Have you had a look at your silver fillings lately? Probably not. But everyone else will have, every time you laugh or yawn, they are on display.
Go on, have a look at them in the mirror. Would you say they are silver? They’re not really, are they? They’re more of a dark, glinty grey. They don’t look very nice, do they?
And yet these are what you are showing to those around you every day. Your fillings. Would you rather not? Well, there is a way to get rid of all that evidence of a childhood of not too many skills with a toothbrush and a few too many dips in the sweetie bag.
You can replace those so-called silver fillings with white fillings, either all in one go or over time.
If you have all your amalgam fillings taken out and replaced with white fillings, it will probably take a few sessions, especially if there are a lot to replace. Whenever we remove an old silver filling, here at Harley Street Dental Practice in Harley Street, we are very careful to get all the filling out of your mouth so that you don’t inadvertently swallow any of it. Mercury, once it’s not safely stowed away inside your tooth, is a toxin and swallowing it can be harmful.
Or we can replace your silver fillings gradually, putting in a white one every time an old silver one wears out and needs to be replaced.
We can also just give you white fillings if you develop decay and need a new cavity filling in.
White fillings are much stronger and more durable these days, so they are in fact a better bet than silver ones. This is especially so because we don’t need to remove as much healthy tooth material to fit a white filling, which means your tooth remains stronger for longer. We can also sculpt white fillings to give you back your chewing surfaces, which is not possible with silver fillings.
Want to find out more? Give us a call or ask about white fillings next time you come in for a check-up.