Tooth Coloured Restorations

For many decades the old dark metal mercury alloy restorations were the standard filling material. Technology and material science have come a long way since then, meaning that amalgam is now not needed. Most of the restorations we do these days are tooth coloured (except for the odd gold crown in really heavy tooth grinders). You cannot even see that the restorations are there. Mostly we just replace the old amalgams with tooth coloured fillings as the old amalgams break down, but occasionally we have patients who simply want their old fillings replaced straight away – something we may consider doing after a full assessment.The new tooth coloured fillings are generally made from Composite Resin, and if done well are durable and safe.

We at Dr.Anil Da Silvas Dental Clinics have followed up over a 1000 fillings over the last decade or so and come to a conclusion that Composite restorations are durable and have the added advantage of being Mercury free. Composite resin is a plastic tooth-colored material that is used as a filling.

It is placed into the cavity in layers until the tooth is restored to its original form. An ultraviolet light is used to harden it, and it can be chewed on immediately after it has been completed. This is an advantage it has over amalgam.