Fillings

Composite/Resin fillings or "tooth-colored fillings"

Resin/composite fillings use a glass and plastic material to replace tooth structure lost by decay, wear or breakage. Resin fillings are the most conservative treatment. Less of your natural tooth structure needs to be removed in preparation for their placement. They do a better of protecting your tooth in the long run, as there's less chance that your tooth will fracture and require a crown in the future.

Resin fillings result in a natural-looking smile. The color can be closely matched to your natural teeth, so the restorations are nearly undetectable. And while amalgam fillings are only "packed" in the tooth preparation, the resin compound actually bonds to your tooth, the seal is tighter and the restored tooth can be even stronger than it was before.

Composite resin fillings can also be made much smaller than an amalgam fillings or "silver fillings" used to restore the same amount of decayed tooth, so less natural tooth structure is lost. The durability of resin tooth-filling material has not been time-tested, but continual improvements in the product have made resins nearly as durable as amalgam/silver fillings.