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White composite fillings versus silver amalgam fillings for your teeth

For front teeth, all dentists place white composite fillings.

So let's just talk about back teeth. Which is better for your back tooth: A white composite filling, or a silver amalgam filling?
 

More and more patients are demanding white composite fillings for their back teeth. In the early days of white composite fillings, they were not strong enough to serve on back teeth. They would quickly wear down and wear out. However, in the twenty-first century, white composite fillings seem to last as long as silver amalgam fillings, if they're done right. Here are the advantages:

	The filling looks nicer, of course. You would expect that.
	Something you might not expect is that the filling is better sealed. When it's done right, the white composite filling forms a tight seal with your tooth, thus keeping microscopic food particles and bacteria out of the space between your filling and the tooth.
	White fillings bond to your tooth, making the tooth stronger.
	White composite fillings, when they are done correctly, make the tooth much less sensitive to hot and cold and other irritations.

Most dentists are trained in dental school only to do silver amalgam fillings for back teeth.

	A licensed dentist should be fully trained to properly place silver amalgam fillings. They don't require any extra training.
	Silver amalgam fillings take less time, use less expensive materials, and are therefore less expensive than white composite fillings.
	Your dental insurance plan may likely cover the entire cost of a silver amalgam filling, where they would only cover part of the cost of a white composite filling.