Research has shown that almost everybody has a 95% chance of experiencing some form of tooth decay. When tooth decay does occur, it is highly important to remove the decay, clean the tooth and repair the tooth with some type of restoration. Additionally, lost or missing teeth need to be replaced to protect your overall oral health. We offer 2 types of filling materials: silver fillings (amalgams) or tooth colored fillings (composite/resin fillings).
Composite (resin) fillings
Composite filings are a mixture of resins and fine particles designed to mimic the color of natural teeth. After the tooth has been prepped for the filling, the composite material is layered into the space and hardened with a special light. After all the composite material has been placed, the filling is shaped and contoured to match the tooth and bite of the patient. It is then polished, to make it virtually invisible. There are many advantages to composite fillings. They are environmentally non-toxic, because they use no mercury like amalgams do. They actually bond directly to the surface of the tooth and help to protect the tooth from fracturing, by avoiding undercutting of the tooth structure. The disadvantages of composite fillings are that they are higher priced than a mercury filling. This is due to the fact that composite material is more expensive and the restoration is more difficult and time consuming to place
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Amalgams are silver-colored material that is placed in a tooth when treating a cavity. They are a combination of various metal alloys, including copper, tin, silver and mercury. Mercury, a binding agent used in amalgams, has come under scrutiny lately by some health officials who claim it may cause long-term health problems. However, the American Dental Association maintains that there has been no scientific evidence to show that amalgams are harmful and they appear to pose no measurable health risks to patients. Although, there have been rare cases of patients developing an allergic reaction to amalgams.
There are some disadvantages to silver fillings. First off, they do not bond or stick to the tooth structure. In order to keep the filling from falling out, the preparation of the tooth needs to be “undercut”, creating a space that is smaller at the surface of the tooth and wider at the base of the space. This process of undercutting requires the removal of more healthy tooth structure than is necessary and furthermore weakens the tooth. This can predispose the tooth to fracture when a person bites down on hard items and since fillings eventually break down over time through normal wear, they will need to be replaced, requiring the removal of even more healthy tooth structure.
There are alternatives to silver amalgam fillings. These alternatives are composite or white fillings or porcelain or gold inlays or onlays.
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