Prevention and treatment of tooth decay is part of the first line of defense of maintaining optimum dental health. When decay is detected, a filling may be required to restore your tooth to health. If your tooth is not repaired, the decay may advance into the nerve chamber resulting in the need for a root canal. Sometimes existing fillings must be replaced due to new decay, defects or cracks, or aesthetic concerns. Fillings can also be used to repair fractured teeth.

The materials used for dental fillings today mainly consist of dental composites and silver amalgam.

Dental composite filling: At Stillorgan Dental Care, we prefer to use dental composite fillings (white fillings). White fillings are slightly more expensive than silver amalgam. In return they are tooth coloured, their strength and durability is high and they are much better for the environment.

Silver amalgam: Silver amalgam, has for the last 150 years, been the most widely used material for dental fillings. Silver amalgam contains mercury at levels that are not harmful to human health, but if you are pregnant and/or environmentally conscious, dental composite fillings should definitely be considered as an alternative. Composite restorations are the ideal cosmetic option for your dentition.