There’s gold, porcelain, composite resin or tooth-colored filling, and amalgam. Among these options, the most popular choices are amalgam and white filling or composite resin. If you’re trying to decide which between the two is better for you, a trusted Vancouver dentist explains the differences below.

An amalgam filling is a mixture of silver, tin, zinc, copper and mercury, with mercury making up nearly 50 percent of the mixture. It’s what people in earlier times are most familiar with as it’s also the cheapest restorative material. The main advantage with this filling is that it’s incredibly durable; it can last for a decade or over, especially with proper maintenance. This filling is best used for molars or back teeth which are mainly responsible for chewing up food. Another nice advantage that comes with an amalgam filling is that it’s less sensitive to moisture during the filling process so the treatment can be completed much faster.

Now, the issues with amalgams (or silver fillings, as what a lot of folks call them) is that they do not match the color of your teeth, so that’s zero on aesthetic value. In addition to that, it can corrode and discolor over time (this is a health issue that worries many because corrosion of the filling meant that mercury, a toxic element, may be absorbed by the body and cause sickness). Plus, it doesn’t really become one with your tooth, and for this filling to be properly applied, dentists usually need to remove more of the tooth to create a secure hole for the filling.

Meanwhile, composite resin or white filling is a mix of plastic and fine glass particles. It is applied two ways: directly and indirectly. For direct fillings, the dentist makes use of blue light to harden the filling material. As for indirect fillings, the dentist prepares the tooth and takes an impression, which then will allow for the filling to be molded precisely and cover the cavity completely when it’s cemented into place. An indirect filling takes two sessions.