Should I let my dentist replace my fillings?

Dr. Hall,
Is it neccesary to remove my silver fillings and replace them? A dentist I recently visited advised doing this at a cost of $3600.
– Tina from Texas

Tina,
Replacing them with new silver fillings? Or with white ones?

Over time, your fillings can become leaky fillings. They deteriorate with age and need to be replaced. Or, especially with amalgam fillings, they can crack or become corroded.

A dentist shouldn’t recommend replacing existing fillings unless there is something wrong with the fillings. If they are leaking, then bacteria will seep into the tooth in the crack between the filling and the tooth and will cause tooth decay to start to form under the filling, which can be serious. So my answer is that it depends. Yes, replace them if there is something definitely wrong with them. Otherwise, don’t.

Another possible situation is that sometimes patients want to have all their old silver amalgam fillings taken out and replaced with white fillings, but that is a personal choice by the patient, and I don’t think a dentist should try to talk you into something like that. It’s a completely optional procedure.
– Dr. Hall