What are silver fillings?

Silver fillings are made of amalgam, which is a mixture of mercury with silver, tin and sometimes copper. A filling is used to replace part of a tooth that has been lost due to decay or accidental damage.

What does this treatment involve?

• Firstly, your dentist will numb the area around the tooth that is going to be filled
• Any decay, old filling or weak part of the tooth, which might break later, will be removed
• In order to hold the filling in place, your dentist will shape the hole in your tooth. For a larger filling, your dentist may use tiny pins and screws to help hold the tooth and filling together
• If the filling is very deep, your dentist will put a lining underneath it, to make the tooth less sensitive to temperature changes
• Press the soft amalgam into the hole and then carve the filling to fit the hole in your tooth
• To ensure that the filling is the right height and feels comfortable, your dentist will ask you to close your mouth gently
• On the next visit when the amalgam has set and the filling is completely hard, your dentist will polish it

What are the benefits of silver fillings?

Silver fillings are very strong due to the amalgam that is used to make them. This means that they are very good for filling back teeth that have been heavily worn away by chewing.

Also a filling rebuilds the tooth, which will enable you to chew and can end toothache or prevent toothache developing.