I have six amalgam fillings I want to remove and replace with the white ones. It is not just because of the look of them. I am uncomfortable with having mercury in my mouth. My dentist says it is unsafe to remove them, which has me like, “yeah, that is why I want them out of my mouth to begin with.” Is there any truth to what he is saying or does he just not want to remove them?

Stacey

Dear Stacey,

I can understand your concern. The answer is it depends on who is doing the removal. In order to switch out amalgam fillings for the composite ones, you need a dentist who has the equipment for and understands how to do a sanitary amalgam removal. Your best bet would be to look for a mercury-free dentist or a holistic dentist. Either of them should know what to do. This procedure protects you from inhaling any mercury vapors or swallowing any of the mercury pieces.

I have to say it sounds like your dentist is very old school and is not doing a great job keeping up with all the developments in his field. Some dentists just get comfortable with the way they’ve always done it and are not interested in changing what “works”. If you are fine with that then by all means stay with this dentist. However, it sounds like you are wanting someone with more advanced knowledge of where the industry is currently.

The best dentists do more than just the required professional development courses and are constantly striving to add to their knowledge and skill base. It may be a good time for you to shop around for a new dentist while you research dentists who do a sanitary amalgam removal.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.