Boomers face dental crunch

By ADRIENNE KOHLER

Many baby-boomers face paying thousands of dollars to maintain or replace worn-out amalgam fillings.

Dentists warn that the style and age of the fillings drilled into New Zealanders in the 1960s means another visit to the clinic chair is in the offing.

And the Dental Association says people in their thirties should consider setting aside money to pay for the repairs.

The association's executive chairman, Dr Robin Whyman, says the materials and techniques used in the past, along with a greater amount of decay then, meant dental practitioners had to drill larger cavities than those done today.

The older techniques could also lead to teeth and fillings cracking. Moreover, because no bonding agents were available, gaps appeared as the filling deteriorated, allowing decay to form underneath.

New Zealand had historically adopted an aggressive pattern of treatment because of the high amount of tooth decay in the population, which meant that many adults now in their mid-thirties had large amalgam fillings that were failing or were likely to fail.

The problem was not limited to this country, said Dr Whyman, but here, unlike in the United States and Australia, few health insurance companies offered comprehensive dental cover.

Health insurer Southern Cross makes provision of only $400 a year in its Ultracare Care 400 health cover plan.

The cost of replacing just one filling can vary from $80 to more than $500, depending on the condition of the teeth and materials used. If left untreated for too long, expensive restorative techniques, such as crowns, might be needed. They can cost up to $1000 each.

The association says that because no filling lasts forever - on average 10-to-20 years depending on wear - everyone, especially those in their thirties, should make financial provision for a maintenance plan to replace or repair older fillings.

Costs could be saved if individuals had regular maintenance to ensure teeth did not deteriorate to a stage where expensive restoration was needed.

Materials have also improved substantially. Although the association says amalgams are still an acceptable filling material, the technological improvement of white composite fillings means they are a good alternative.

The use of mercury in amalgam fillings has often been raised as a health risk and is a reason some people opt to have them removed, but the association says no studies have shown amalgams to be a health risk except to a small group who are mercury-sensitive.

nzherald.co.nz/health