In the “olden days” silver fillings were the only options available as a material to fill decayed teeth. Nowadays however we have very clever dental filling materials in every shade of white to expertly match our patients natural teeth so it doesn’t look as if there is a filling there at all.
Some patients opt to have their old silver (amalgam) fillings removed in preference for the white fillings and other patients wait until their old fillings need replacing before they opt for a nice cosmetic white filling.
If a patient has a well maintained silver filling that is not a problem, the dental team usually adopt a let sleeping dogs lie attitude and don’t mend until its broke approach! Fillings do a great job in restoring teeth so they can function again.
However, people getting married or only have one or two fillings often ask to have their fillings changed to white.
A white filling is done in just the same way as a silver filling, and the dentist likes to book 30 minutes for the procedure.
