Dear Dr Verma,

I recently visited a new dentist. I had many amalgam fillings as a child (more than 18 years ago), and have had no recent problems with them. My new dentist has suggested I replace them all over time with white fillings.

I understand that the old filling my “leak” after time, but my xrays apparently show no evidence of decay and I don’t suffer with toothache. I’m not bothered about the cosmetic side of things- so long as the filling is doing its job, I’m happy.

Would you advise replacing the fillings?

Thank you for your time.