Okay, way outside our normal discussion topics here. I had my first ever composite filling this evening, fun, huh ? It was in a tooth that had an existing silver (amalgam) filling, and had cracked - i.e. the work was to address the crack rather than a new cavity. The old amalgam was removed, the crack was ground out, and the tooth was filled/restored with composite. The crack was not bad enough for a crown, so this route was chosen instead.

As long as I can remember, fillings were always silver. Every other filling I have is silver. I have read various articles online, and composite fillings appear to really be strongly supported with numerous sites describing their benifits over silver. And the insurance companies finally are paying the same % benefit for composite as silver (although the dollar cost may be greater).

So, to my query. Are there other Dawgs or forum members that have had composite fillings for any length of time? How are they doing in terms of function and longevity? Any dentists, spouses of dentists, or others in the dental / medical field have any comments or feedback to add?

Moose (with a lower right jaw still numb...glad it doesn't affect typing).

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--> Born in 1972 and unable to PM or post without an editorial review, ! <--


No moose hunting without a license ! Licensing fees available by request .
Why hunt moose anyway? We're just big, slow, dumb, and make for easy kills...oops.

I have two composite fillings and It's so natural I forget that I even have them. Been about 2 years now and have never even had a 2nd thought about them

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I, too, have had a few of the old silver fillings drilled out and replaced with composite. I've also had a few that were composite to begin with, and these have never had to be drilled out and replaced. It's my understanding that the silver fillings can loosen over time and cause further damage.

In my previous job working with disabled children, a few of the more, shall we say... nutty parents were having the silver fillings drilled out of their Autistic kids heads for fear of heavy metal poisoning, although there is zero research that indicates such a risk.

I saw a dentist speak recently at a nursing conference, although most of the boring details escape me for some reason. My take is that the composite is the result of newer and better technology, bringing dentistry out of the dark ages. Plus, they look nicer.

All I know for sure is that my request for a gold crown was denied on the basis that the metal is too soft to use as a chewing surface on a molar. I wanted a gold tooth like the chic in the Beastie Boys song "hey ladies..."

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Git yo' bling on Olga!

I have both, but I prefer the composite fillings.

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"Down with democracy... we need more dictatorships"! Galamoth
"Derms, celebrate your independance"! Babz

I wonder about how much the change has to do with the bottom line...$$$! It is no secret that the composite fillings cost the patient more. The real question is do dentists profit more from using composites, or is the net the same take as silver? Is the change for their pocket book, for the patient, or for both?

I did read various articles that touched different items:
-potential metal/mercury poisoning from the amalgam.
-lifetime of a composite is still projected to be less than silver.
-composite bonds better to tooth, making cracking less likely than silver.
-composite obviously looks better.

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--> Born in 1972 and unable to PM or post without an editorial review, ! <--


No moose hunting without a license ! Licensing fees available by request .
Why hunt moose anyway? We're just big, slow, dumb, and make for easy kills...oops.

i see 2 from yours that i also read on the net the mercury issues and the potential cracking of silver vs composite.

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