What are the advantages of cosmetic fillings?

Bacterial decay or dental caries has always been and is one of the biggest threats to each individual’s oral health. When a dentist makes the diagnosis of a “cavity” of decay for one or more surfaces of a tooth there are several options for the restoration of those surfaces once that decay has been removed. The two most common options today are amalgam, a.k.a. silver colored fillings vs. composite or tooth/natural colored fillings.

While each of these materials is a fine choice for restoring a tooth, cosmetics as well as functionality very well may play a role in your decision of which material to choose. Obviously a silver filling itself is going to stand out more than a tooth colored filling. In addition silver colored fillings tend to discolor the tooth structure below and around them. You will often notice in a tooth that has had an amalgam filling for a long period of time a gray tint that makes it stand out as being unattractive. Many of my patients suspect that this is decay or tooth death, however, upon clinical and radiographic inspection it may prove to be simply a cosmetic effect of the amalgam in that tooth.

I think we can all agree that cavities are not sexy and in fact many may perceive bad looking teeth to be equally as unattractive as bad breath. Why would you want to draw attention to your tooth that had a cavity by putting in a filling that appears completely unnatural? For some the cost of the filling is the issue. Composite is a more expensive filling material than amalgam and it is typically thought of as a more difficult fillings to place.

When making their choice of filling material one must also carefully consider the long-term costs associated with amalgam filling fillings vs. composite. Amalgam almost always requires more tooth structure to be removed than does composite because amalgam requires mechanical retention to stay in place. This weakens the tooth in question by whatever amount is removed. In addition, since amalgam is harder than composite it wears on the opposing tooth or the tooth it contacts far more than composite. Over time amalgam can cause significant damage to your teeth and in many cases it will break them resulting in the need for a root canal and/or a crown. Couple this with the cosmetic issues and potential health risks due to mercury content in silver colored fillings and you may decide composite or cosmetic fillings are the right solution for your tooth decay.