NHS and white fillings?

Toothsmith

All the regulations say is that the dentist should use the 'appropriate' material.

There are many cases where white filling could be described as 'the most appropriate material' - particularly if a cavity is small. Back tooth or front tooth.

But usually, on a back tooth, amalgam is perfectly appropriate.

brook2jack

The op was offered amalgam fillings. That is what the health service is there for to secure dental health not to provide the most cosmetically pleasing option.

Composite (White) fillings are technique sensitive and time consuming to apply and for large fillings such as op described very demanding fillings to do. No dentist would provide such a filling on the NHS they would go bust in a week. Moreover in Scotland and NI they are specifically banned from doing so.

Op has a choice pay NHS and have amalgam fillings or pay privately and have tooth coloured fillings.

As said before you cannot ring round and bargain shop prices for fillings as they are priced by size etc and a dentist has to examine you first.

art_for_arts_sake

My two penn'orth. As much as it costs, dental health is important because it can have profound effects on the whole of the body. There's evidence that the bacteria associated with gum disease can damage your heart and circulation so keep brushing those pearly whites and floss well, and visit a dental hygienist which IMHO is just as important as going to the dentist.

As for the diet, crisps and other starchy foods which cling to the surface and fissures of the teeth are equally as bad if not worse than sugar for promoting decay. Also, acid erosion can dissolve the enamel, exposing the softer dentine.

Most of my teeth that have been filled are worn on the biting surface where the dentine, which is more prone to decay, has been exposed but I also have a sweet tooth so basically my teeth don't stand a chance.

I'm not inclined to support the genetics theory but my son, wife and her father all have excellent teeth so there may be something in it. For the first time for years I'm having to pay for my teeth to be sorted so I feel your pain.

I'd bite the bullet (not literally:D) and go with the white fillings if I were you, they aren't white but should be tinted to match the teeth if the DP is conscientious and has good colour matching skills. They won't last as long as amalgam which is one reason why they're not offered on the NHS. Interestingly many of the Polish dentists working in this country will have had little experience of amalgam fillings as composite fillings are the standard over there.

morganedge

jimmy2times wrote: »

Breakfast: bowl of cereal (something like 'fruit 'n' fibre) and a cup of coffee (1 teaspoon of sugar)
12pm - bag of crisps
2pm - 1 and a half sandwiches - usually cheese and pickle or ham and salad cream.
3pm - cup of coffee from the cantine - 1 teaspoon of sugar
7pm - dinner; usually something like chicken and chips or macaroni chesse.
8pm - coffee 1 teaspoon of sugar.
10pm - cup of tea - 1 teaspoon of sugar

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that's basically it. I guess it's the sugar in my coffee taht's doing the damage?
However, - i have friends who only have 1 filling or so who eat a hell of a lot of chocolate and drink cans of cola all day etc. I personally think genetics account for a lot more than people realise in relation to practically everything.

Not to go off topic, but your diet has loads LESS sugar in it than mine, and pretty much everyone I work with! (frequency and amount)
Most people I know have what you have as well as one or 2 chocolate bars as snacks during the day, fizzy drinks scattered throughout, and a pudding after dinner etc.

So, I'm also of the opinion that your genetics override everything(despite what some here have said).
You can have a perfect ''tooth diet'' and still have weak teeth susceptible to decay etc.

When you cut out the sugar in your coffee, you'll basically be living without anything sweet in your diet at all. No treats. Eattin will be boring. Maybe you can just live off cheese and milk? That's supposed to be good for your teeth?

brook2jack

I'm sorry but all the research , clinical evidence , experience shows that frequency of sugar ingestion is directly responsible for decay. Looking at teeth under the microscope shows that ,apart from a few rare syndromes, there is no such thing as weak teeth. Yes you can have a dry mouth or poorly buffering saliva which doesn't neutralise acid so well but for the vast majority of people more than three sugar attacks a day equals decay.


Dental decay is the most common cause for hospitalisation of children. More than 50% of children have decay by the age of five.

The average Briton eats seven times a day.

95% of dental treatment IS avoidable.

During the second world war when sugar and sweets were rationed dental decay rates fell dramatically. Numerous studies have shown rate of sugar consumption is directly related to decay. Eg Eskimos had no dental decay in their population until they developed a more western diet with consumption of processed sugary foods.

Historically tooth decay was a disease of the rich because only they could afford sugar and honey to sweeten things. As society became richer tooth decay increased.

Not just sweets contain sugar many foods like pizzas , soups, sauces, ready meals contain sugar and a diet of processed foods can add 67 spoons of sugar a day to your diet.

Yes you can have treats and eat/drink sugary things but no more than three times a day.

Tooth decay has been studied intensively for at least 100 years and the overwhelming scientific view is cut down number of times a day you eat sugar and you will not get decay.

As to all the people who say well my mate eats nothing but mars bars and has no problems, really? Have you examined their mouth ,taken x rays? Have you done a proper diet sheet for every day with times for consumption? You can eat 27 mars bars a day in three sittings and will have less problems than someone who has half a spoon of sugar in their five cups of tea a day. It's frequency of sugar consumption that's the problem not how much you eat.

It is very very very frustrating for people to think a disease is normal when a few simple measures could stop it in it's tracks. Decay is not inevitable but the fact is after years of decay rates falling they are increasing again due to societies addiction to every increasing amounts of sugar.

Every time you eat or drink something sugary it takes an hour for the acid to disappear afterwards. So suck that peppermint every couple of hours to keep your breath fresh or sip at that "healthy" fruit juice during the day and your teeth are almost continuously under attack.

There are parents out there of severely disabled children who do have syndromes with weak teeth. They are given the advice about diet and cleaning and many of these children never need any dental treatment because the diet advice is taken seriously. Dental decay is preventable. Full stop.

Faith177

I had to pay £160 for a single white filling

Dentist said white fillings are not on the NHS in my area

Toothsmith

jimmy2times wrote: »

Thanks for the info about the diet.
I eat pretty much the exact same things Monday to Saturday whilst i'm at work doing manual labour.

Breakfast: bowl of cereal (something like 'fruit 'n' fibre) and a cup of coffee (1 teaspoon of sugar) Cereal Will have sugar in it, and you add it to your coffee
12pm - bag of crisps What flavour? Ready Salted & salt 'n' vinegar are probably the only two that won't have sugar in them. Plus, the starch in the crisps will break down in your mouth to something sugary if left around the teeth too long.
2pm - 1 and a half sandwiches - usually cheese and pickle or ham and salad cream. Both Pickle and Salad Cream contain sugar
3pm - cup of coffee from the cantine - 1 teaspoon of sugar Sugar - obviously
7pm - dinner; usually something like chicken and chips or macaroni chesse. Ketchup with the chips? That has sugar in it, or brown sauce which also does. If the Macaroni Cheese is a ready meal or from a can, that will have sugar in it, as will the chicken if that is 'processed' in any way too. No pudding afterwards? A Yoghurt?
8pm - coffee 1 teaspoon of sugar. Sugar
10pm - cup of tea - 1 teaspoon of sugar Sugar - and being close to bedtime, when the salivary glands are less active, the sugar in this drink is particularly damaging. It won't be rinsed off the teeth as quickly.

---

that's basically it. I guess it's the sugar in my coffee taht's doing the damage?
However, - i have friends who only have 1 filling or so who eat a hell of a lot of chocolate and drink cans of cola all day etc. I personally think genetics account for a lot more than people realise in relation to practically everything.

So - you have a diet with a good 7 sugary intakes a day.

This is the reason for your tooth decay.

CATS

Hi OP,

I have one very small white filling done on the NHS as I am allergic to something in the other fillings, cant remember what it is. The dentist did the work as an NHS patient. This was a long time ago tho so maybe its different now and it was a really small filling.

eliviajen

thanks for the information on my "white" filling, I thought it was a funny shade of white to be a cosmetic white one, but it was certainly different from the other metal grey so makes sense that it is probaly a different type of composite. Sorry for confusing things!

SmallL

Iv always had white fillings (im 20) i have about 7-8. No idea why though, they are reasonably small (but im no expert).
I find brushing my back teeth (the sides on the upper jaw) extemely hard because theres very little room to maneouver, coupled with clamping my jaw at night meant i cracked 4 teeth and had them all filled in one sitting!