Should I go for a second dental opinion?!
Question: I've had a silver filling on a upper back molar since I was 16. I'm now 28, and he wants to replace it. Sighting that the health of the tooth is not good. Yet, i don't feel any pain, or any symptoms. He used one of the those close up cameras to try and scare me. Do upper back silver fillings normally get replaced?
Answers: I've had a silver filling on a upper back molar since I was 16. I'm now 28, and he wants to replace it. Sighting that the health of the tooth is not good. Yet, i don't feel any pain, or any symptoms. He used one of the those close up cameras to try and scare me. Do upper back silver fillings normally get replaced?
Yep, go for a 2nd opinion. Amalgam fillings can have an excellent lifespan, and should not be replaced for spurious reasons. Everything looks horrible on the cameras, blown up on a 15" screen. So I assume he's telling you that the margins are faulty? I find it hard to believe that a slight chipping of margins is sufficient reason to replace a filling..
12 years is a short time for a filling to cause trouble. I'd seek another opinion definitely.
The silver filling have Mercury in them. It would be good to have it removed and have a white filling instead.
OK, a silver filing can last your entire life, I said "can" not will or would...I am a little concerned that you didn't get more information from the DDS as to why he or she said it need to be replaced...If however the filing has been slowly chipping away that could become a problem for you later on. The fact it's not causing pain indicates that at this time the underlying tooth structures are in good shape. What you need to know is that if the tooth begins to create pain, that means it needed serviced way before the pain hit....Of course you always have the option of getting a second opinion from another DDS. If you do that don't tell him specifically why your there just ask if any of your filings are in bad shape...every profession has people in them who aren't exactly on the up and up. It's your mouth and your teeth, find out the facts.
with the camera the dentist could have seen cracks that allow food to get trapped causing bacterial growth. With x-rays he should be able to see if there is a recurring cavity there, one growing underneath the filling. if he did not take xrays, i would get a second opinion. Also, yes its truethat amalgam fillings contain mercury BUT there has been no proof that the fillings harm you, and taking them out unneccessarily actually just vaporizes the amalgam which seems to me to be worse than it just sitting in your tooth. that said, removal of the amalgam when needed due to caries under the tooth is a smart thing to do. get a second opinion if you dont trust your dentist. he/she should have explained things better to you.