Hello,
I am new to this forum stuff but hope to catch on soon. I have a lot of problems which may be related to fillings. I am also not wealthy. 1) Are there many of you out there who have had teeth pulled, instead of fillings replaced, due to cost? How has that turned out? 2) Also, for the future, what kind of fillings, that can be put in by a regular dentist, are not toxic and are compatible with the usual amalgams. I have read that two different kinds of fillings can cause problems when in the same mouth. Is there such a a thing as a porcelain filling, and, if so, is it durable? I ask this question for my kids who have some small amalgams in place and need some other small fillings in the near future.

Thanks [color:"green"] [/color]

I'm sure you will learn fast <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I only started reading about all this stuff in June, but now know so much that I didn't know then <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I don't think there is much difference cost wise between a filling and an extraction. It depends on the dentist. One was going to charge me more for pulling the tooth than filling it, the other was going to charge me less. I considered having the teeth pulled instead of filled, but one thing to consider is how this effects the bite etc, and I have a poor one as it is.

I think the main problem between different fillings is between metals i.e. amalgam and a gold filling. This can cause various electrical activity i.e. they carry voltages. This is not a good combination to have in the mouth. Having composite and amalgam together I don't think causes particular problems, but I might be wrong.

From what I've read not all the composites are "non-toxic", just less so than amalgam. I think diamondlite is one of the only ones that rates zero on toxicty. I think a problem with porcelain is that it is fairly fragile and contains aluminium. Therefore, in my humble opinion, diamondlite is the best to use, if a person is compatible with it (not everyone is). It's a direct composite filling so not that expensive, depending on the dentist one goes too. Not all dentists use it, and thus expense can be incurred in travelling.

Generally the smaller the filling the less the expense. But definitely if I had kids I wouldn't give them amalgam and would pay more to get a composite. The difference isn't that much. but the cost to health of having amalgam can be immense, depending on individual tolerance of it.

This is not uncommon. You have to be careful with bridges. Find out what they contain. Also, many dentures contain mercury for the red color as do red tattoos.

Most people use DiamondLite for fillings and DiamondCrown for crowns. They are both made by Diamond corporation.


No filling material that I know of is 100% safe.

Some contain aluminum (porcelain, ceramics). Many contain BIS-GMAs which can affect the liver and kidneys over time. Others contain copper ("gold") which can have many detrimental affects over time, much like mercury for some people.

No matter how much you love your dentist, always make sure you get a second opinion as to whether or not your child actually needs a filling. An astounding number of people have come to me saying that since they started getting second opinions, perhaps only 20% of the fillings that were claim to be necessary actually were in a second opinion.

I personally believe I never had a cavity in my life yet I had 9 fillings placed.


Porcelain filliings often contain aluminum. NEVER put fillings containing aluminum in a mouth containing mercury fillings. Here's why in a super-short study...

X micrograms of mercury given to 100 rats: ~4 died
X micrograms of aluminum given to rate: ~4 died

X / 2 (divided by 2) micrograms of mercury AND X / 2 (divided by 2) micrograms of aluminum given to 100 rats: 100 died.

Make wise decisions now and your children will thank you forever when this mercury information becomes mainstream.

Hope this helps.