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Composite and Amalgam Fillings

Our office understands that you would rather not hear that you have a cavity and of course we would rather not be the ones to deliver this news. However, the fact of the matter is most people will experience some tooth decay over the course of a lifetime. Fortunately, there is a filling material that is both tooth colored and cosmetically pleasing and will restore your tooth’s strength, function and appearance.

A cavity, also called dental caries, is the result of decay which happens when the bacteria that naturally live in the mouth harvest acids that begin to wear away the tooth’s enamel. These bacteria feed off of sugars in the foods you eat and the beverages you drink. If these sugars are not removed with regular brushing and flossing the bacteria thrive and generate acids.

In addition bacteria are particularly good at hiding in plaque, which is the sticky substance that forms on your teeth. The acids produced by plaque eventually demineralize your tooth’s enamel. This is the first stage of a cavity, which is a tiny hole in your enamel. Left untreated, this hole provides an entry for bacteria and acid to reach the dentin- the next layer of tooth. Dentin is not nearly as hard as enamel, in which case, this layer is far less resistant to the destructive effects of acid.
If any of our experienced dentists diagnose that you have a cavity, which are discovered by either probing the teeth for soft spots or seen on a digital x-ray, then we will likely recommend restoring your tooth with a natural colored composite filling. Unlike amalgam fillings that contain of a mix of metals including silver, a natural colored filling is made of composite resins that are blended to match the color of your tooth. This type of filling not only offers the advantage of being far more aesthetically pleasing than an amalgam filling, but it also requires less tooth preparation. For you that means less drilling and this mean that more of the tooth’s original structure is preserved. By retaining more natural tooth structure the restored tooth is stronger and more durable.

Dental amalgam is a thoroughly researched and tested restorative material that has been used by dentists for more than a century. It is resilient to wear, durable, and moderately inexpensive in comparison to other materials. Most people recognize dental amalgams as silver fillings. Dental amalgam is a stable alloy made by combining mercury, silver, tin, copper and other metallic elements.

The mercury in amalgam in conjunction with the other metals, renders it a stable material and safe for use in filling teeth. While questions have arisen about the safety of dental amalgam relating to its mercury content, the major U.S. and international scientific and health bodies, including the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization, among others have been satisfied that dental amalgam is a safe, reliable and effective restorative material.

An advantage to filling teeth with dental amalgam is that the material is able to endure a high chewing load, making it a very useful material for restoring molars. They are also useful in areas where a cavity preparation is difficult to keep dry during the filling replacement, such as a deep filling below the gum line.