Much uproar has surfaced about BPA or Bisphenol A, contained in plastics and in dental materials.
Baby bottles and other plastic bottles are notorious for containing the synthetic harmful substance that has been known to cause problems in the body (ie-certain reproductive cancers). More specifically, BPA looks a lot like the hormone estrogen and can confuse the organs that produce or respond to the hormone.
In a time where we have recognized and moved beyond silver fillings due to their mercury content, white fillings are not without risk. BPA is commonly used in most white (or composite) fillings.
In studies done approximately 10 years ago showed that BPA can be found in the saliva after 10 minutes of placing the filling.
Our team is very aware of this issue. We have done our best to select dental composite fillings and dental sealants that don’t include bisphenol-A nor contain compounds that make bisphenol-A in the past, but starting this week, we have switched our white filling material products to exclusively BPA free products.
We are proud to be of the first group of dentists on the east coast to make this change. Please ask Dr Maria or our team for details.
Dr. Maria is a Restorative Dentist in Brighton, MA. She holds a B.A. in Zoology from Miami University, and received her DMD from Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine. She has a passion for her career, and is a third generation dentist in her family.
I Maria,
I came across this blog after doing some research on composite fillings. You see I have a indent on my front right tooth that is yellow and i was told it was a surface cavity. I am very aware of the toxicity found in all fillings and amalgams. I am very excited to see that the is no BPA in your composite fillngs, but what about all the other materials? How safe are they really?
Can you please email me the name of your BPA free fillings! My dentist thought it does not exist so glad to find out it does!! Please inform me at ekasse@hotmail.com
Thank you!
We use Grandeo SO. We order it through our dental rep. at Henry Schein. Until this year they were the only ones on the market, however now there are several companies offering BPA free white fillings.
Hello Patrick,
Amalgam fillings have mercury as you know. It is a heavy metal linked to diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimers. With kelation therapy, all heavy metals can be removed from a person’s blood. BPA’s exist in most white fillings. They are even more harmful as they can not be removed from one’s blood. They mimic hormones, and thus interfere with the endocrine system even in very low doses. These disruptions can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental disorders.
Many dentists who profess to be holistic are taking out silver fillings and replacing them with white fillings that have BPA. In my opinion it is worse to have BPA’s than silver fillings. Also, the way in which the silver filling is removed is very important as the mercury is most available for absorption when it is being placed and removed (thus barriers are necessary). If silver fillings are carefully removed and replaced with a BPA free white fililng, there is argument for replacement of certain silver fillings. Of course there are many components in white fillings. There are MSDS sheets available if you are interested in all the components. Of all the components, BPA is the only harmful one know to us at this moment. We stay right on top of the most current science on this matter. We are in Boston where there are many brilliant scientists educating us right from the source. If this changes, we will also change with the new information.
Hope this is helpful
Maria Vasilakis, DMD
Hello,
My 4 year old has had to have dental work done and us now needing 8 fillings 🙁 The first Dentist we sae wanted to use mercury amalgam in her teeth but I declined that and now the next dentist we are seeing will use composite but I’m sure it’s not the BPA free Composite and I was wondering if I could get any information to take to her for the availability of the BPA free composite fillings for use in Canada. Could I request she bring it in for us?
Thank u so much!
Hello!
We use a material called Grandeo SO by Voco. There are several companies on the market that also offer a BPA free filling, such as Venus. Good luck!
Dr Vasilakis
Wait BPA isn’t actually found in fillings its the dis-DMA that metabolizes into BPA. Right?
We are currently researching incorporating BPA free dentistry and ccc. to our research, I’m not sure if Grandio SO is safe. I looked at Voco’s data sheet and there is no claim of being BPA free. They have Bis-GMA listed under dangerous components.
http://www.voco.com/en/products/_products/GrandioSO/sdb-Grandio-SO-E-rev_00-120810.pdf
Science news article mentions Bis GMA in bad light:
A new study finds that children who have their cavities filled with a white composite resin known as bis-GMA appear to develop small but quantifiable drops in psychosocial function. To put it simply: Treated kids can become more moody, aggressive and generally less well adjusted. – See more at: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/342328/description/Putting_BPA-based_dental_fillings_in_perspective#sthash.DfhUxJfX.dpuf
Hi All,
Bis-GMA is found in Grandio SO and it is not the same as the BPA derivative dis-DMA which can break down to form BPA. There are still many studies going on to determine if there are any adverse effects from using white fillings with bis-GMA but at present it seems that they are the best option available.
Hello,
We are considering braces for our son. Our orthodontist tells us that the adhesive used is the same as the white composite fillings so we are assuming that it is a BPA risk. Do you think that your BPA-free composite could work for the purpose of adhering braces? Thanks for your time.
Hello!
Braces are such a wonderful gift to give your son, it can help with esthetics, function, hygiene, and even breathing. I know there is a very small amount of composite resin normally used to apply each bracket. Unfortunately I am not familiar with any orthodontic products as we do not stock any of those supplies for our own use. Our BPA free products are only manufactured to be used as fillings, and would not work to hold brackets on teeth. It is a valid question to ask the orthodontist, if they can ask their dental supply person to suggest some BPA free orthodontic resins. Hope that helps!
Maria
Also researching dental composited and bonding agents, etc.
SDI have some products that are largely BPA-free.
http://www.sdi.com.au/en-us/glacier/
http://www.sdi.com.au/en-us/stae/
http://www.sdi.com.au/en-us/conseal-clear/
What I have not been able to ascertain is what the acrylic monomers SDI uses in these products is/are, as the MSDS documents do not specify this.
If anybody has visibility on this, or any other info regarding composites, sealants and adhesives, etc., that they consider to be better/more progressive, health-wise, I’d appreciate hearing from you.
Cheers
Robin
pohutukawa (at) gmail (dot) com
I recently had my amalgam filings removed and replaced with sonicfill white composite fillings then discovered they contain 1-5% BPA. Should i get them replaced again??
Hello David. I had not yet done research into the BPA on sonicfill. It is used for more quickly filling large areas with less air bubbles and less contamination. By all accounts and research I have read it is an amazing product that reduces risk of some of the technique sensitive pitfalls of white fillings. I spoke to the rep who assured me the product was BPA free. I was in the process of doing my own research on Sonicfill to see if it would be something our office would be interested in ordering. It sounds like in fact it is not completely BPA free, and if that is so I will not be ordering it for our practice. In either case, I would not again remove the fillings and have them replaced. For one, every time you remove the filling the tooth undergoes some small amount of trauma. The research states that exposure for BPA is highest at the moment it is being placed, and does not seem to leach out in a measurable amount over time. So, you have likely passed the point of highest exposure, and it is not worth putting the tooth under risk for any further trauma. (which could lead to things like root canals or tooth fracture).
Hope that helps!
Dr. Maria
The dentists in my area dont use bpa free composites….but the dentist in my area that follows some of the removal protocols uses sonicfill. Do you think it would be safe to have 11 amalgams replaced with sonicfill (over the course of a few years), or have you found more info on sonicfill and the leaching of the bpa? Does the bpa continually come out, or is it done within the matter of hours after the filling is placed? Just not sure what to do.
Hi Monica. BPA does not seem to leach out over time, so my advice would be to stay with the sonicfill you have placed. Also in any filling material the amount of BPA released is so very small, it is not something to worry too much about in general. It is hard in this day and age to remove any exposure to it (even the hoses that water organic certified vegetables often have it and sit in the sun, and leach into the water). We just want to do our best to cut down the additive amounts of it in our systems.
Hi, I live in the UK is it possable for my dentist to get Grandeo SO here in the UK. Yours Mr C. Wise.
Hi Dr. Vasilakis,
I’ve always had fairly decent teeth or at least I though, up until recently when some problems arose with tooth crowding/wisdom teeth, etc. that lead to a deep cleaning. That aside, a cavity also was discovered (I’ve only had two in my adult life – this being the second). I have little experience with fillings and it only occurred to me when I was sitting in the dentist chair already anesthetized to ask what type of filling they’d be using. The dentist told me a “composite filling would be used and said it was a plastic and “too long to pronounce”. I was a little troubled by not knowing what was about to be placed in my mouth. I asked how long the filling would laste. She said “five years”.
Pardon my newbie question to you but I wanted to know if a new filling (assuming it’s the toxic composite) could be removed and a non-toxic one can replace it. And if so, would there be damage to the tooth in the process? And if that’s a procedure you’ve done in the past.
Thanks so much for your time to answer my concerns!
Hello Mr Wise,
Yes, Grandeo SO is a German product, and is more than likely easier to find in the UK than in the US!
Take care,
Dr Vasilakis
Hello Ivy,
The latest research (there was a wonderful article in the most recent JADA) reports that the BPA exposure is highest when the filling is soft, or not yet cured with a curing light. That is, the process of placing the filling (or thicker fillings that are not properly cured as small increments during placement) expose us to BPA’s. Thus, your fully finished fillings are no longer exposing you to harmful levels of BPA’s. I would recommend you leave them in place. Every time a tooth is “worked on”, it undergoes a small amount of trauma. The risk of traumatizing the tooth outweighs the risk of BPA’s affecting you because once the filling is hardened, it will not leak a measurable amount of BPA.
Hope that helps!
Dr. Vasilakis
Hi
My son was diagnosed with MS He needs a couple fillings and
crown Please, Dr.Vasilakis help me with your advice which material is the best for crown he rejected full gold crown
Thank you for your time and concerns
Hi Magdalena. The safest fillings for every patient that we currently know about are BPA free composite fillings. For crowns I prefer ceramic crowns, but the porcelain metal crowns are also very safe in terms of materials. Good luck!
Please tell me you have calcimol by Voco. Having some tooth structure regrown would be great. That is modern dentistry instead of loosing tooth structure.
BTW those Germans
Hello Alex,
We use a similar product to Calmicol. (i think that’s what you meant by calcimol) Calmicol is a liner which promotes the growth of secondary dentin under a deep filling. It does not have the compression strength to act alone as a filling, it just lines the area closest to the nerve to help the tooth “heal itself”. It can not be used alone without a filling. However we do think liners used in small quantities as not to interfere with bond or compression strength of a restoration, is a good thing! Hope this helps!
Hi,
I am a cancer patient with a cancer that is estrogenic. I want to avoid BPA or the xenoestrogens. Would Diamond Lite be as good as Grandio as far as BPA ? What is the difference in Grandio SO and plain Grandio? Thanks for your help.
Hello Ann,
I think you are wise to make choices that lower your exposure risk to xenoestrogens. In terms of products I think the best people to answer your question as to compositions and comparison details would be reps from the companies themselves. I would hate to give any misinformation. Voco is the company that makes Grandeo and I believe Venus makes diamond. Good luck!
Dr Maria
Dear Dr. Vasilakis,
You have already been most gracious with your time and responses so I feel bad for having to ask another question. You said that you place porcelain crowns. Please could you tell me which you use in your practice? That maybe a better choice for me. Thanks. BTW, is your name Hungarian by any chance?
Dr. Maria,
Please could you tell me what the difference is between Grandio and Grandeo SO? My serum testing report for compatability shows Grandio to be made by VOCO GMBH. Thank you.
My 5 yr old son had cancer & went through 6 rounds of aggressive chemotherapy which causes major issues with his teeth. He is also highly allergic to nickel. One of his molars has cracked in half and his dentist recommended a root canal and crown but since he can’t be exposed to nickel that is in the stainless steel crown, they want to do a root canal with a composite filling. I want to avoid BPA but would prefer a crown that will last longer. What is the name of the ceramic crown brand you would recommend so I can look for an MSDS on it? Thank.
Hello Anne,
As a mother of a one year old boy I truly send you all my wishes for a speedy recovery for your son!
Porcelain crowns can be made in a lab or milled in the office. Either way there is no bpa in ceramic crowns. They are cemented with resin cements that can have bpa s but in some of the best cements on the market have small amounts of bpa. Something to discuss with your dentist.
Best of luck with everything. I give you my heartfelt best wishes.
Dr Maria
Also I am Greek not Hungarian. ☺️
What is the name of the bisphenol-A composite fillings you are using? Thanks.
Hi Dr. Maria,
Would You be able refer me to a dentist who adminsters BPA-free fillings in New York City? Thank You!
Please could you tell me what the difference in is in Grandio SO and just Grandio is? My Serum Compatability Testing lists Grandio but not Grandio SO. I would be so very grateful for your help. Thank you Dr. Vasilakis.
Hi,
Are Ribbond fiber fillings less toxic than Grandio fillings?
what are your thoughts on Ribbond fiber fillings?
Also what is the least toxic sealant or bonding agent to use with rebbond or Grandio fillings?
This is an anonymous question please don’t post.
Hi my son has a few cavities and we heard that metal fillings have mercury and the white fillings are made with BPA so we are feeling lost. I found a dentist almost 2 hrs away near the city who says they offer BPA free fillings and that they get put in and work just the same as regular white fillings.
I keep myself up at night worrying that these “non toxic” BPA free fillings could have something in them that is more toxic than BPA since I can not find any information on how they are made what they are made of or there success rate or how long they are expected to last compared to other white fillings. Our son is 5 1/2 has 6 cavities which we were completely surprised by since he eats all organic, brushes regularly , no added sugars, we never did juice in bottles and if he drank juice it was mostly watered down. He just had his first x-ray a few weeks ago.We do no candy and only occasional homemade treats and there is literally no one to talk to about these things because no regular dentist knows anything about it or what is even is fillings. I called 10 locals and not one of them had even heard of BPA or knew what materials were used in the fillings. I found some natural dentists that openly offer them but choose the one closest. I have messaged other online holistic dental pages and nobody responds so what am I suppose to do? I don’t know what questions to ask the dentist I found and our dentist we usually see says that a real dentist isn’t even legally allowed to put in BPA free fillings but the one I have the appointment for my son with has a degree. she also said they don’t last as long as the regular type do and that there hasn’t been any testing, but has there been any testing on the more conventional ones? I don’t think so, not that I could find. I was so surprised to hear here say those things because she is so kind and honest and I genuinely think she thinks those things are true and is trying to protect us. Please if you know more please please help. I know a lot of people want to recommend coconut oil but we are past the point where coconut oil could be of a help. He needs these fillings it s now a matter of what to choose. I am so scared he will be slowly contaminated by these fillings and his potential will be compromised. Thank you for reading this
What sealants do you use, and or which sealants are safe?
Admin,
could you be so kind to educate me on what is the safest
tooth filling that’s on the market… or the product that you use?
I was considering grandio. What fillings do you use or highly recommend?
Thank you!
Hi,
I am having my amalgams removed all 8 of them.I asked my Dentist here in the UK several times, does the filler contain aluminum, he assured me it did not. Well in fact it does.It isn’t a composite but a glass carbonomer.
I have removed one metal from my teeth to be replaced by another.
I want the fillings removed, what drill would you use to cause the least trauma to the tooth, the same drill that he used to remove the mercury?
Many thanks for your help
Hi,
I had a cavity filled three years ago and had a bitter taste ever since. They used fill text supreme. I had the cavity removed and refilled by a new dentist a year later, but the bitter taste still comes and goes. Since then I have had a total of 7 fillings. I just discovered there is bpa in the 3m resin supreme product my second dentist has been using. I now found a dentist that offers bpa free and will switch them for me. The odd thing is the bitter taste seems to be mainly on the lower right two teeth. Compatibility testing showed my body doesn’t like the filling material in my mouth, but if removing them causes more trama to my teeth I don’t know what to do.
Sarah
Hello
the main exposure is during placement, not leaching out over time. My advice is to stop replacing the filling. Think of the tooth having “9 lives” like a cat. Every time a tooth is worked on the pulp undergoes some trauma. If the filling is intact, please stop replacing it. Also, BPA has no taste.
Dr Maria
Any “drill” causes trauma to the tooth. The more water that is used in the process the more the pulp stays cool. My best advice is to leave intact fillings alone.
Dr Maria
Hi, I am by no means an expert but any BPA free composite fillings are the safest. There are several brands on the market. In my hands Grandeo SO works the best in terms of how i can maneuver it, but it is up to the dentist placing it. Everyone has their own favorite. As long as they are BPA free they are the safest.
Dr Maria
Its BPA FREE filling, and the brand I use is Grandeo SO.
Dr Maria
Hi Joanna.
I know some great dentists in NYC but I am not sure who is using BPA free. Your best bet is to call around , sorry!
Dr Maria
The best person to answer this would be Voco , the company that produces the product. I am unfortunately not qualified to answer that question.
Dr Maria
Hi
Ribbond as far as I know it is a reinforcement fiber, not a filling material. I would call the manufacturer of Ribbond, I am not an expert on all of the products out there. Just a lowly dentist in Boston. =) Bonding agents as far as I know don’t have BPA in them.
Dr Maria
We use Pulpdent Embrace. Kids and Pregnant women are most susceptible to BPA, so this is a great question. BPA free sealants that are mostly used in children are very important.
Dr Maria
How many years has the grandeo so been available?
Hi Doctor!
I have been researching what to replace my amalgams with for a couple of years now and had narrowed it down to Voco Grandioso due to its high filler content, lower polymer content, and low shrinkage rate which minimizes microleakage when done properly . In addition to avoiding mercury I also avoid fluoride as it adversely affects me . I have discovered that many other composite manufacturers like to boast that their product releases fluoride. In fact some very well known widely used products use a radioactive(?) ytterbium trifluoride. One cavity lining product uses sodium hexafluorosilicate at 2000 ppm, Some use barium/
strontium aluminofluoroborosilicate ( fluoro listed in anything being the tip off for fluoride) None of it sounds good to me. Voco does not list what makes up its ” inorganic filler” so I have no way to know what it is or if I would have an allergic reaction to it. Do you have any idea as to what Voco’s inorganic filler is composed of?
Dr. Maria, Thank you for spearheading this public health movement in dentistry. Now that it’s 2018, how are the BPA-free brands faring–do they last as long as those with BPAs? Has any new information emerged about harmful ingredients in them? How commonly used are they nationally?
Dear D. Maria,
Thank you for caring about your patients’ safety and well-being. I wish my dentist was as gracious as you have been in answering all of these questions. I had two fillings placed last week, one with amalgam (no mercury apparently, but instead fluoride) and the other with composite (I’m sure it has BPA). Because my dentist did not explain clearly prior to procedure about the amalgam filling and I followed up with him to ask about it, he has offered to remove the amalgam filling and replace it with composite free of charge. I am not sure what to do. On one hand, I do not want to have fluoride in my mouth and am having absolutely horrible sensitivity to even slightly cold/hot liquids with the amalgam filling. (I have read some accounts that this sensitivity will go away in a few weeks and others that it will stay sensitive to a lesser degree forever. What are your thoughts on this?) On the other hand, I know that each time a tooth is drilled, it can cause the tooth to become more irreversibly damaged. I also don’t want to add more BPA into my mouth. I did not know until reading this page that composite existed without BPA. What should I do? My dentist has not been helpful in answering my questions, so I’ve been having to do a lot of reading to educate myself…in fact my dentist actually became annoyed with me earlier today when I asked him some of these questions that I’m asking you! Thank you very much for any advice you can give; I really appreciate your time.
Hi, Our orthodontist recommended braces and a hearst appliance for my child. He mentioned that the composite resin used is just like the one in sealants. Do you know if any of the items I mentioned above contain any materials that could be harmful to a child’s health? Or do you have recommendations of places I could research this? O welcome any thoughts you can share! Please do not publish my name or email address. Thank you.
We recently received an inquiry re: orthodontic bonding materials. Unfortunately we are unfamiliar especially with orthodontic bonding materials as we don’t use them as a GP.
There are BPA’s in many composite materials. To find out if they are in those materials and to find alternatives if they do, you would probably want to call the manufacturer and get MSD sheets. That can be tricky because it won’t list BPA per se but when the material is light-cured, BPA can be a byproduct.
Ecodentistry website has helpful tools, or you can also talk to the local dental supply companies like Henry Schein or Patterson. (Who May or May not give you a straight answer, depends on the knowledge and ethics of the rep)
Sorry it is not an easy answer. I have done a lot of my own digging on the products we use in our office but I often get these questions , I am not an industry expert on all materials on the market.
I have been using it for 8 years, but it has been available for much longer than that