“Can I replace my silver fillings with a different substance?”

You can have your amalgam fillings removed. You have to make sure your state allows dentists to do this. Personally, the last time I placed silver fillings was a few years after dental school. PENNSYLVANIA took a while to allow silver fillings to be removed by patient requests. Our office stopped placing silver fillings. When we could not legally remove silver fillings, we did not like the way silver fillings looked. Our office did not place any new silver fillings. There are clinical reasons why dentists do not like silver fillings. Some insurance companies will not pay for removing silver fillings unless there is clinical evidence that the filling needs to be replaced. The composite, resin materials are great. They are tooth colored. With all RESTORATIONS, I ADVISE ALL PATIENTS TAKE CARE OF THEM. DO NOT CHEW OR BITE INTO HARD CANDY, ICE, APPLES, NUTS, ETC. EVEN IF THE SHELLS ARE REMOVED OR USE YOUR TEETH LIKE TOOLS. MANY DENTAL INSURANCE COMPANIES WILL NOT PAY TO REPLACE A RESTORATION THAT HAS BEEN RECENTLY PLACED.

This is something that is very easy to do. You just need to express your desires to your current dental provider. The most notable change that the dentist would make would be to replace the silver fillings with a white filling material known as composite. I would recommend discussing risk vs. benefit of this treatment prior to completing it.

Yes, silver fillings can be replaced by tooth-colored materials. This is only necessary if the filling has broken or the tooth is decayed under or around the old filling. Silver fillings are perfectly safe...I have some myself.

The best choice would be tooth-colored materials.

You can replace them with composite white filling to get the old silver fillings out. If they are real large then you may need crowns

This is a very topical issue with research dentist as classically metal fillings were more dependable in the back part of the mouth where grinding occurs and the white aesthetic feelings many times with paste and a polymer which is tooth colored are placed in the front two for cosmetic purposes. Changes to the effectiveness of these materials over time has allowed both to be modified to such an extent that cosmetic fillings that are white in color or tooth colored can effectively be placed in back to you so as to harmonize with the original natural enamel. These require fastidious hygiene as they are not as effective in preventing Decay as the metal fillings used to be. Your dentist will be happy to point out the recent changes in research to your better dental health based on his own experience and the conditions you present when you are in the chair.

Silver fillings and their tooth colored alternative, acrylic composite, are the most common types of 'direct' filling material. They are placed in one visit and last around 9 years on the average. They are relatively inexpensive in the short term because they can be placed so quickly. However when they need replacement nine years later, the damage and subsequent filling will be larger and deeper. Restore a tooth often enough and it will break or the nerve will become involved requiring a root canal. The long term solution is with 'indirect' restorations which include gold or its tooth colored counterpart ceramic. These materials will last indefinitely but are harder and more time consuming to create. This makes the short term costs more expensive but the long term less expensive. Most important not having to repeatedly drill the same tooth will be far more healthier for the tooth in a lifetime.