Both white and amalgam fillings are used as dental restoration materials; however, white fillings are used more commonly now-a-days. Each type of fillings has their own properties, characteristics and strengths, which can impact upon their quality and their effect on oral and overall health.
Amalgam
Amalgam is an alloy solid solution composed of a metal and mercury and was used in dental fillings during the development of dentistry. However, since then, there are concerns over the mercury element of the filling, which is believed to cause toxicity and adverse health conditions, such as hydrargyria or mercurialism. The metallic nature of amalgam also means that as a tooth filling it is not as attractive to look at and can be seen when you smile. The benefits of amalgam dental fillings are not only their durability and metallic strength, but also their ability to stabilise bacterial growth and their low cost.
White fillings
White fillings for patients from London are made out of synthetic composite resins and ceramic fillers to mimic the look of natural teeth in colour, texture and form, through a process of curing light-applied polymerisation. Although not as durable as amalgam, white fillings are a reliable alternative for filling cavities and for enamel bonding. White fillings are tooth-coloured, aesthetically pleasing and economical. Although composite shrinkage is a concern, modern composite resin materials are now designed for low-shrinking durability. There are two types of dental composites:
- Direct dental composite – light-cured resins for dense restorations such gap-fillers, teeth reshapers and partial crowns.
- Indirect dental composite – self-cured resins for higher filler levels, such as cavity-fillers, full crowns and bridges.
Why choose white fillings?
Besides the health benefits of white fillings to fill cavities without the risk of mercury poisoning, white fillings also:
- Improve teeth whitening using inlays or onlays.
- Fill gaps between teeth, cavities, reshape teeth and serve as crowns or bridges.
- Provide invisible tooth restoration.
- Are successfully used with dentin bonding agents.
- Used with curing light to speed up restoration density and the treatment process.
- Enhance oral hygiene, health and appearance for a bright beautiful smile.