What are the Advantages of Dental Amalgam

What are the Advantages of Dental Amalgam

Amalgam (or silver filling) is used to feel cavities which were caused by tooth decay. It’s made out of liquid mercury and metal alloy mixture. Amalgam has been used for many years for restoration and it’s commonly called filling. So what are the advantages of dental amalgam?

Silver filling are not that common anymore because the white ones gain more popularity and no one uses it any more as much as they used to. Technology improved white fillings and now you can wear them for years.

Besides the dark color and material, silver fillings have few advantages.

Advantages of dental amalgam

advantages of dental amalgam

The popularity in silver fillings decreased because of the toxicity of mercury. Because of that, many dentists stop using them and some patients wouldn’t want to have it in their mouth. Even though, the researchers didn’t prove that it might be harmful for the human body. And some dentists in other countries are still using it and consider it as a good material.

  • The silver fillings last much longer than the white ones. They can last up to 15 years, and the white filling can last up to 10 years.
  • It cost less. It’s much easier to prepare a silver filling than the white one.
  • They cause much less sensitivity then the white fillings.

Disadvantages

Unfortunately, the silver fillings have more disadvantages. After the amalgam is placed on the cavity, it might be too big as it expands in 24 hours and might fracture the tooth really bad. If that happens whether it’s an amalgam or composite, you will probably going to need a crown, and a crown is much more expensive than any filling.

Other Material you Can Consider

There are other different materials that can replace a white filing, such as gold or porcelain. But these ones are much harder to prepare and it needs to be done outside the person’s mouth. These kind of fillings are usually done in the laboratory or a milling machine. They are called inlays or onlays. Also, because of their high quality, they going to cost you up to 7 times more than the amalgam or white fillings!