What are the disadvantages of amalgam fillings?
Amalgam materials have been successfully used for over 100 years. Disadvantages of amalgam include possible short-term sensitivity to cold after the filling is placed, which is also true of other dental materials. The silver-colored filling is not as natural looking as one that is tooth-colored and might be visible when you laugh or talk. To prepare the tooth, the dentist may need to remove more tooth structure to accommodate an amalgam filling than for other types of fillings. In certain situations amalgam fillings may lead to the development of cracks in teeth and care should be taken to design the cavities correctly. Amalgam is still a valid and appropriate material today. Patient preferences however, mean that tooth coloured filling materials are becoming more popular.
