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Should I replace amalgam filling due to age?

2 replies

smudge44 · 21/05/2018 11:42

Hi All!

I had a six monthly dental checkup and to my relief the dentist said I had no cavities (hurrah!). However she went on to say that a filling on my upper back right tooth was showing its age and she advised replacing it. It's an amalgam filling and a fairly big sized one.

I have not had any pain in the area, the filling is not chipped or shown any sign of weakness and the dentist did not give a particularly strong reason for doing it other than age. There was no "this filling has a crack in and its rotting your tooth inside" warning.

As instructed I booked an appointment for the replacement - but have started to wonder if its worth messing around back there. I have heard the process isn't particularly good fun with the old metal drilled out, Mercury vapour flying about and then reports of toothache from all the trauma the following days.

Part of me is tempted to put this work off - but of course I'm not the expert and perhaps I should listen to the dentist who know's their stuff more than me.

Has anyone else been advised to replace fillings based on them getting a bit old? And for those that have had filling replacement, any stories good/bad how it went afterwards?

Many thanks,

James

OP posts:
smudge44 · 21/05/2018 11:44

Probably should add by old the filling is approx 10 years old.

OP posts:
solarscope · 21/05/2018 12:12

I was told the same but I didn't want it to be replaced because the filling itself was fine (and I hate the drilling bit). A year later a crack had appeared and it was replaced. The filling wasn't too big and was about twenty years old.

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