New Orleans White Fillings

Composite resins are used to make tooth-colored fillings. They are made from glass or quartz mixed with plastic resin. In New Orleans, Dr. Duane Delaune is a cosmetic dentist who only uses tooth-colored composite fillings.

How White Fillings and Amalgam Fillings Compare

White Fillings

• They bond to the tooth and make the tooth stronger.
• They require less removal of the tooth structure.
• Your teeth are less sensitive to hot and cold foods than they are with amalgam fillings.
• They don’t contain mercury, which is important to people who are concerned about the mercury in amalgam fillings.
• They look natural, so people can’t tell that you have fillings in your teeth.
• More time and skill are required to place them, so they cost more than amalgam fillings.

Amalgam Fillings

• More of the tooth structure must be removed to accommodate the filling.
• They are less expensive and easier to place than composite fillings.
• The filling is stronger than composite, but it weakens the tooth.
• Their color makes them more noticeable and less natural looking.

The photograph of the amalgam fillings on left shows that in some places, there is a gap between the filling and the tooth. Composite fillings bond to the teeth, and leave no gap. This bond makes the tooth stronger.