Toxic amalgam fillings

[Ray]

Hi, I’m 48 years old and have lots of amalgam fillings in my mouth. I’ve heard that amalgam fillings are toxic and can lead to all sorts of problems such as dementia and Parkinson’s.

I’m very concerned. Can you advise me? Do I have a problem? Should I get my toxic amalgam fillings changed to white fillings? How much do you charge for replacing silver fillings to white fillings?

I would need to have these silver fillings changed to white fillings under IV sedation, so if you could please quote the IV sedation cost as well.

Thank you.

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Hi

Thank you for your post. There is a lot of debate around the use of silver mercury fillings and the possible harm that they may cause.

However its worth knowing that across the country many dentists still use amalgam fillings and if these fillings were really as toxic as some claim, many patients would have become very ill and the department of health would have banned silver filling on safety grounds.

So personally, I am not convinced that silver fillings are dangerous but obviously if in future new evidence comes to light, we may change our views on this subject.

As we are a cosmetic dental clinic, we place very few silver fillings as most patients do not wish to have silver fillings on cosmetic grounds. If you wish to have your silver fillings changed to mercury free fillings you will need to first see us for an assessment of your current fillings.

Cost of changing silver fillings to white fillings ranges between £45-£150 per tooth depending on complexity.

IV sedation costs either £120 per hour if carried out by a dentist or £240 per hour if carried out by a specialist anaesthetist.