Baton Rouge Dentist

Can I whiten my teeth if I have fillings?

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Hello! I am a woman in my early fifties and am interested in whitening my teeth. However, I have a filling on one of my front teeth that is not the exact same color as my teeth. I am concerned that the filling will not whiten like my natural teeth. Will this be the case? If so, do I have any other options?

Thank you,

Karen

Dear Karen,

You are correct. The filling will not whiten. You can address this by first whitening your teeth. Then, after a couple of weeks have passed, have your filling resurfaced to match your whiter teeth. It is crucial that you wait a couple of weeks before doing this in order for the whiter tooth color to settle after bleaching. If you resurface too early, you’ll chance running into the same problem with the colors.

If you have any tooth decay, you will need to have this addressed with a dentist prior to whitening, then redo the fillings at a later date.

Are my fillings making me sick?

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I have been getting more and more sick. My doctors can’t figure out what is wrong with me. I’ve been doing some research on almost anything to try to see if I can come up with anything. Through that I learned that amalgam fillings are loaded with mercury. My mouth is full of fillings. Could that be what is making me sick?

Annette- Boston

Annette,

I couldn’t tell you what is making you sick. I can tell you that the American Dental Association has said that amalgam fillings are safe.  I know many patient’s are growing increasingly concerned. If you’re worried, I suggest you contact a mercury-free dentist in your area and ask if they do sanitary removal.

They can take out the fillings and exchange them with composite fillings. You could at least see if that helps you feel better. At the very least, it will give you peace of mind that you at least tried. Plus, composite (white) fillings are better for your teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.