Amalgam Dental Fillings

Dental Amalgam is a commonly used dental filling that has been employed for over 150 years. Amalgam has many advantages over other restorative materials, including low cost, strength, durability, and bacteriostatic effects.

Amalgam is used in dentistry for a number of reasons. It is relatively easy to use and manipulate during placement, it remains soft long enough for the dentist to fill any irregular cavity, and then forms a hard compound. Amalgam possesses greater longevity than other direct restorative materials. On average, most amalgam restorations last twice as long as resin-based composites. However, with recent improvements in composite material science and a better understanding of the technique-sensitivity of placement, it should be noted that this difference is decreasing.

There are circumstances in which composite (white fillings) serves better than amalgam. The main reason people sometimes choose composite over amalgam is the cosmetic difference.

The American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs has concluded that both amalgam and composite materials are considered safe and effective for tooth restoration.

For more information about amalgam fillings: http:www.ada.org/1741.aspx