Dentist Messed Up My White Fillings

I needed a filling on two back teeth. I told my dentist I wanted white fillings. He tried to talk me out of it saying they were back teeth and no one would be able to see them. Plus, it would save me money. I explained to him that it wasn’t about the appearance but the mercury content in the silver fillings. He told me the ADA says the silver fillings are perfectly safe. But, I insisted so he agreed to do white fillings. I’m wondering if I should have gone to a different dentist to have it done. My teeth give me a zing every time I chew on something even the least bit hard. I can’t figure out what’s going on because if I just clench my teeth I can’t make it happen. It’s only when I eat. Do you know what’s going on?

Annabeth

Dear Annabeth,

Two images. One with silver amalgam fillings. One with mercury-free white composite fillings

This is one of those situations where dentists don’t know why it happens, but they know how to fix or prevent it. However, a dentist without a lot of experience with white composite fillings may not know about this situation. It sounds like your dentist is one of those.

When he tried to convince you not to get white fillings, it’s likely because he doesn’t normally do them and wasn’t sure he could. They’re a completely different bonding technique than their silver grandpa. But, your dentist wants to please you so he tried anyway.

The weird thing is this happens more often with small fillings. No idea why. The good news is, there is a solution.

Fixing Your Mercury-Free Fillings

You have a few options to solve this issue.

Option One: Have your dentist redo the filling using a self-etching primer.

Option Two: Have your dentist use a glass isomer base under the filling. This prevents the filling from being bonded directly to any dentin.

Option Three: There’s a chance your dentist won’t know how to do these techniques. In that case, you’ll need to schedule an appointment with a mercury-free dentist. They’re more familiar with the techniques. You won’t have to switch dentists permanently unless you want to. But, unless your dentist spends some continuing education hours to learn more about composites, you’ll need to go to two dentists. One for your general care and the other to do anything like fillings or cosmetic work.

If Your White Filling is on a Front Tooth

I’m not wishing you any further cavities, but if at some point in the future you happen to need a filling on a front tooth which would be visible, you may want to consider teeth whitening. Here’s why.

Composite fillings are wonderful and can be made to match your teeth exactly. However, once they’re bonded to your teeth, the color cannot be changed. Teeth whitening only works on natural tooth structure, not on any dental work such as fillings or porcelain crowns. Therefore, if you’re considering getting your teeth whitened at some point, it’s in your best interest to get them whitened before your fillings are made. That way it can be made to match your bright, beautiful new color.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Steven Collins.