Is it EVER okay to fill healthy teeth??

Hello, and thank you in advance


for taking my question!!





When I was fifteen years old (almost


25 years ago, now), our family dentist


put silver fillings into FIVE of my


molars, following a routine checkup


one afternoon.





I had NO cavities (not even a speck


of decay) in ANY of my teeth at the


time.....








....but the dentist told my mother


that the many "pits %26amp; fissures" in


my back teeth would probably turn


into cavities "someday," so he wanted


to fill them all THEN, as a "preventive"


measure.








Fast-forwarding to the present, all


of my teeth are just fine now EXCEPT


FOR the five teeth that my dentist


drilled out and packed with amalgam.





ALL FIVE teeth are now gray in color,


are cracked, and (I was recently told)


are going to need a LOT of work done


on them in the near future.








My question to you is.... Should this


dentist have known better??





Or was it "state of the art" at the


time to fill healthy teeth as a "preventive"


measure??

Is it EVER okay to fill healthy teeth??
Yes this dentist should have known better. Same thing happened to me. I strongly believe the intention behind it was to make a quick buck, rather than "prevent" anything. In those days, they didn't even take x-rays, so it's impossible to prove anything (that's assuming those dentists are still alive today). What one of the previous posters said about "fillings should be replaced every 10 years" is simply not true - they should only be replaced if necessary (leakage etc.). Funnily enough, I had the same dentist who did the first lot of "preventative" amalgam fillings remove them and redo them after 3 years as a "preventative" measure *sigh*...





I don't think it was "state of the art" at the time, but rather, people were less likely to question and sue supposed authorities.
Reply:You Should Have Them Checked At They Might Contain Lead Or Other Heavy Metals
Reply:It seems these teeth needed sealants instead of fillings.
Reply:I'm not a dentist (nor do I play one on tv), but this doesn't sound right. I'd be concerned about this. At the very least, he should be paying for all of your repairs at this point. Yikes. Good luck!
Reply:I think that it is smart to fill teeth that are likely to get cavities, but i think that dentists are supposed to change fillings every 10??? years. You say 25 yrs have passed, so that could be why your teeth got ruined
Reply:Dentistry is VERY different now then 25 years ago. You are not to blame for getting fillings in those teeth, but unfortunately once you drill a tooth you will always drill a tooth. Nothing lasts forever...I know the studies out now say that tooth colored fillings are better, but most insurance companies fight to pay... you would hope the dentist would know better, but you unfortunately can't get the answer to that....Just do your best to get your dental health back on track......Implants are a great way to go, or you can do a partial denture. Good luck