Will I pay extra for a white filling and are silver fillings safe?
Q: Will I pay extra for a white filling vs. a silver filling?
A: If you do not have insurance you will typically pay about $20 more for a white filling than a silver filling. If you do have insurance, it depends on if your insurance company “downgrades”. What does this mean? Some insurance companies (about 60%) say they will pay 80% on fillings, but this is 80% towards the cheapest alternative, silver. If your insurance company downgrades their fillings, you pay about $20 extra per filling to have a white instead of a silver amalgam filling.
Since the great majority of our patients want white resin fillings, our office policy is that we assume that this is what you want unless you specifically tell our staff prior to your treatment that you prefer a silver filling.
Q: Are silver amalgam fillings safe?
A: An amalgam filling is a blend of copper, silver, tin, and zinc, bound together by elemental mercury. Safety concerns are because of claims that mercury vapor can cause a variety of health problems. Mercury is a toxic substance for the body when exposed to high, unsafe levels such as has happened when people have eaten fish carrying high levels of mercury in them. However, the American Dental Association (ADA) states that when the mercury combines with other elements in silver fillings, it becomes an inactive substance and is safe. The ADA maintains that reputable studies have failed to find any link between silver mercury fillings and any medical disorder.
The general consensus is that amalgam fillings are safe. Along with the ADA, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization, and FDA support the use of silver fillings as safe.