I am an "old fashioned" dentist (32+ years) who has seen some of the unfortunate side effects of the composite resin ("white") fillings. Did your dentist tell you that they don't last nearly as long as silver amalgam? In many instances it may be as much as double the life for silver compared with white. Also, decay under a white filling may be harder to detect and seems to enlarge much more rapidly than under a silver filling. Why should your care? Because each time a filling must be replaced there is less tooth to support the new restoration. This means that the white-filled tooth is likely to reach the point of needing a crown, root canal or extraction far sooner. Needless to say, the lifetime costs will be substantially greater the more dentistry that is required. I place white fillings, but I think they work best for really small cavities on chewing surfaces and in really clean mouths where sugar is not abused. And did your dentist also forget to mention that some dental composites have known or suspected carcinogens (BPA, a plasticizer found in baby bottles)? Fears about mercury in silver fillings have stimulated special interest groups to lobby the FDA for a ban on amalgam despite the absence of any credible research supporting their claims. And why would they want to see amalgam banned? There's a ton of money in replacing every silver filling, let alone the spinoff business for years to come as mentioned above.
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I am an "old fashioned" dentist (32+ years) who has seen some of the unfortunate side effects of the composite resin ("white") fillings. Did your dentist tell you that they don't last nearly as long as silver amalgam? In many instances it may be as much as double the life for silver compared with white. Also, decay under a white filling may be harder to detect and seems to enlarge much more rapidly than under a silver filling. Why should your care? Because each time a filling must be replaced there is less tooth to support the new restoration. This means that the white-filled tooth is likely to reach the point of needing a crown, root canal or extraction far sooner. Needless to say, the lifetime costs will be substantially greater the more dentistry that is required. I place white fillings, but I think they work best for really small cavities on chewing surfaces and in really clean mouths where sugar is not abused. And did your dentist also forget to mention that some dental composites have known or suspected carcinogens (BPA, a plasticizer found in baby bottles)? Fears about mercury in silver fillings have stimulated special interest groups to lobby the FDA for a ban on amalgam despite the absence of any credible research supporting their claims. And why would they want to see amalgam banned? There's a ton of money in replacing every silver filling, let alone the spinoff business for years to come as mentioned above.
February 10, 2011 - 4:42pmThis Comment
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