Should You Update Your Fillings?
Those with the older silver filings in their mouths are probably already aware that not only do the silver fillings stand out, but they also leak out and make teeth around the filling appear grey.
With the cosmetic aspect side, there is another disadvantage of the old silver fillings that goes back to the old school of dental thought that did not attempt, as today's dentist do, to save as much of the natural tooth as possible.
As a result those with the silver fillings probably had more natural tooth drilled out than was necessary for the fill and if you want them removed and replaced with less obtrusive white resin, it will require losing quite a bit more of the tooth just to get the old silver filling out.
This is necessary to make sure the new filling will have some solid foundation to grasp onto in order to adhere properly.
The question you may be asking your dentist at this point, as you explore the option of removing the old fillings for new- is it worth doing? There are some obvious advantages to getting new dental fillings to replace the old.
The most obvious is the cosmetic facet.
The older silver fillings don't look good and they are very obvious every time you open your mouth to talk, yawn or eat.
They are not attractive and if you pay attention to the Hollywood stars you probably have already noticed that in addition to very white, straight perfect looking teeth, your Hollywood stars don't have any cavities.
At least they don't have any that you can see.
Another advantage to removing the old silver dental filings comes from the FDA itself, which reported in 2008 that the old silver fillings contain mercury and other metals and may not be safe.
This of course has been an ongoing dispute for years regarding how safe the fillings are since most people who have had the silver fillings for thirty years or more are still alive and there hasn't been any large health risk seen in this population.
The disadvantages to switching to a composite, more natural looking resin fill of course are just as strong as the reasons to not switch your old fillings out.
The composite material isn't as strong as the old silver and isn't recommended for back teeth because it is weaker.
It can also stain from a diet of coffee, tea and cola and it does not respond to bleaching as your natural tooth enamel will.
Another problem with the composite material is that many insurance companies balk at the expense and won't cover the resin fillings.
On the plus side this type of fill does look more natural and it doesn't contain anything harmful such as mercury to leach into your system.
If you are still considering having your old fillings switched out with resin fillings, be sure to talk to your dentist.
With the cosmetic aspect side, there is another disadvantage of the old silver fillings that goes back to the old school of dental thought that did not attempt, as today's dentist do, to save as much of the natural tooth as possible.
As a result those with the silver fillings probably had more natural tooth drilled out than was necessary for the fill and if you want them removed and replaced with less obtrusive white resin, it will require losing quite a bit more of the tooth just to get the old silver filling out.
This is necessary to make sure the new filling will have some solid foundation to grasp onto in order to adhere properly.
The question you may be asking your dentist at this point, as you explore the option of removing the old fillings for new- is it worth doing? There are some obvious advantages to getting new dental fillings to replace the old.
The most obvious is the cosmetic facet.
The older silver fillings don't look good and they are very obvious every time you open your mouth to talk, yawn or eat.
They are not attractive and if you pay attention to the Hollywood stars you probably have already noticed that in addition to very white, straight perfect looking teeth, your Hollywood stars don't have any cavities.
At least they don't have any that you can see.
Another advantage to removing the old silver dental filings comes from the FDA itself, which reported in 2008 that the old silver fillings contain mercury and other metals and may not be safe.
This of course has been an ongoing dispute for years regarding how safe the fillings are since most people who have had the silver fillings for thirty years or more are still alive and there hasn't been any large health risk seen in this population.
The disadvantages to switching to a composite, more natural looking resin fill of course are just as strong as the reasons to not switch your old fillings out.
The composite material isn't as strong as the old silver and isn't recommended for back teeth because it is weaker.
It can also stain from a diet of coffee, tea and cola and it does not respond to bleaching as your natural tooth enamel will.
Another problem with the composite material is that many insurance companies balk at the expense and won't cover the resin fillings.
On the plus side this type of fill does look more natural and it doesn't contain anything harmful such as mercury to leach into your system.
If you are still considering having your old fillings switched out with resin fillings, be sure to talk to your dentist.
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