Composite is becoming more and more popular among dental offices. Some offices only offer composite fillings. Why, though? We’ve been using metal to fill cavities for generations, so why are dentists now making the switch?

First and foremost, composite resin is often preferred by patients over silver amalgam and gold fillings. They are less noticeable, so they can smile more freely and talk without fear that someone will see their previous fillings.

Other than their cosmetic appeal, they have several practical advantages:

• They are more affordable than the more expensive metal fillings, like gold.
  They don’t shrink or expand with hot and cold, so they stay close-fitting to the tooth and protect from future decay.
• As they aren’t conductive, they don’t make the tooth sensitive to hot and cold beverages.
• Amalgam and other metal alloy fillings aren’t suitable for everyone. Pregnant and nursing mothers as well as people with metal allergies are recommended composite over metal.
• They’ll never chip and break your existing natural tooth like metal has been known to do.

While composite fillings don’t last as long as metal fillings, they are also less prone to complications between replacement fillings.