Dental Materials Guide - What Goes in Your Mouth

A Look at Common Restorations and Their Materials

The material chosen for your restoration depends on many factors, including the size and location of the tooth, the biting forces it must withstand, aesthetic considerations, and your personal preference. Here’s a look at the most common options.

For Dental Fillings (Repairing Cavities)

1. Composite Resin (Tooth-Colored or "White" Fillings)

This is the modern standard of care for filling most cavities.

• What It Is: A durable mixture of tooth-colored plastic and fine glass particles that is soft when applied and then hardened with a special light.

  
  

• Advantages: It bonds directly to the tooth, which allows us to preserve more of your natural tooth structure. Its greatest benefit is aesthetics; we can precisely match the resin to the shade of your tooth, making the filling virtually invisible. It is also completely mercury-free.

  
  

• Considerations: While strong, it may not be as durable as metal fillings for very large restorations on back teeth. It can also be susceptible to staining over time, much like natural teeth.

  
  

2. Dental Amalgam ("Silver" Fillings)

This is a traditional filling material that has been used for over 150 years.

• What It Is: A stable alloy made by mixing mercury, silver, tin, and copper.

• Advantages: It is extremely durable, long-lasting, and cost-effective.

• Considerations: Its metallic color is not aesthetically pleasing and does not blend in with the tooth. It also requires more of the healthy tooth structure to be removed to create a secure fit. While considered safe by major health organizations, some patients have concerns about its mercury content.

For Dental Crowns (Covering and Protecting Teeth)

1. All-Porcelain / All-Ceramic

These are renowned for their exceptional, lifelike appearance.

• What It Is: A crown made entirely of high-grade dental ceramic.

• Advantages: This is the most aesthetically pleasing option, with a translucency that perfectly mimics natural tooth enamel. It is an ideal choice for front teeth. It is also biocompatible and completely metal-free.

• Considerations: It may not have the same brute strength as metal-based crowns, making it slightly less ideal for heavy-grinding patients on back molars.

  
  

2. Zirconia

Zirconia is a revolutionary type of ceramic that offers an incredible combination of strength and beauty.

• What It Is: A crown milled from a solid block of zirconium oxide, a type of ceramic that is virtually indestructible.

• Advantages: It is exceptionally strong and resistant to chipping and fracture, making it perfect for molars. It is also tooth-colored and biocompatible, with no risk of a dark metal line at the gums.

• Considerations: While tooth-colored, some types of zirconia can be more opaque and less translucent than traditional porcelain.

  
  

3. Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal (PFM)

This is a traditional type of crown that combines the strength of metal with the appearance of porcelain.

• What It Is: A crown with a metal alloy interior shell that is covered by a layer of tooth-colored porcelain.

• Advantages: It is very strong and durable due to the metal substructure.

• Considerations: The porcelain layer can chip or fracture away from the metal. Over time, the underlying metal can show through as a dark, unattractive line along the gumline.