Amalgam (Mercury) or White (Bpa) Fillings

silver fillings can cause more trouble down the road as they expand and contract. I am going next week to get three redone from my childhood that have cracked my teeth and have caused a lot of pain for me as an adult. I didn't know about BPA in the white fillings.

Hi V.,

The mercury in amalgam fillings (Silver) is less than what you would consume in a can of tuna fish. The tooth colored fillings do contain BPA but also trace amounts. Another thing you should know about tooth colored fillings is that it doesn't last as long as the silver fillings so you'd find yourself (or your 6YO) in the dentists chair in a few months.

Hope that helps! Good luck!
A.

I agree with Lo B. I'm not sure where you are located, but if you're close to San Antonio, I recommend Dr. Paul Wilke. He is an alternative dentist that will recommend what is best for your son. He uses low radiation x-rays and definitely does not uses mercury amalgam fillings. His website is totalmouthfitness.com

I am so glad you are knowledgeable about amalgams! Living in Austin, I would go to Dr. Griffin Cole, a biological dentist. www.griffincole.com/ He will use tests to determine what will be the best arrangement for your son.

It seems strange to me that a small amount of mercury found on a classroom floor would require the classroom to be cleared of chldren and, because it is a toxin, is to be removed only by trained officials.
It seems strange to me that the amalgam, before entering a mouth, is considered toxic, but once it is in the mouth is it not.
It seems strange to me that "Mad as a hatter" refers to the production process involved using a mercury compound, mercury nitrate, to remove fur from pelts and turn it into felt more easily. The result was that the hatter often went "mad as a hatter".
Again, it seems strange to me that all of the above indicates mercury is a toxin unless it is in someone's mouth.
Remarkably, the FDA's website no longer claims mercury is harmless. The language has now been changed in dramatic fashion, reading: "Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetus."

A little about me:
I am an about to be Gandmother who has been in the holistic field for almost 20 years. I have a passion for health.

Does he have to have the fillings or are they just preventative caps? My dentist didn't cap my teeth even though I could have. Other dentists are always wanting to cap my child's teeth. But, I don't allow it. Research the effects of if they do leak, the symptoms that you will notice faster or not at all, etc. And, then choose the one that would do the less damage or would be noticeable easier and faster so they could be removed before further damage. These decisions are hard. Just make the most informed decision and then don't worry about it after that.

I have both types in my mouth. For looks I would go with the white/ porcelain fillings. Also the five min reasearch I just did looks like they are suggesting using porcelain instead of plastics. As porcelain dose not contain the harmful bpa. Ask your dentist. I work with clay and its basically a fine grit dirt, when heated it changes color and becomes fused together. Now what they have added to the clay after extracting it from the ground is another story.

Michelle L was thinking of Sealants which are generally applied only to the back molar type teeth because they're the hardest to reach. They're only to prevent though, not fill cavaties. I have 4 of those & they've lasted since I was like 15. They're only supposed to last a few yrs. but I've proven that theory wrong apparantly. As for answering your question, if it were me, I'd go w/the white resin. Although I've had my fillings since about your son's age & I really feel that there really isn't THAT much murcury in them to cause a fuss over. I think fish from the lake contain more mercury in them & I haven't experienced ANY side effects. I have 4 fillings, all of my relatives have the mercury fillings as other people I know & they haven't had any mercury effects either but if it were me, next time I'd go w/resin since it's now available. Firstly, it's much stronger & healthier than the silver/amalgam fillings. Plus, if it's a large filling, then more inside enamel has to be removed due to the cavity to fill it & can cause micro-fractures which will later end up cracking if he bites down 'wrong' on something. I'm not saying this will happen to him, according to his situation, but it happened to me & 3 dentists said the same thing, cracks are caused by firstly, having the cavities & the larger cavities make it happen more often because the amalgam fillings are more "pliable" which means they "shift" when you bite down because the amalgam is softer & can cause the fissures to be more prominant & because it's softer, it can flake off or even come out if it's not in there good or can cause the tooth to actually break off later due to cracking, etc. I've had my amalgams since I was young (refused to brush but after having 4 fillings done at once, I was a good brusher after that) but I've noticed over the years the cracking & the fillings actually getting smaller because they flake off. I eventually had to have two crowns put on the two bottoms because of cracking & BELIEVE me, it was NOT fun! My dentist said the other two may need crowns in the future too. The resin is much stronger in that it "adheres" to the tooth, is a hard substance & won't cause shifting & cracking later on, plus it matches the tooth in color & isn't noticeable. Definitly go w/the resin. It may cost more I'm not sure but if I have a need for a filling next time, I'm going w/resin, it's worth it in the long run!

I think mecury is an immediate and longterm issue-exposure doesn't go down but up from what I undertsand, so I would go for the white w/ potential for exposure over definate and immediate exposure. We are exposed to so many things on a daily basis, I know it's scary and you want the best for your child. I just had my silver filling changed for the white and if my child needed dental work I would opt for the white for them too.

My kid's dentist suggested some kind of a protection that is applied to teeth to prevent cavities. We did it last yr. I forgot the name, but it isn't fluoride. Ask your dentist about it. It is supposed to keep cavities from occurring.

Hello!
I know that mercury is not what I would want for my child.
I have those fillings from the 1940's...and recently just found out about a liquid product that actually removes the mercury and all heavy metals out of the body by urination.
If you are interested in more information, please let me know. Sincerely, M.

I have been a hygenist for 9 years. Honestly, wether it is baby tooth or an adult tooth I would select the white filling. The qualitiy's that the resin(White) fillings have completly outweight the amalgam fillings. I would think it would be hard to even find a dentist that offers amalgam fillings. But, if the dentist recommends the amalgam, then I would take his advice. There are many factors to consider that you may not be aware of. For example, how large is the filling and excatly what surfaces it is located on the tooth? When it comes down to the bottom line, amalgam fillings have been around for decades, with great results. If it is a financial issue, then dont feel bad to choose the less expensive one. You may want to consider doing some at home fluoride treatments to prevent further decay.

Amalgam fillings for children are a perfectly safe option. One advantage of amalgam over resin is a time factor. The process is quicker since there is no need for curing time. With young children this can make the dental experience more pleasant. Talk with your Pediatric Dentist for their opinion or visit the American Dental Association website: www.ada.org. There is an education section for the public. Here is an except for that site regarding amalgam fillings:

Dental amalgam is a stable alloy made by combining elemental mercury, silver, tin, copper and possibly other metallic elements. Although dental amalgam continues to be a safe, commonly used restorative material, some concern has been raised because of its mercury content. However, the mercury in amalgam combines with other metals to render it stable and safe for use in filling teeth.

While questions have arisen about the safety of dental amalgam relating to its mercury content, the major U.S. and international scientific and health bodies, including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization, among others have been satisfied that dental amalgam is a safe, reliable and effective restorative material.

As much as I do not want the silver in my mouth, the silver fillings are actually stronger than the white fillings. The white fillings have been known to leak to too (leak the cavity, not so much the bpa), so you would have to get them redone sooner. If it is a deep cavity in a permanent tooth, then I would probably go with the silver filling. I had this debate with my dentist about my teeth just the other day and went with the silver filling.

I have both in my mouth and I am a happy normal functioning adult who is graduating from college in May. If the fillings need to be done then just get them done, if the teeth are easily seen then get the white ones, if not then get the silver ones. There has been conflicting research about the dangers of BPA, so, really who knows... but if you don't have the fillings done then it will cause a whole bunch of new problems. You are writing in so you are obviously a good, concerned mom so just go with your gut. Good luck!!