Composite Fillings
Healthy, more natural-looking tooth repair.
In the past decade filling technology has improved immensely, allowing the use of composite resin material for fillings in not just the anterior or front teeth but also in the posterior or back teeth. Resin composite fillings are made of mixed ceramic and plastic compounds tinted to perfectly match your teeth. These materials create a superior bond with your existing tooth structure helping to retain your tooth's original physical integrity. The resin can even be molded to help reshape disfigured teeth serving as both a cosmetic improvement and as a filling.
Why we recommend composite resin fillings instead of black mercury amalgam
Dental amalgam as a restorative material for your teeth has many disadvantages when compared to a composite filling:
- Dental amalgam does not mimic tooth color, usually starting as silver and changing to black over a period of several years.
- You must sacrifice a large amount of healthy tooth structure when receiving an amalgam filling. This removal of tooth structure is required solely for adequate retention and strength of the dental amalgam as its held in place by its shape and not by a direct bond with the tooth.
- Dental amalgam expands over time and can lead to tooth fractures. This is extremely common since dental amalgam is typically used in large load bearing areas.
- Metal is a great conductor of both cold and heat to the nerve of the tooth. Patients often suffer a higher incidence of thermal sensitivity.
- There are concerns regarding toxicity and allergies to the bound elemental mercury and other metals in the amalgam. The ADA and FDA both have conducted studies and feel there is no cause for alarm. However they also state that amalgam fillings are not recommended for children under age 6. This is because they feel young children are more sensitive to the neurotoxic effects of mercury vapor.