What types of filling are there?
Dental fillings are of two main types: Silver (Amalgam) fillings Dental amalgam is a mixture of mercury, and an alloy of silver, tin and copper. Mercury makes up about 40-50 percent of the compound. Mercury is used to bind the metals together and to provide a strong, hard durable filling. After years of research, mercury has been found to be the only element that will bind these metals together in such a way that can be easily manipulated into a tooth cavity. Composite (White) fillings A composite resin is a tooth colored plastic mixture filled with glass (silicon dioxide). Following preparation, the dentist places the composite in layers, using a light specialized to harden each layer. When the process is finished, the dentist will shape the composite to fit the tooth. The dentist then polishes the composite to prevent staining and early wear.
