White Fillings on Back Teeth on the NHS

brook2jack

I'm sorry but being pregnant does not entitle you to composite fillings. It simply put means you cannot place amalgam whilst pregnant ( on the nhs in Scotland no restriction any more in England or Wales though there used to be).

In practice it means you place a temporary filling such as glass ionomer if you feel amalgam is the best choice and place amalgam after baby born.

There is no real scientific rationale for this approach and it is a left over from a previous dental contract.

nikki2804

brook2jack wrote: »

I'm sorry but being pregnant does not entitle you to composite fillings. It simply put means you cannot place amalgam whilst pregnant ( on the nhs in Scotland no restriction any more in England or Wales though there used to be).

In practice it means you place a temporary filling such as glass ionomer if you feel amalgam is the best choice and place amalgam after baby born.

There is no real scientific rationale for this approach and it is a left over from a previous dental contract.

Well the information provided by the NHS to the dental surgery and on to me (and I can't see the NHS just wanting to throw money away - although that is another issue) was that ANY pregnant or breastfeeding mother in Scotland is entitled to white fillings on any tooth which can be claimed back via the NHS. I for one cannot stand metal fillings and would gladly pay to have white instead (maybe im just vain) but given the option to receive them for free then I'll take it and I am only passing on the information for other expectant and new mothers. (Dental expenses is really the last thing you want at this time)

I can see your argument; my dentist gave me a temporary filling as he didnt want to do anything while I was expecting but it was a white filling after I gave birth (after my first post argument)

The reason I was given was that whatever is in the white filling is safer for the baby whether in the womb or through the breast milk.

Toothsmith

nikki2804 wrote: »

The reason I was given was that whatever is in the white filling is safer for the baby whether in the womb or through the breast milk.

Only if you ignore the organic resins it's made of!!!

I was at a lecture recently where the guy giving the lecture summed up the differences between the two materials very well.

"It's like squirrels and rats" he said. "Both essentially the same animal, but one is seen as cute and fluffy, the other get's complaints to Environmental Health"

Both are disease ridden flea-bags that you really don't want to have anywhere near your house - but one has good P.R.

esio_trot

hmm, I think I'll have a chat with the dentist at some point anyway. I need a few fillings, most of which I've already opted to pay the additional fee to be white so it can't hurt to ask and see if I can't save some pennies in the process.　

brook2jack

"Well the information provided by the NHS to the dental surgery and on to me (and I can't see the NHS just wanting to throw money away - although that is another issue) was that ANY pregnant or breastfeeding mother in Scotland is entitled to white fillings on any tooth which can be claimed back via the NHS"

NHS regulations are often complex and misunderstood particularly by health boards who are not experts in them.

Composite fillings are complex to do and not the material of choice in large cavities anyway. There is no code and therefore no remuneration given for large composite(white ) fillings. You and the surgery were wrongly informed and there is no special arrangements for pregnant women to recieve composite fillings.

Also the regulations only ever applied to pregnant women not breastfeeding women. To avoid being too graphic you can produce a matb1 certificate to prove pregnancy but breastfeeding??

Ellie2758

i had a couple of white fillings to replace amalgam ones a few years back. Both lasted less than a year and I was told afterwards that the material was not as strong. Why didnt they tell me this BEFORE I paid for them I wonder.... I had them replaced with amalgam.

esio_trot

brook2jack wrote: »

Also the regulations only ever applied to pregnant women not breastfeeding women. To avoid being too graphic you can produce a matb1 certificate to prove pregnancy but breastfeeding??

I think the breastfeeding bit is wrong - the exemption form runs up until your child's first birthday, therefore covering most breastfeeding mothers. That's certainly what happens up here anyway.

Toothsmith

Ellie2758 wrote: »

i had a couple of white fillings to replace amalgam ones a few years back. Both lasted less than a year and I was told afterwards that the material was not as strong. Why didnt they tell me this BEFORE I paid for them I wonder.... I had them replaced with amalgam.

It's not really that it's not as strong - I have one in a friend of mine which I did when we were students, and it's still there 20yrs later.

It's just that they are much harder to do well. (And to balance it up - I also do the occasional one that doesn't last well as well!!)

You can bung amalgam in virtually any old hole, and even if the cavity is swimming with saliva, it has a fair old chance of lasting. Perfect for high-speed low-skill conveyor belt stuff.

To do a white filling that lasts though, you need to really know what you're doing, and have the time to do it.

If your dentist always seems to be in a rush - whether private or NHS - then avoid having white fillings done there. It will do more harm than good.

Only have white fillings done by a dentist who is happy to book appointments of good length, and take his/her time.

Unfortunately though, that time will only be available from an NHS dentist if they have some other form of income (Like a lottery win!).

xxvickixx

Can someone clarify if having a non white filling while breastfeeding is potentially dangerous to the child? I did not know this and suspect that I will need a filling when I next brave the dentist, I wouldn't have even thought to ask this question, let alone see if it was covered by the NHS.

Toothsmith

To all normal and practical measurements of risk - no, it's no problem having a filling when breast feeding. Of any material.