Yes, you can change your silver fillings except most dentists in Minneapolis who have your best interests in mind, will not recommend this to you.
One reason for this is the cost. It would be quite expensive to have all your amalgam fillings replaced, if you have several. If it’s only a question of one or two, then this reason becomes moot and academic.
A second reason why you can defer replacement is trauma to your teeth with the silver fillings. Replacement to tooth colored filling will mean drilling and this can cause unnecessary damage. Why fix something that is not broken?
Third, if you drill unnecessarily and the dentists Minneapolis successfully removes the silver filling, there is a chance of trauma that will cause discomfort or even pain. This is because the mercury tends to expand over time, causing minor fractures in the tooth.
These fractures can go unnoticed for years and not cause further damage. Removing the silver filling will expose these fractures that could even result in root canal treatment if located near a nerve. The pain, if any, could last as long as 14 days.
Naturally removing unsightly silver filling can be a huge relief for several reasons as well. One, it will make you look better if you laugh with your mouth wide open. Two, you stop fears about pre-cancerous substances in your mouth, whether it is true or not.
Three, tooth-colored fillings are much more durable than silver fillings, and if done properly, will last a lifetime. This means for the rest of your life, you need not fear about anymore scares about mercury in your teeth.
The real question to ask is, should you change the silver fillings in your mouth, and you should, but only if it is causes you distress, emotional or otherwise. With tooth-colored fillings, you do not have the problem of staining from the mercury content of silver fillings. Thus, when you open your mouth to eat or laugh, you do not expose darkened teeth.
In fact, if you have a filling done today, chances are pretty high that you will be given a tooth-colored filling, and not a silver filling. Amalgam fillings are old school, and eventually be something of the past.
You don’t even have to worry about appearance of the tooth –colored fillings because they have been designed differently for the front teeth and the back teeth. The front teeth have a slight shine or gloss to it, for aesthetic reasons, whereas the back teeth, which we use for grinding and chewing is made of stronger material.
Tooth-colored fillings have the added advantage of being open to sealants for young children, and thus, can still be protected from unnecessary decay.
If you have worries about your silver fillings, go in for a check-up and consult with your dentist in Minneapolis. Talk to your dentist about your concerns, and ask for his recommendations.
He will need to do a diagnostic on every silver filling you have and check its status.
Then, and only then, should you start debating whether you need to replace your amalgam fillings with tooth-colored fillings or not.