4 Materials Used For Filling Teeth

Once your dentist has finished drilling off the damaged and decaying parts of your tooth, the standard filling is called an amalgam. However, that’s not your only option and in fact, you have a few different options if you’d rather try something different.

Amalgam

The reason amalgam filling is the standard option is because it’s the cheapest solution. Amalgam uses a combination of silver, mercury, and other metals to create an alloy that can flow into place and then harden, so a dentist can put it in right after the drilling. The mercury in an amalgam filling is low enough to be safe (you’re more at-risk from mercury if you eat a fish-heavy diet), so the real downside of amalgam is that they stand out against your white teeth and they aren’t the most long-lasting fillings.

Gold

Gold is a solid choice for a filling and people have been using it on teeth for a long time. This is because gold doesn’t tarnish or rust the way other metals do, it can last for a long time, plus it’s safe to put in your mouth. However, it’s one of the most expensive fillings out there and not just because of the gold itself: gold can’t flow into place like an amalgam, so dentists need to shape it outside your mouth to fit the cavity. That means spending more time at the dentist’s office and possibly several visits to get the filling put in place.

Composite

A composite filling uses a strong resin made from acrylic and powdered glass. This is the same resin dentists use to restore or change the shape of teeth with veneers and bonding. The biggest advantage of composite is that it can be the exact same color as your natural teeth, but it costs more than amalgam and the resin can wear out faster. It also needs a cleaner surface than amalgam so it can bond to the tooth properly.

Porcelain

Porcelain combines the color matching of composite with the durable design of gold. However, it also combines several of their downsides: porcelain is more expensive than either amalgam or composite, and dentists have to shape it ahead of time before cementing it in your mouth.

Amalgam is a cheap and safe way to fill a cavity, but it’s not your only option and there are plenty of reasons to like the other filling options more. Be sure to talk with your dentist the next time you get a cavity and find out which filling you prefer.