Which is better: silver or white fillings?

In two weeks, I am getting two fillings in my back teeth. My dental office recommended silver fillings because they are cheaper and will be going in a less visible location. However, I've heard that the metal can exacerbate sensitivity to temperature. I'm quite sensitive to cold food and beverages. Should I pay the extra money to get a white filling, or go with silver? Is one more durable or less likely to fall out than another?

Which is better: silver or white fillings?
I would definitely go with silver, because they won't be visible when you smile and silver actually has LESS sensitivity than composite, or white fillings. Sensitivity can literally never go away with white fillings, but with silver they will last longer and have less sensitivity. Sensitivity with silver fillings will go away in about 3-6 weeks, where with white it can take 8-12 weeks or longer. When you get fillings on your back molars, you have to consider what you use them for....chewing up food. If you crunch on hard candy or ice, you have a greater chance of breaking a white filling, compared to silver. Definitely choose silver, it's cheaper and better!
Reply:I prefer the white filling but only because of the appearance of the silver ones. Because it's not in a visable location, no one will probably notice anyway so if you don't have the extra money go with the silver. I never had sensitivity issues with either.
Reply:go with the silver
Reply:i have silver and i hate it. my teeth are sensitive! i also have white and when i talk people stare and think i have huge *** cavities. go with the white.
Reply:i'd go with the white... it's


natural looking and won't


show evidence of bad habits...





that's what i have!!
Reply:My dentist told me that silver filling is more durable than white filling.





I have had mine for something close to 5 years now and I have not felt any kind of sensitivity, though I've never had any (before or after the fillings). In your case, you mention that you already have sensitivity, but I do not know if it will worsen, maybe by switching toothpastes.
Reply:I had silver, changed them to white, and had to change them back to the silver because the white made my teeth super sensitive.
Reply:If you can afford it get the white ones because yes the metal ones are aweful..I wish I had the white ones!


good luck and I hope it doesnt hurt too much.
Reply:white is the more natural colour and wont be so obvious


i have them and their fine :D
Reply:The white fillings are less noticeable BUT the silver fillings are stronger and last longer. I've had silver fillings since I was 12yrs old and now that I'm 32, they are the originals and I haven't had any problems with sensitivity- just don't chew on aluminum foil. My son (who's 6) has the white filling and we've had to go back twice to get them filled because they keep falling out. Good thing it's a baby tooth. Good Luck!
Reply:I have two white fillings that I've had for a a few years now.


They are very unnoticeable and have never caused me any problems.


I would say spend the extra money and get the ones that will keep your smile pretty :)
Reply:I would pay extra, because the white looks better when like you open your mouth and talk, people are gonna be like what is in her mouth!? like, i think the white would be better because youre sensetive to the coldness of food.





good luck!





i had one 2 weeks ago, they arent fun. :X
Reply:i've heard that they use silver in the back because it is cheaper, yes, but because it is more sturdy and doesn't really need to be replaced, as white fillings do. white fillings are great for front area teeth. i have silver in my back, which i hate, but have white near my front teeth area. if i had the choice again, i would get white because they look better. but keep in mind, that because they are back teeth, nobody can see them, and silver does do a better job.
Reply:It is true that amalgam fillings contain mercury. But it is also true that composite fillings contain Bisphenol A and silica. Amalgam has been used for 160 years, and not one bit of scientific evidence has linked it to any disease process. That is why they have not been outlawed. The amount of mercury that leaches out of the fillings is infinitesimally small and I have read that eating some fish gives you more mercury exposure. The safety of composite fillings is now being questioned and researched.


Amalgam is a much more durable filling material, so it is much better to use on biting surfaces ie your back teeth.


The lifespan of an amalgam filling is in the 20 year range. Composite fillings on back teeth may last 5-7 years. They last longer on front teeth. This is because composite fillings are bonded to the tooth. The bond of composite is great to enamel, but almost nonexistent to dentin. When filling a back tooth, unless it is just a shallow occlusal filling, there is very little enamel and a lot of dentin. So you are not getting a good bond to most of the inside of the tooth. On front teeth, a traditional cavity preparation has more enamel than dentin, so you are getting a better bond of composite to tooth.


Also this is why amalgam fillings are better for children's teeth as they do not have as much enamel as an adult tooth. Put a composite filling in a child's tooth that needs to be there longer than a couple of years, and you will have to redo it.


Amalgams are very easy to place and the least expensive material. Composites are very technique sensitive ( for example you need to etch the tooth for a specific number of seconds or the tooth must be completely dry of saliva to ensure the best bond) and are more expensive than amalgams.


Composite when it is hardened by the light, shrinks. This shrinkage results in microleakage that results in recurrent decay under the filling. Again this is why they need replacement so soon. When removing a composite filling the tooth underneath is guaranteed to be soft, so you will lose some more tooth. When taking out an amalgam filling, the tooth underneath may have some decay, but more often than not is hard and maybe a little black.


These are the facts as I, a practising dentist sees them. I know if it were me, I would have composite fillings in the front, and amalgam in the back (unless I could afford a lab processed composite or porcelain inlay or onlay).


I hope this helps some....it is a hard call to make sometimes.





You may want to check out this site;





http://www.dentalwatch.org/hg/myths210.h...





jkrmn ....are you a dental professional? If dentists have a high suicide and drug abuse problem, it is not because of amalgam. It is because performing dentistry is a very stressful occupation, with a lot of pressure and difficult situations and patients to deal with, a very expensive business to run with a lot of staffing issues. It has nothing to do with amalgam. Your inference that the two are related is ignorant and shows how uninformed you must be.


There may be over 900 reports on the dangers of amalgam, but there is not 1 scientifically proven JOURNAL research that proves that amalgam fillings are dangerous. Can you really trust other nations to be 100% accurate. Isn't prostitution and recreational drug use legal in some parts of Europe such as Denmark. Obviously we here in North America disagree with that also.


In fact, dentists and assistants and around a lot of amalgam. SIGNIFICANTLY more than the average person. We place the fillings and we remove them all day, every day. And yet dentists and their auxillaries have no more higher mercury levels than do other people. And they have no more higher incidence of disease than do other people. And believe me it has nothing to do with the masks we use. Masks and gloves are simply universal barriers between a patient's mouth and a dentist's nose and mouth which are less than a foot apart. Besides if you listen to the dentist's who are making a killing removing amalgam from patient's teeth and replacing them with an inferior material...composite, then don't you need a hazmat suit with scuba type respirators so you don't breathe any of the mercury contaminated air??


You are simply an uninformed and frightened individual. You should not be getting either composite or amalgam fillings but either gold or porcelain inlays and onlays. But oh ya...that is a lot more expensive than your basic filling.


What is next jkrmn ...are you gonna slam fluoride??
Reply:The amalgam filling is much more durable, but I personally decided to have my amalgam fillings replaced with composite and I don't regret it. I have one composite filling next to an amalgam (both on my back teeth) and the amalgam just looks awful. I can't wait to have that one replaced too! Also composite expands and contracts more naturally, just like your tooth does, making it less likely to become sensitive.





My dentist doesn't charge differently for amalgam vs. composite either, but then I'm in NZ so perhaps it's different :)





Basically I've traded looks for practicality, but I'm comfortable with the fact that I'll have to keep up the composite and that it will require replacement more often - because you can't even tell i have fillings with the composite, and that's important to me.
Reply:AMALGAM DANGERS





Don't believe Dave F.





It is true that mercury containing fillings have been around for a long time but while they are still legal in the USA, they are not legal in all nations of the world. Tobacco is legal too but that doesn't mean it doesn't have health risks.





While the reason for your question is not related to health risks, you really should consider the health risks associated with mercury containing fillings. Did you know for instance that the suicide rate for dentists is higher than any other profession?





There is an abundance of information to be found on the dangers of mercury in fillings [over 900 reports].





Do yourself a favor and read the info on the links I have posted below. After reading it you may realize that the reason the dentist and his assistants wear face masks is more likely to protect themselves from the mercury vapors.





These links also go into the answer to the question: Why the ADA still claims mercury fillings are safe?





The first link below contains a chart based on a study of 1569 persons with various different health problems and shows how many were improved or cured by having their mercury fillings removed. Note: Not all were cured because mercury isn't the only thing that affects these conditions. My wife has high blood pressure. We feel like we've tried everything to get it down and nothing is working so we are looking into this possibility. She only has 7 fillings in her mouth and we aren't about to get them removed or replaced until medical testing indicates this may be the cause of her problem but we are determined to never get any new mercury based fillings in the future. Then again what about the health risks of composite fillings??? You have to wonder... are they any better? http://www.dentalwatch.org/hg/myths210.h...





BY THE WAY, are you sure you need fillings? When our daughter was in her early teens she went to a new dentist in town and was told she had 5 cavities. She got 3 filled and was suppose to go back to get the other 2 done. Never went back. Years later she went to another dentist and was told she had no cavities! gee, what happened to the other 2? My wife has 7 fillings in her mouth that she got when she was in her teens and was a foster child so the state paid for her medical and dental bills. She married me when she was 18 and now she's 59 and she has never had another filling since. Beware of dentists who drill holes in perfectly good teeth just for the money.