white fillings

July 26, 2018
Is U.S. Violating UN Agreement on Mercury Fillings?
I thought the United States agreed to phase out mercury fillings when they signed the Minamata Convention Agreement, yet there are still thousands of dentists using amalgam fillings all over the country 5 years later. Can we demand our dentist (and more helpful financially our insurance) stop using them because of the agreement? Maggie Dear…
March 15, 2017
Can Children Have White Fillings?
My pediatric dentist says that children cannot have white fillings. I’m not too keen on putting the silver fillings in their mouth. I heard they’re made mostly of mercury. He says they’re perfectly safe and are made mostly of silver, but I just don’t have a good feeling about it. Is it true that children…
January 17, 2017
What is Mercury-free Dentistry?
I keep seeing dentists call themselves “mercury free dentists”. What does that mean? Bethany L. – Ohio Bethany, Traditional silver fillings, clinically called amalgam fillings, actually consist mostly of mercury. These were first developed in the 1800s. Though the main ingredient is mercury, they called them silver fillings—which makes for better marketing. Mercury is a…
September 14, 2016
Is my dentist trying to talk me out of replacing amalgam fillings?
I recently made an appointment to have amalgam fillings removed from two back teeth and replaced with composite. My dentist kind of “warned” me that there might be some staining on my teeth from the silver fillings and to not expect my teeth to look completely white. Maybe I’m crazy, but it just really felt…
May 19, 2016
Will silver fillings expose my son to mercury?
There’s been a lot of buzz about mercury-free dentists lately and I’m not really sure what to think. I have silver fillings and mine have held up just fine over the years without any issues. But since I’ve become a mom, I tend to be really protective of my son and have tried, whenever possible, to minimize his exposure to…
November 5, 2015
New dentist refuses to fill my cavities with white fillings
I recently moved to a new town and one of the first things I needed to do was find a new dentist because I have a couple of cavities on my back teeth that need filled. A co-worker of mine recommended a dentist, and when I went to see him he told me that he…
September 14, 2015
Is my cavity really too deep for a white filling?
I have cavities on two of my back bottom teeth and I requested that my dentist do white fillings. He insists that I need amalgam fillings because the cavities are too big and deep for the white ones. I’m wondering if that’s really the case or if my insurance is the problem and he’s just…
June 26, 2015
Pain after white filling – will it go away?
My friend recently had a couple of white fillings done by her dentist and I really like the way they look. At my recent appointment to have a filling, I told my dentist I wanted a white filling and he didn’t seem too excited about doing it. He was more interested in telling me about…
May 21, 2014
Do I need to have my fillings replaced?
I recently saw my dentist and he told me I need to have my silver fillings removed and replaced with white fillings. Unless there is something wrong with them, do they need to be replaced? I can’t afford $3600 right now. – Lisa from Illinois Lisa, Over time, fillings will deteriorate and become leaky. Amalgam…