Dentists and
patients today
have several
choices when it
comes to
selecting
materials to
repair missing,
worn, damaged or
decayed teeth.
Several factors
influence the
performance,
durability,
longevity and
cost of dental
restorations.
These factors
include:
-
Patient’s
oral and
general
health
-
Components
used in the
filling
material
-
Where and
how the
filling is
placed
-
Chewing load
that the
tooth will
have to bear
-
The length
and number
of visits
needed to
prepare and
adjust the
restored
tooth.
The ultimate
decision about
what to use is
best determined
by the patient
in consultation
with the dentist.
Before your
treatment begins,
discuss the
options with
your dentist.
Used by dentists
for more than a
century, dental
amalgam is the
most thoroughly
researched and
tested
restorative
material among
all those in
use. It is
durable, easy to
use, highly
resistant to
wear and
relatively
inexpensive in
comparison to
other materials.
For those
reasons, it
remains a valued
treatment option
for dentists and
their patients.
Dental amalgam
is a stable
alloy made by
combining
elemental
mercury, silver,
tin, copper and
possibly other
metallic
elements. 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.
Because amalgam
fillings can
withstand very
high chewing
loads, they are
particularly
useful for
restoring molars
in the back of
the mouth where
chewing load is
greatest. They
are also useful
in areas where a
cavity
preparation is
difficult to
keep dry during
the filling
replacement,
such as in deep
fillings below
the gum line.
Composite
fillings are a
mixture of glass
or quartz filler
in a resin
medium that
produces a tooth-colored
filling. They
are sometimes
referred to as
composites or
filled resins.
Composite
fillings provide
good durability
and resistance
to fracture in
small-to-mid
size
restorations
that need to
withstand
moderate chewing
pressure. Less
tooth structure
is removed when
the dentist
prepares the
tooth, and this
may result in a
smaller filling
than that of an
amalgam.
Composites can
also be "bonded"
or adhesively
held in a cavity,
often allowing
the dentist to
make a more
conservative
repair to the
tooth.
The cost is
moderate and
depends on the
size of the
filling and the
technique used
by the dentist
to place it in
the prepared
tooth. It
generally takes
longer to place
a composite
filling than
what is required
for an amalgam
filling.
Composite
fillings require
a cavity that
can be kept
clean and dry
during filling
and they are
subject to stain
and
discoloration
over time.
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