BerkshireFamilyDental – Dr. Chehayeb - June 2009

Dental Replacement of Toxic Fillings

Many people, especially those who are at least 40 years old, are walking around with hazards just waiting to happen in their teeth – although they may not even know it. That’s because dental fillings done in earlier decades were made primarily from metal. Dentists in those days routinely used silver and other types of metal alloy – including highly toxic mercury – to mold the fillings they used to fill cavities.

Of course medical technology has become more advanced over time, and in the latter part of the 20th century all dentists began to use much safer, healthier, and less reactive substances to use for filling material. Go to a dentist today and he or she will most likely offer you several options for your fillings, including polymer, porcelain, and gold. None of these deteriorate as fast as metal fillings, and they also do not experience the same kinds of adverse chemical reactions over time that cause them to do harm to your teeth and overall health.

One of the basic and most common problems with old fashioned metal fillings is that metal – including pure silver – reacts with the environment as time progresses. Metal exposed to any moisture – including the tiny amount of moisture in the air inside your home – will eventually begin to rust, for example. But if the metal is inside the mouth – where is stays wet and exposed to moisture every minute of the day – it will certainly oxidize and tarnish. As a piece of silver tarnishes, it not only loses its luster and shine but it becomes enlarged. Sometimes the change in size is hard to detect, because the silver is simply adding molecules a little at a time as the surface becomes covered with tarnish or oxidation. But gradually this enlargement and corruption can cause a tiny filling inside the mouth to expand enough that it can actually crack the tooth it is sitting within, as it pushes outward.

Cracked teeth are one of the main complaints of people who have old metal fillings, and they are expensive to fix. But replacing metal fillings with more modern and healthy ones made from a higher grade of material is a relatively inexpensive and painless procedure.

Another problem with metal fillings is that they begin to curl up around the edges and work themselves loose from the surrounding tooth. You may even feel a metal filling starting to bend and curl, because they often develop sharp or jagged edges that you can detect by running your tongue across the tooth. Badly misshapen fillings may even cut into the gums, but what happens with most of these old metal fillings is that they simply curl up in a way you never notice. Then there are gaps left where the filling pulled away, and food gets trapped in these tiny openings. Soon bacteria develops, cavities occur, and because this is all happening beneath a filling it is hard to stop through regular brushing and flossing. A loose metal filling can quickly lead to a diseased root canal and create serious health problems.

The good news is that the solution is easy. Just ask your dentist to remove your old metal fillings and replace them or update them with new ones that will not give you any problems. It’s as simple as that, thanks to modern dentistry.