Cavities and Braces

Toxic-Free Q&A

Archives of Q&A asked by readers and answered by Debra Lynn Dadd (from 2005-2019) or Lisa Powers (from 2019-2020). All answers have been edited and updated as of December, 2020.

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September 25, 2019 by Lisa Powers

Question from Miriam

My son needs two cavities filled.  The MSDS of the 3M filler our dentist uses has some unpleasant ingredients. What is the least toxic resin or non resin solutions for tooth fillers for a kid with allergies (including nickel allergy)? He also needs braces and I want to know the least toxic materials we can have placed.

Lisa’s Answer

The most comprehensive study I have seen that actually tests the composites is the following from PubMed.gov:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5039892/

Table 4 shows a list of composites that do not contain bis-GMA ( the most commonly used BPA derivative). Only 1 contained neither Bis-GMA nor TEGDMA.

You might ask your Dentist to help you identify some options and request a MSDS. Look out for the following: BPA, bis-GMA, TEGDMA, or UDMA. Just because it claims to be BPA-Free doesn’t mean there isn’t potential exposure to BPA as derivatives such as bis-GMA can convert to BPA in the mouth.

I can't speak to allergies.  You would need to look at the individual MSDS to identify ingredients that your son is allergic to.

Is your son unable to wear metal braces due to his allergy?  If you are looking at plastic brackets, polypropylene would be a less toxic option.

Another thing to watch out for is that many bracket adhesives have slow -releasing fluoride in them.  Ask your orthodontist for an adhesive without fluoride.