Amalgam

Silver Amalgam is the most commonly used material in the restoration of decayed teeth in the world! It has been used extensively worldwide for nearly 200 years. Almost everyone in the industrialized world has at least one or two amalgam fillings in his/her teeth. The advantages to metallic fillings are that they are incredibly durable, not likely to break, and last a long time. Ten years is the average, however, in a very clean mouth not exposed to too much sugar, twenty years or more is not an uncommon lifespan for a well done amalgam.

Composite

Composite fillings are what people think of when they say "white fillings" or "porcelain fillings". We call them tooth colored fillings to distinguish them from amalgam, gold, and temporary filling materials. Most composite restorations today are "light cured" which means that the acrylic remains fluid until a very bright light is shined on it causing it to harden. Light curing allows the dentist time to work with the material, building and shaping it correctly, and when ready, to harden it immediately with the light. The light curing also makes for a more color stable restoration. The new tooth colored composite restorations do not yellow or brown with age as previous composites did. These fillings are used for front teeth and can sometimes be used successfully for the chewing surfaces of back teeth. Because they are plastic, they are not as durable as amalgam and are more costly and difficult to do. Consequently, they are less likely to last as long as amalgams.