years and a had 2 get a few fillings and I think my dentist would have put in silver fillings in if I had not asked him to put in white fillings in and now I have forgotten which teeth he but my fillings in.

lomb

amalgam is not banned, its a very forgiving material, forgiving of mishandeling and moisture, something white resin filling most certainly are not forgiving of(this means they need to be meticulously placed.)it is however silver and many people are unduly concerned about mercury which is unfounded in my opinion but then its not my body its going into is it?
for small fillings especially one surface white resin is fine particularly on front teeth. its fine on back teeth also where it doesnt take much of the width of the tooth up on the top. if the hole extends down the sides it gets dodgier especially large cavitys like many people have in their teeth.
mind u it a much misused material, many dentists pump it into everything because it helps on the old marketing and isnt dear. large multisurface cavities do not take well long term to composite, that is not to say it is not used or doesnt work, its just that its not a good idea and on average it does not work. by not working i mean the nerve dies off, needing further treatment or removal, or the tooth becomes sensitive or it rots underneath.
really for large cavities, if you want beautiful teeth you need bonded ceramic inlays at a cost of 400+ euro each. these are indirectly done on casts or better yet using a cerec machine which is a cad/cam machine and mills it in surgery. the machine costs around 80-90k euros but is the way of the future as in my opinion amalgum is a dying material that no one really wants full stop for a couple of reasons.proper healthcare is expensive, it always has and always will be. i think its more important to worry about getting someone ethical and does good work and knows what he/she is doing and has the proper tools for the job and uses them appropriately than cost tbh. money comes and goes but health is something else...

dellas1979

Was at the dentist the other day getting a white filling replaced (back teeth).

Basically got one new white fillling and one replacement white filling.

They drill out the bad bit/old filling and replace it with new one.

I have had white fillings since i was bout 14/15 and I am now 26. Thats how long they last. I have a few more on the other side and they are due to be replaced in another few months.

I dont remember why I got white fillings as opposed to the black ones. probably for aesthetic reasons. White fillings are not only for front teeth.

I paid €75 for each filling. I dont have prsi or medical card.

Takes more time to put in a white filling also as the tooth being filled cant get wet (I can only describe it as them putting a little tent in your mouth!).

There ya go.

eth0_

a little tent? That sounds more like you had an amalgam taken out..they have to put a dam around the tooth to stop bits of the filling breaking off into the mouth and being swallowed...?

CerebralCortex

If its any consolation I think they look cool but I have 8 sliver and one white. One of the 8 was white but had to be replaced with silver cause they are crap.

dellas1979

Ammmmm no-it was explained to me that the tooth cannot get wet when putting in a white filling. Getting the tooth wet during filling it can affect how durable it is. Nothing to do with swallowing bits.

Basically the dentist covers everything else up in your mouth except for the tooth that they are filling. Bit weird, but hey it works!