I have a mouth full of silver fillings. Because I have a super wide smile and tend to open my mouth when I do, everyone can see them. I don’t want to force myself to change how I smile because I like just being who I am, but admittedly, it is embarrassing these days. As my teeth are starting to show their age anyway, I wondered if when I whitened my teeth it would whiten the fillings as well. If not, can I just “exchange” them for the newer type of white fillings?
Lacey
Dear Lacey,
People with wide smiles have some of the prettiest smiles. I don’t want you changing that either. Nor do I want you feeling self-conscious about your teeth. While teeth whitening is a fantastic procedure for getting rid of stains and making your smile look years younger, it only works on natural tooth structure. This means your fillings will stay silver. However, there is a solution.
You can change out your old fillings for new ones. There are many benefits to that aside from having a natural looking smile as well. Your bond will be stronger. There won’t be any sensitivity from metal conduction such as you get with the amalgam fillings you currently have. As the fillings age, you’ll never have to worry about mercury leakage.
Safely Getting Rid of Mercury-Laden Fillings
You may not be aware of this, but the largest ingredient in silver/amalgam fillings is mercury. This is a highly toxic substance when ingested. In order to exchange your fillings safely, you will need to see a dentist who knows how to do a sanitary amalgam removal. Without that, you will end up swallowing some mercury as well as inhaling mercury vapors. With it, you’ll be protected.
Your best bet in finding a dentist with the experience and equipment to do this properly will be to see a mercury-free dentist. You can do a simple internet search to find one.
As for the teeth whitening goes, you can do this either before or after you exchange your fillings.
Best of luck.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.