Composite vs Amalgam Fillings: What's the Difference?
The short answer: amalgam fillings are the traditional silver-grey metal fillings most of us grew up with, while composite (white) fillings are tooth-coloured resin fillings that blend in with your natural teeth.
Dental Solutions operates a zero-amalgam policy, so we only provide tooth-coloured fillings. Here's why that distinction matters, beyond just how they look.
What's in Each One?
Amalgam fillings are a mix of metals, including mercury, which has made them durable and cheap to produce for over a century. That same mercury content is now the reason for their decline. Composite fillings are made from a resin and fine glass or quartz filler, which your dentist shapes, colour-matches to your tooth, and hardens with a curing light.
Why Amalgam Is on Its Way Out
This isn't just a cosmetic preference. It's a genuine regulatory shift. At the sixth Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, the global mercury treaty, delegates voted to phase out dental amalgam entirely by 2034, a decision that applies across the UK. The driver is environmental and public health concerns around mercury, and the British Dental Association has confirmed this timeline as binding for UK dental practice. Composite isn't just the nicer-looking option. It's the direction the entire profession is already moving in.
How They Compare Day to Day
- Appearance: Composite is matched to your natural tooth shade and is essentially invisible. Amalgam is silver-grey and highly visible, particularly in fillings towards the front of the mouth.
- Placement: Composite is chemically bonded directly to the tooth structure, which is part of why less healthy tooth often needs to be removed to place it. Amalgam isn't bonded at all. It's a strong, space-filling material that relies on mechanical retention, essentially locking into a cavity shape cut to hold it in place, rather than adhering to the tooth itself.
- Strength and Longevity: Modern composite materials have closed much of the durability gap with amalgam for small-to-moderate fillings, particularly in front and premolar teeth. Amalgam has historically had an edge in very large fillings on back molars under heavy biting load, though this varies case by case.
- Mercury Content: Composite contains none. Amalgam does, which is the basis of the phase-out above.
At Dental Solutions, modern dentistry has allowed us the pleasure of combining strength with natural-looking aesthetics when filling teeth. That's the trade-off composite is designed to remove. You're no longer choosing between a filling that lasts and one that looks natural.
Replacing Existing Metal Fillings
If you already have amalgam fillings and they're sound, there's usually no clinical urgency to replace them purely because they're amalgam. Removing a filling that's doing its job carries its own risks and isn't something to do casually. Where a filling is old, cracked, or needs replacing anyway, that's a natural point to switch to a tooth-coloured alternative. That's a conversation to have at a routine check-up rather than deciding alone.
What This Means If You're Looking for an Amalgam-Free Dentist in Gosforth
Dental Solutions has run a zero-amalgam policy from the outset at our Gosforth practice. Every filling we place, whether it's your first or a replacement, is tooth-coloured composite, for patients across Newcastle and beyond. There's no need to specifically request white fillings here. It's simply how we work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are composite fillings as strong as amalgam?
For most everyday fillings, modern composite materials perform comparably well. Very large fillings on heavily-loaded back teeth are the one scenario where the two are most closely compared case by case. Your dentist will advise if this applies to you.
Do you offer NHS or private fillings?
Dental Solutions is a private dental practice.
How do I prevent needing fillings in the first place?
We recommend regular check-ups every six months. The advantage is that it should reduce the need for more expensive treatment in the future.
Can composite fillings be used on back teeth?
Yes. Composite is used across the mouth, including back teeth, though very large fillings on heavily-loaded molars are the one scenario worth discussing individually with your dentist.
Will my composite filling match the colour of my tooth?
Yes. It's colour-matched to your natural tooth before it's placed, so it should blend in rather than stand out.