Tag Archives: Mercury Free Fillings

My dentist doesn’t want to do white fillings.

I have a back molar that needs to have a filling. I asked my dentist about getting a white filling, because it looks so much better than the ugly silver ones, but he did not seem to want to use a white filling in my back tooth.  What should I do? I hate the way the silver fillings look, and I heard something about them containing mercury.

–Addison from New Orleans

Dear Addison,

This is a tricky situation – you should always avoid pushing your dentist to do something he does not feel comfortable doing. Your dentist may be reluctant to put a white filling in your back molar because he is not confident in his ability to do the job properly. The placement of white composite fillings is not required training in dental schools, so a dentist must seek training above and beyond his dental school training to know how to effectively place a white composite filling, particularly in the back of the mouth.

That being said, if you are really sure you want a white filling, you will want to seek a dentist who is trained to place white composite fillings properly.

You are very right – white composite fillings are much more attractive than silver amalgam fillings. And you are also correct about the mercury – silver amalgam fillings are more than 40% mercury by weight, and whether or not that mercury is toxic to the body is a hotly debated subject in the world of dentistry. Some research seems to indicate that small amounts of mercury are released when chewing, but it has not been determined that the amount of mercury released is toxic. Many people choose to err on the side of caution and go with the white composite fillings.

Again, you should always avoid pushing your dentist into doing something he is not comfortable doing. This often has a less than satisfactory result. To locate a dentist in your area who is trained to place white composite fillings, check the referral list on mynewsmile.com.

For more information on white fillings, check out our website.