Filling Options
STANDARD
Amalgam, directly placed silver fillings. These directly placed, one appointment fillings have been used for over 100 years. They have average strength, and tend to stain the teeth and darken with age.
GOOD
Composite, direct tooth colored fillings. These directly placed, one-appointment fillings are shaded to match the tooth and bonded to the tooth for additional strength.
BETTER
Lab-fabricated tooth colored fillings. These two appointment fillings involve making a mold of your teeth and placing a temporary filling. A dental laboratory will then custom-make this durable filling to fit the mold of your teeth, resulting in an excellent fit. They are made of porcelain or a porcelain-like material. These fillings are then bonded to your tooth at the second visit. These fillings are more natural looking, resist staining and recurrent decay better, and are much stronger than directly placed fillings.
BEST
Lab-fabricated gold fillings. The strongest and most durable material available to us today to place a filling is gold. Like the other lab-fabricated fillings, gold fillings require two appointments, a mold of your tooth and a temporary. Gold has the best fit available and is therefore most resistant to decay. Some people object to the looks of gold fillings, but they are much more esthetic than the old silver fillings because they do not stain the teeth or turn darker with age. If a filling is in an area that does not show when you smile, gold is by far your best choice.