Dental fillings

A dental filling is a restoration placed to replace the portion of the tooth that has been damaged by caries or trauma.  We value our patients’ autonomy:  the ability to make decisions about which restoration material to have placed in your mouth.  We offer both silver and white fillings and will discuss the pros and cons of both as well as the financial differences.

Amalgam filling material:

• Dental amalgam is a mixture of metal materials including silver, tin and mercury.
• Amalgam fillings expand with age, possibly cracking the tooth and requiring repair and filling replacement. But chance of leakage of filling is less.

Composite/resin filling material:

• Dental composites, also called white fillings, are a group of restorative materials used in dentistry. As with other composite materials, a dental composite typically consists of a resin-based matrix.
• Composite fillings shrink with age and may pull away from the tooth allowing leakage. If leakage is not noticed early recurrent decay may occur.

Filling information:

• Fillings are recommended for small to medium sized restorations.  Fillings have a finite lifespan: an average of 12.8 years for amalgam and 7.8 years for composite resins.  Fillings fail because of changes in the filling, tooth or the bond between them. Secondary caries formation can also affect the structural integrity the original filling. Caries can still form between the tooth and filling material and is often the cause of the failed filling.