In the past, dentists used metal (amalgam) fillings to help patients with tooth decay. While amalgam fillings are durable and long lasting, they’re no longer the best choice for treating cavities. Aside from creating a dark spot in your smile, there is also concern about the mercury content in amalgam fillings. Mercury is a heavy metal that is added to amalgam fillings in order to make the silver, tin, copper and other metals stronger yet pliable. However, a small amount of mercury may be released as a vapour as the filling begins to wear. Although only a trace amount of mercury may leach into the body, almost no one disagrees that a better alternative is preferable – tooth-coloured fillings
Today, tooth-coloured fillings are the standard for quality care. Tooth-coloured fillings are also known as composite fillings because they’re made of composite resin, which can be shaded to seamlessly match the natural colour of your own tooth enamel. This puts them in sharp contrast with amalgam fillings’ dark grey colour.
For many patients, the dark colour of amalgam fillings is an obstacle to smiling with confidence. With tooth-coloured fillings, no one has to feel self-conscious. Instead, fillings blend perfectly, and only you and our team ever need to know that you’ve had a cavity repaired with a filling.