Composite (tooth colored) fillings can restore carious or chipped teeth.
Before and after replacing an old amalgam filling with a new composite (tooth colored) filling.
Composite Fillings
Composite fillings are a mixture of glass or quartz filler in a resin medium that produces a tooth-colored filling.
Advantages include good durability and resistance to fracture is small to medium size restorations that have moderate chewing forces. Less tooth structure is needed to be removed since composites are chemically bonded to the tooth allowing a more conservative preparation.
Disadvantages include cost. The cost is moderate to high priced depending on the size of the filling. It takes longer to place a composite filling than an amalgam filling. Composite filling require a dry field during the filling and they are subject to stain and discoloration over time.