silver vs. composite tooth cavity fillings

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Has anyone had personal experience with either health problems relating to silver fillings (which have mercury in them) or with durability of the new composite fillings? I'm wondering if there's any good evidence that there's a health risk with the silver fillings, and if there's evidence that the composite fillings last as long as the silver ones.

I'd like to hear from people who've had personal experiences with either situation, or maybe someone you know personally has had an experience you can share. Share your stories! Very Happy

Thank you

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As a kid my dentist gave me four deep metal fillings on my molars. They lasted about 20-30 years before 3 of my molars cracked, chunks of tooth broke off because of the expansion of the filling which pretty much took up my whole tooth, weakening the shell of my enamel over the period of 2-3 decades. In the last 3 years, had two root canals and three of my molars were drilled down, rebuilt, and now have crowns.

I never noticed any other health-related problems that could point back to having mercury/silver/metal fillings when I was younger but I did suffer a heart problem over a year ago - right around the time that I was having a large cavity with a large metal filling fixed/removed. My doc tested me for everything under the sun and finally came up with a handful of possibilities - acid reflux disease, stress and/or dental issues that may have led to the heart problem.

Oh and when I did have one of those metal fillings replaced with a composite filling, it didn't last, although I have heard of other people being very happy with composite fillings - including the fact that cosmetically they look much better.

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Thanks, Heeven, that's interesting. I'll keep all that in mind as I'm asking around and deciding which one I want.

Maybe more people will share as well.

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My daughter had a cavity scare when she was really little, about 18 months old. We had composite put in because it's probably healthier (when I was intensively researching it I remember that there was nothing too definite, more err on the side of caution) and because some of the cavities were in obvious places and composite would match the color of her teeth. She's only lost two teeth so far and neither had cavities, the composite fillings are still going strong. (She's almost 6 now.) Really happy we went with them.

Check how your insurance treats them -- our insurance wouldn't cover the composite, only amalgam (that's what the silver-colored fillings are called, right?), and it ended up being a pretty penny.

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Yeah, it really makes me wonder about the composite if the insurance won't pay for them.

I guess if they do it right, they last.

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The thing about the metal fillings is - in order for the dentist to do these, they have to drill deeper into the tooth, taking away healthy enamel as well as the cavity because the material in the metal needs more space.

The composite material is better suited to fill in small holes in teeth as the dentist doesn't have to drill too much into the good tooth and it 'bonds' to the tooth rather than invading it like the metal above.

I think metal fillings made my molars weaker over the years so that now I have no choice but to have them filed down and crowned.

If I had to do it all again, and if of course composite fillings had been available when I was younger, I would go with the composite. Less overall damage to the natural tooth.

and that's not taking into consideration costs or mercury toxicity.

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but the one thing about the composite fillings ... you need to find a dentist trained to do them. A lot of dentists are not up-to-date and it is a far more difficult procedure than the regular amalgam training which all general dentists have. This is one of the reasons why composite fillings are far more expensive. It's not so much the material is more expensive than metal, it is the specialized training that a dentist is required to have to be able to do it properly.

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I had metal fillings in all of my molars. Just recently, I had most of them replaced because they were cracked or deteriorating. A few years ago I had one fall out because my tooth had decayed behind the filling. And yeah, the silver fillings have to be anchored in the tooth so they end up drilling out a lot more tooth to put them in. I have a lot of composite fillings now, and I was told they last just as long as the silver ones. They definitely look better.

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Good point.

Our current pediatric dentist was ooohing and ahhhing up a storm when she was examining the work of our previous pediatric dentist (the one who put in the fillings). She looked me in the eye (I was in the office while sozlet was being examined) and said "that guy did good work." It was obvious from context that sometimes not-good work is done.

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I have several of the silver fillings. I had one similar problem that heeven described with the molar breaking - it was actually quite alarming that a piece of my tooth broke off - they replaced it with a crown (no root canals needed for any of my teeth as a result). I have also had my silver fillings for over 30 years. The dentist did mention that eventually these will need to be replaced as they will fall out or I could have similar issues.

I had a couple of fillings replaced with the composite. My insurance did cover up to the cost of the silver filling and I had to pay the difference. The reasoning is the silver fillings are cheaper and does the work, while the composite is simply for cosmetic purposes. The difference was so small it was definitely worth it. I haven't had any issues with them and have had them for several years.

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Insurance definitely varies re: composite vs. amalgam. I don't remember the exact difference for us, but it wasn't small at all -- something like $400.

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sozobe wrote:

Insurance definitely varies re: composite vs. amalgam. I don't remember the exact difference for us, but it wasn't small at all -- something like $400.

Wow that's terrible! Mine was like $20. Check with your insurance carrier because obviously there is a huge difference.

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So would it be worth changing my silver fillings in my molars with composite, or is the damage already done?

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I definately think it would be - even just for the cosmetic reasons. I would check with your dentist and insurance to see how much you would have to pay.

I still have some silver fillings, but it is because I am a wimp and will only have a dental procedure when necessary. But when they need to be replaced, I will get the composite.

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I've had composite fillings in my both of my first inferior premolars, and, I think, my two superior first molars since about the age of eigth or nine. I'm near forty now, and I've never had a problem with them. And you can't even tell they're there.

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Linkat wrote:

I definately think it would be - even just for the cosmetic reasons. I would check with your dentist and insurance to see how much you would have to pay.

I still have some silver fillings, but it is because I am a wimp and will only have a dental procedure when necessary. But when they need to be replaced, I will get the composite.

Don't check with your dentist -- likely they don't know about your specfic plan, though they may think they do and tell you that it's covered.

Happened to me when I had all of my old amalgam fillings on one side replaced a few years ago. Cost me several hundred dollars.

Had the other side done with the amalgam.

As to replacement -- I don't think I would bother unless there's a good reason too (which is to say, unless the old fillings are failing, say, or they are very old, or there is decay underneath the fillings). No procedure is without risk, and the process of drilling out the old fillings -- particularly if they are big ones -- can be intensely unpleasant if you're sensitive to vibration.

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patiodog wrote:

Linkat wrote:
I definately think it would be - even just for the cosmetic reasons. I would check with your dentist and insurance to see how much you would have to pay.

I still have some silver fillings, but it is because I am a wimp and will only have a dental procedure when necessary. But when they need to be replaced, I will get the composite.

Don't check with your dentist -- likely they don't know about your specfic plan, though they may think they do and tell you that it's covered.

That is why I said check with your dentist and your insurance. See how your dentist feels about the procedure and verify with your insurance on the coverage. My dentist did not charge extra for the procedure - but the insurance only covered up to the cost of the silver fillings - so unlike sozobe's experience, the work itself cost the same, I only had to pay the difference in the cost of the material - that is why mine was significantly cheaper. The insurance company will not know how much the dentist is going to charge for the procedure so you need to talk with both.

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Just to clarify, while I agree with the basic idea of checking with both, my insurance (old one, better now) plain didn't cover composite, at all. Amalgam yes, composite no. So we had to cover the whole cost for composite.

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Gotcha, linkat. Thought you meant ask the dentist about coverage, which is where I got burned on this procedure.

My plan also covered the cost of the procedure using amalgam (or, rather, 85% of the cost), but the cost difference was very large -- about $400 for one large and two small fillings.

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patiodog wrote:

Gotcha, linkat. Thought you meant ask the dentist about coverage, which is where I got burned on this procedure.

My plan also covered the cost of the procedure using amalgam (or, rather, 85% of the cost), but the cost difference was very large -- about $400 for one large and two small fillings.

I almost got burnt as well once. My insurance changed and I asked flat out to the person in charge of billing at the dentist office if I would have to pay any charges at all with my new insurance for regular office visit including cleaning. I asked a second time - so I will not have to pay any amount at all - she confirmed "yes". Then I get a bill - they stated oh - with this new insurance you will need to pay 15% as we are not in the network. I fought it out and the dentist ate the difference.

You definately have to be careful - one dentist I went to would actually call the insurance company first before any work - get a written report to give you so you knew exactly up front how much you would have to pay. Protects both the dentist and patient.

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silver vs. composite tooth cavity fillings

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