Perhaps you have heard that there's a new way to have your fillings done now, there's a new kind of filling. If you hadn't, you probably wouldn't be reading this article, as the pros and cons of silver amalgam fillings wouldn't matter, given the fact that they'd be your only option. But nowadays it's all about choices. You can choose your cell phone, hair dye, nose, and so on-why not your fillings, too?
    The long and short of it is that you can, and that silver amalgam fillings are perhaps not your best choice. They are cheaper, it is true, than their counterparts-called white composite fillings-but consider a few other things.
    Let's say you have sensitive teeth. Let's say that when you eat ice cream a sharp pain shoots through your head, and the same thing happens when you eat hot soup. They have special toothpastes now that can help with this problem, but if you get a cavity you're in real trouble no matter what toothpaste you use. Because a cavity means that a dentist is going to come along and drill right into the afflicted tooth, dig out the rotten stuff, and replace it with-you guessed it, a filling. You can bet that your tooth will be much more sensitive from then on, even more sensitive than it was before. Even when it has healed from the trauma of drilling etc., you're going to have a problem. That is, you're going to have a problem if you've chosen silver amalgam fillings over white composite fillings. Because metal, as everyone knows, is a great conductor of heat and cold. Not only is metal a great conductor of heat and cold, heat and cold tend to stick around a lot longer if they've got metal to rest in. And all of this means that you, Mr. or Mrs. Sensitive to Cold and Heat, have just had your troubles increased significantly.
    Every time you eat something hot or cold, that is, the sensation is going to dig right down into your tooth, much like the dentist did with his drill, and it's going to linger, and linger, and linger.
    So much for silver amalgams and heat and cold sensitivity. What other things should you consider when choosing between silver amalgam fillings and white composite fillings? If money was not a problem, which should you choose-the silver or the white?
    Another thing to think of is the difference in appearance between silver amalgam fillings and white composite fillings. Whereas white composite fillings are, well, white-kind of like your tooth-silver amalgam fillings are, well, silver-until they've sat around in your mouth for a while, whereupon they'll start to darken, and before you know it it looks as though you've got a mouthful of dirt.
    Choosing silver amalgam fillings also means saving less of your actual tooth. When using white composite fillings, dentists are able to drill much narrower holes than those required for silver amalgam fillings. Having more of your original tooth means having a stronger tooth, one that's less liable to crack or fracture under pressure later on.
    Finally, there is some question about the health risks involved in choosing silver amalgam fillings over white composite fillings. Now, it's obvious that silver amalgams must be relatively safe, otherwise your aunts and uncles wouldn't be as hale and hardy as a they are. I mean, given the fact that there's a good chance they're walking around lots of silver in their teeth. On the other hand, as they say, it's better to be safe than sorry, and why not choose something a tiny bit more safe than something a tiny bit more dangerous?
    These are a few things to keep in mind when considering whether or not to go with silver amalgam fillings. Silver amalgam fillings are a perfectly good option, and saving money is always good. But many dentists are switching over to white composite fillings exclusively, and I think you'll find that difference in dollars isn't all that much.