Children's Sports and Dental Injuries

Are Composite Fillings the Right Choice for You?

28 August 2018 by Lillian Dixon

You may have been given metal amalgam fillings as a child or more recently. Such fillings do an excellent job of restoring a tooth that has suffered from decay, but nowadays composite resin fillings are also available, which are made of tooth-coloured plastic and glass. Should you opt for a composite filling, or even replace your amalgam fillings?

The pros

The main advantage of composite fillings is that they are more attractive. As the filling is the same colour as your existing teeth, it can be almost invisible inside your mouth, even if used on your front teeth, so you can be confident about flashing your smile.

Composite fillings also bond chemically directly to your tooth structure, so the filling is stronger than a traditional amalgam filling.

And a composite filling may not need so much of the tooth structure to be removed before the filling. An amalgam filling may need a larger space to fit in, meaning that more healthy parts of the tooth will need to be removed.

The cons

Firstly, composite fillings are usually more expensive than traditional amalgam fillings. You may have a more natural-looking smile, but it will come at a greater financial cost—and your insurance may not cover this extra expense.

Secondly, a composite filling may take longer. Not only might the filling itself take longer, as the composite has to be built up in layers, but you may need extra visits if the material is being used as an inlay on your teeth rather than just to fill a cavity.

And a composite filling may not be the most durable option. Amalgam fillings can last for ten to fifteen years; a composite resin filling may only last for five—and, of course, that means more visits to the dentist and more expense.

Should you replace a filling?

Although a filling can be removed and replaced for aesthetic reasons, it might make sense to hang on until the filling needs replacing anyway. Amalgam fillings do not last forever and may come loose, or they may need to be replaced for reasons of oral health (for example, decay can occur underneath a filling). This is the ideal time to consider if you want to replace your amalgam fillings with a more natural-looking composite filling. However, the decision is yours, and you should contact your dentist for additional advice if you are thinking of going down this route.

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