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Are composite (white) fillings safer than amalgam (silver) fillings?

By October 10, 2008 - 2:42pm
 
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I have a few silver fillings that I worry about due to the mercury in them. They also look - well, not so nice but it's the significant amount of mercury living in my mouth for decades now that I worry about.

I'd like to get them removed and replaced with white composite ones. Are they safer? And do they work as well as "traditional" silver ones?

Thanks

Add a Comment19 Comments

As far as BPA Free composites go, "Manufacturers are not required to disclose all of the ingredients in their products. Moreover, many use little-studied compounds such as triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) and urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA) that may or may not pose risks of their own."

That BPA Free Holistic Dentist may either not know their fillings contain some other toxic ingredient or something that eventually turns into BPA, or they are running a nice little scam playing on everyone's fears. Either way, choose your poison... nobody is getting out of here alive.

June 8, 2017 - 7:33am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Had much inflammation develop. My immune system was attacking itself. Had much amalgam removed and felt better almost immediately. No amalgams ever again for me.

August 13, 2015 - 8:09am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

You'll want to find a holistic or biological dentist to Safely remove your amalgam fillings. This is extremely important.Then you should get the amalgams replaced with BPA free composites. Removing amalgam fillings and replacing them with white composites(BPA) is like jumping out of a fire and into a frying pan. The amalgams removed should also reverse any candida or yeast one may have. Mercury works like an antibiotic.

Some of the above people are very ignorant about this subject they will say things like "oh some dentist are just trying to make Money by removing them",well they would make just as much,if not more money by putting amalgams in your mouth than taking them out. You Don't want to mess with mercury,get them out!

August 8, 2013 - 9:31pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I have seven silver fillings in all two are really small and on the side of the tooth and none of them are really big. I've had them for about 20 years maybe a little longer, but my question is over time do they change into a safer form of mercury and for about six years now ive suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks even to the point where i have become a agorapphoia unable to leave the house for almost 5 years now can my mercury fillings be the cause of this? I've thought about pulling my teeth myself are the silver fillings. Any thoughts are suggestions because i just started to take clay baths watch what and how i eat

April 14, 2013 - 6:44pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Anonymous)

I don't suggest pulling the teeth out yourself. The mercury gases might go into your body

June 20, 2013 - 11:19am

That article is laughable at best. Within the second paragraph it's established itself as manipulating the results to sensationalize a headline. If BPA is a mediator or moderator for behavioral problems, then so is drinking water and school lunches. They don't even bother to name the actual measure used... I'll see if I can hunt down the journal article it's based off of and see what the results actually say.

As for other people claiming my need for evidence is flawed thinking, go ahead and rip out all your amalgam fillings and replace them with composites. Be careful, though, because according to the above article if you do that for kids they'll develop behavioral problems. This makes my point beautifully- there's a difference between being health conscious and being health paranoid. There is ALWAYS a company out there who will take advantage of people by skewing research results- whether it's so you'll get more expensive fillings or get your kid on mood stabilizing drugs. It's a sad, sad world of hype and hegemony.

July 19, 2012 - 2:30pm
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

What do you think of this article: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/16/us-tooth-fillings-idUSBRE86F02Z20120716?

July 19, 2012 - 10:56am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

composite is the best, a dentist put one for 70€ so...

May 31, 2012 - 3:18am

I agree with the dentist above me, but I speak from personal experience. I have both composite and amalgam, and the amount of decay that happens with the white composite is so much more. I've never had a metal taste in my mouth from amalgam nor any issues with decay, but my white composites need re-sealing about every 6 years:( It adds up, especially for a doc student without dental insurance.

Also, I've read up on both and haven't found any research to support amalgam being dangerous. It might not look as pretty, but until there's irrefutable evidence to support it being dangerous, I'm not buying into the hype.

June 8, 2011 - 9:00am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous (reply to Astridhaze)

Hello AstridHaze. An absence of evidence to support amalgam being dangerous doesn't necessarily mean amalgam is not dangerous. Amalgam releases mercury vapor which is dangerous, and it does erode into inorganic mercury over the lifetime of the filling, which again IS dangerous. Moreover, no evidence in support of amalgam's 'dangerousness' only means that no causal relationship between amalgam and any disease has been PROVEN with evidence. This type of flawed thinking is equivalent to saying: "Breathing air with extremely small amounts of arsenic in it daily has not been proven in STUDIES to cause disease and is therefore safe". But, breathing arsenic daily surely has a cumulative dangerous effect.

June 2, 2012 - 7:24am
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