What is Your Filling of Choice?
“You have a cavity!” Four dreaded words no one wants to hear at the dentist’s office. A cavity develops when a tooth decays or breaks down; over time it can get bigger and grow deeper. Luckily, cavities can be fixed before they develop into a much larger problem. To correct a cavity, your dentist will remove the rotted part of your tooth by drilling it out. The hole will then be filled. This is called a “filling”.
Thanks to advances in technology, there are several options when it comes to selecting materials to fill cavities. Two of those options are dental amalgam and resin composite fillings.
Most people recognize dental amalgams as silver fillings. Dental amalgam is a mixture of mercury, silver, tin and copper. Mercury makes up about 50 percent of the compound, and is necessary to bind the metals together to provide a strong, hard, durable filling. Dental amalgam has over a 150-year proven track record as one of the safest, most durable and least expensive materials used to fill a cavity.
There has been much concern over the use of mercury in fillings. When mercury is combined with other materials in dental amalgam, its chemical nature changes rendering it harmless. The amount of mercury released in the mouth is less than what people are exposed to in food, air and water. The American Dental Association (ADA) maintains that dental amalgam remains safe. Furthermore, the U.S. recently signed a global mercury treaty that, “upholds the use of dental amalgam, a durable, safe, effective cavity-filling material.”
Resin composite fillings are made of ceramic and plastic compounds. Because resins mimic the appearance of natural teeth, these fillings are often used for cosmetic purposes and for fillings in the front of the teeth or in a tooth that is visible in your smile. Traditionally, resins aren’t used in the back of the teeth where grinding and chewing result in heavy wear. They also require a completely dry surface to be placed. The downside is cost and durability as they are more expensive than amalgam and do not last as long.
Deciding which type of filling to use is best made by consulting with your dentist. You will want to take into account the size and location of the cavity, patient history, cosmetic concerns and cost. Together you can make the right decision.
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