Fillings

There are number of different type of materials used to fill teeth. The most commonly used are Amalgam (silver filling), composite (resin filling), gold fillings and ceramic fillings. Tooth fillings vary in longevity, strength, cost, color, the ease of placement, the length of placement time and of coarse patient’s overall satisfaction. When fillings are adequately placed they do not feel any different than unfilled teeth. Fillings can provide a great service by preserving your natural bite and allowing you to chew properly. As you would expect they do wear out and the tooth can still decay around the fillings. They may need to be replaced in the future.

Silver amalgam filling are the most common restorations used in the world.  Silver fillings have been used in tooth restoration for over 175 years. They are strong and long-lasting, so they are less likely to break than composite fillings and their effectiveness have been long proven. Some disadvantages are they can discolor the surrounding tooth structure and they are not aesthetically pleasing. The amalgam is made up of about 35% silver, along with tin, copper, zinc and about 50% mercury. The mercury is chemically bonded and is harmless according to the World Health Organization. The potential of these metals to be toxic are challenged by some dentists and organizations, however there is no strong scientific evidence to support these theories. The FDA and American Dental Association have reviewed the available scientific evidence and they both consider amalgam fillings to be safe.

Composite (resin fillings) are becoming as commonly used in the world as amalgam filling. Resin fillings can closely match the natural teeth and are barely noticeable. The resin fillings can actually bond to your tooth, which allows the necessity to remove less tooth structure. They are relatively long lasting and they are thought to possibly strengthen your tooth. Some of the disadvantages with composite (resin fillings) are that they cost slightly more than silver fillings, they take a little more technique in placing and sometimes they cause slight temporary sensitivity, which usually goes away.

Gold inlays or onlays are the longest lasting restoration available. They don’t wear the opposing teeth, they wear similar to natural tooth structure and don’t discolor the tooth.  The main disadvantage is these restorations cost more than any other restoration. A very small number of patients may have an allergy to the gold, silver, palladium, platinum or copper that is found in the gold alloy used to make the restoration.

Ceramic inlays or onlays are strong and very natural looking restorations and have no known toxic or allergenic effects to humans. The ceramic restorations cost almost as much as gold restorations. Ceramic restorations can sometimes break if a patient chews something really hard on them and they can sometimes cause temporary sensitivity for a short time after they are placed. The gold and ceramic inlays and onlays also require two appointments compared to the resin and silver fillings.

As a patient you need to decide what tooth restoration characteristics are important to you, color, longevity, cost or the time you spend in the dental chair. The materials used in tooth restorations today are the best that have been ever used in dentistry.