If an old amalgam filling is still doing its job, Dr Ian Davis usually recommends leaving it alone. Why, and what to know if you'd still like it changed.
Key points
- If a metal filling has lasted years and is serving you well, it is usually best left in place.
- There is no good evidence that existing metal fillings are harmful.
- Removing an amalgam filling creates more exposure than leaving it in place.
- White fillings take more time and skill to place, because moisture can cause them to fail.
- The aim is always to be conservative and limit the treatment you need.
Transcript
Hi, this is Ian Davis from BDS Dental.
A common question that I'm asked by patients is whether they should have their amalgam, or metal, fillings removed, and whether white fillings are actually better. Often patients have had these amalgam fillings in their mouth for many years, even decades, but they may have heard that they are unhealthy, or they've looked at them recently and don't like the way they look.
To give my short answer: if the metal filling has been in place for many years and is actually serving the patient well, I usually recommend that the filling should be left in place.
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There is no research to show that metal fillings are unhealthy. In fact, if one is concerned about the metal being absorbed into the body, then removing an amalgam filling actually creates more exposure than leaving it in place.
However, some patients really will still want the filling removed, and if that is the case it can be changed into a white filling. The main difference with a white filling is that it is more difficult to place. That means it takes more time and skill, and one has to be more careful, because any moisture that gets between the filling and the tooth can actually cause it to fail, whereas metal fillings are much more forgiving.
So I think it's always very important to be as conservative as possible, to limit the amount of dental treatment that you need, in order that your teeth will give you a lifetime of working with you.
So this is Ian Davis from BDS Dental, where we always want you to be dentally smart.
