The main reasons for choosing metal-free teeth restorations are quite compelling: safety, strength and appearance! Today, silver-mercury (metal) amalgams are obsolete. If you have old metal fillings, or even if you have new ones, your teeth and your health are at unnecessary risk. Not only do metal fillings detract from the appearance of the teeth, turning them dark and gray, they also damage the remaining part of the tooth they’re meant to protect!

Metal fillings expand and contract with temperature changes. This movement weakens and cracks teeth. It also creates space between the tooth wall and the filling, allowing bacteria to enter, causing decay. Even worse is the controversy of the hazards of amalgam (silver or black) fillings that show that they leak out mercury toxins for up to 20 years!

Dentistry has changed dramatically in the last few years and you can now get metal free restorations in place of your old silver fillings. Whether restoring a tooth to health or replacing an existing metal filling, there are a variety of non-metal restorations available.

The options vary from composite resins for smaller fillings to porcelain on-lays and crowns for larger restorations. An on-lay is like a smaller version of a crown where more natural tooth structure is left untouched and intact. The benefit to these is that they protect fragile tooth structure and are chemically and physically “bonded” to your tooth, restoring it back to up to 97% of its original healthy strength.