Tag Archives: mercury-free fillings

Sedation Dentistry

Dentist Wants to Crown All My Teeth

I haven’t been to the dentist is seven years because of anxiety. I finally plucked up the courage because I was tired of being embarrassed by my yellow smile. I told him I wanted to clean them, make sure they’re healthy, and improve how they look. After the exam, which was discouragingly painful, he told me I have 5 cavities. In order to treat the cavities and improve my smile he wants to crown all my teeth. I feel weird about that because not only are the other teeth healthy, but this is quite an expense he is recommending. I don’t have much experience with dentistry. Is this my only option?

Cal

Dear Cal,

woman asleep in the dental chair from dental sedation

The short answer is no, this is not your only option. You are wise to be concerned. The first thing I want to do is address your anxiety and then we’ll talk about your options. It took a great deal of courage for you to go to the dentist. After such a long period, it would be easy to just find excuses not to go. You are certainly not alone in your dental anxiety.

There is dental sedation available for patients in your situation. They can give you a pill that will completely relax you. In fact, some people call it sleep dentistry because patients almost always just sleep through their procedure. This will not only give you pain-free appointments, but it will also allow you to catch up on your dental work much quicker.

As for crowning every tooth, while I have not examined you, nothing you mentioned indicates the need for such a drastic treatment. You have five cavities and you want whiter teeth, is the way I understood what you wrote. If that is the case, all you need to do is have fillings placed on the teeth with the five cavities. Make sure your dentist gives you mercury-free composite fillings, and then get your teeth whitened.

That is faster, cheaper, and much more conservative with your tooth structure.
This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Fillings, Uncategorized, White Fillings

Should I replace silver fillings even if they are fine?

We just moved to a new town and I had my first checkup with a new dentist. I have some older silver fillings in my mouth and this new dentist was talking to me about replacing all of them with white fillings. They have never bothered me, but now I’ve been researching and wondering if I should do it. What do you think?

Allie, Charlottesville

Dear Allie,

There are situations when dentists recommend replacing silver or mercury fillings.

When should you replace silver or mercury fillings?

If the fillings start to leak, bacteria can get under them and lead to tooth decay. Sometimes those fillings will corrode. Sometimes they deteriorate or crack and have to be replaced. If your fillings are falling into one of these categories and there is something wrong with them, it may be worth considering.  Especially if your filling is leaking, that needs to be replaced.

It’s not cheap to replace your silver fillings with white fillings, though. If you are interested in replacing your old fillings because you like the look of it, that’s your choice to spend the money on them. If there is nothing wrong with your current fillings, though, it just comes down to what you prefer.

Most dentists, especially seeing a patient for the first time, will mention silver fillings, and the option to fill them with white amalgam. It let’s the patient know that option is available. That doesn’t necessarily mean it is necessary.

If your dentist spoke to you about your fillings because there is a problem, you could speak to the dentist about having just that one tooth fixed, or if you want to pay for all of them to be white, that’s your choice. There’s no rush to fix all of them.

This post is sponsored by Vista Dorada Dental in Gilbert, AZ.

 

White Fillings

Fillings without mercury

Hi, I have to get my first filling. My dentist wants to do one of those silver ones that has mercury in them. I really don’t want any mercury in my body. My friend Dana said there are white ones that don’t have any mercury in them. Where can I find those?

Thanks for the help, Jennie.

Jennie,

You are wanting what is called a composite filling. However, don’t push your dentist to do a filling he is not comfortable with. He is probably pushing the amalgam filling because that is what he is comfortable with. If you pressure him to do another kind you won’t be happy with the results, because he won’t have adequate training on how to place them.

My recommendation is that you do a search for a mercury-free dentist. They will be very confident placing composite fillings.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.