subject: Tooth Colored Fillings Vs Silver Amalgam Fillings [print this page] Tooth Colored Fillings Vs Silver Amalgam Fillings
The most common choices for filling small cavities were silver amalgams (a mixture of silver-tin alloy, copper and mercury that sets up hard and silver colored). Presently composite resin (a mixture of acrylic plastics, quartz fillers and colorants) is predominantly used as filling material of choice.
Silver fillings are more economical, their appearance may be less attractive than a more natural-looking composite filling. Over time, like most metals, silver fillings will eventually corrode and even leak causing decay to reoccur underneath the fillings. There is also a slow expansion that amalgam undergoes and the part of the tooth next to the filling may fracture over time, necessitating a much larger filling, a crown or even extraction of the tooth if the fracture is vertically down the root below the bone. Also, for some patients the feeling of metal in the mouth may be displeasing.
Composite fillings are primarily a resin which has been "filled" with other inorganic materials. This compound makes a composite filling more resistant to wear, color adjustable, and easier to polish. The advantages of choosing a composite filling include a more natural appearance, frequently a strengthening of the filled tooth, and a bonding of the filling to the tooth creating a better seal. This bonding also means that the filling can often be made smaller than a comparable silver filling since silver requires certain size criteria be met to resist breaking or falling out while composites need minimal tooth reduction. Their ability to be molded into requisite shapes and the available range of tooth like shades makes them a versatile and popular material in filling, veneering and provisionalization of teeth.
The disadvantages are that there is a need for more stringent moisture control and it is more technique-sensitive procedure. Composites can discolor over time acquiring a yellowish tinge which can be corrected by polishing. The choice of which restorative material to use in your mouth depends on balancing the factors of appearance, longevity, strength of the tooth involved, and cost. You have to decide with your dentist's guidance as to the size of the filling and your goals/expectations for the filling.
