I’ve got a mouthful of 20-plus-year-old fillings in my teeth. They’ve held up marvelously, and have given me nary a problem.
Several friends and family members who’ve had to get fillings recently, however, are constantly complaining about problems with them and having to return to get them fixed or re-filled. The fillings themselves seem to peter out after only a few years. This isn’t just from one dentist, but several.
Is it something in the materials they’re using now? Their techniques? Or is this just a statistical aberration?
“Nothing is so firmly believed as what is least known” - Michel Gyquem de Montaigne
Well, I definitely don’t know, so don’t take my word for it. But, maybe it has something to do with the fact that the fillings they use these days are non-toxic. I believe all the fillings they used 20 years ago contained considerable amounts of mercury and other toxic stuff you wouldn’t normally want in your mouth.
Yep, the old fillings were an amalgam mix of silver and mercury. I don’t know what the new ones are made of, though they are non-toxic as suggested, but I’d have to vote for the statistical aberration scenario. I don’t know anyone with the new fillings that has complained about them.
I just got off the phone with a cow-orkers husband who has been a dentist for over 35 years. His take on it is this:
It is mostly apocryphal evidence. But if there are problems with modern fillings, it may be due to COST constraints. Years ago, they fixed your problem the best they could. Now, they have to figure in the cost as a factor.
Here’s a link that might shed some light on the problem.
There are a couple of variables that may be contributing factors here.
– The size of the filling. The larger the hole, the less effective a composite filling may be.
– Newer composites have a protective sealant placed ove them. This sealant deteriorates over time and should be renewed periodically. If it is not replaced, the tooth may be susceptible to further decay. This will cause a filling to become loose in its drilled pocket.
– Composite fillings are simply not as strong as the old amalgams.