If your mouth holds fillings from different decades, it probably holds both kinds: silver amalgam from the past, tooth-coloured composite from the present. Here is how they truly compare, and when replacement makes sense.
Amalgam is a durable metal alloy that served dentistry for over a century. It is strong, but it does not bond to teeth, requiring undercuts carved into healthy tooth structure to stay put, and it is unmistakably visible. Composite is modern tooth-coloured resin that chemically bonds to the tooth, allowing smaller, more conservative preparations, invisible results, and easy repair. It is our standard for new fillings. Composite Fillings
Only for a reason, and we will show you the reason on screen. Legitimate ones include cracks in the filling or the tooth around it (old amalgams can act like wedges over decades), decay leaking underneath, or a fracture line an aging filling is propagating. "It's silver" is not by itself a reason: Health Canada considers existing amalgam serviceable, and removing a sound filling trades real tooth structure for cosmetics. When a silver filling is doing its job, we say so and leave it alone.
Old fillings do not last forever; most eventually need renewal. When yours does, it will be replaced with bonded composite, or, for very large old fillings, sometimes an onlay or crown serves the weakened tooth better. Onlays
Curious about the state of your old fillings? We will show you, honestly: (250) 372-2326.
Questions, or ready to book? Call (250) 372-2326 or request an appointment online.