Silver amalgam fillings can last for many years but will ultimately start to tarnish and corrode. When this occurs, the filling repels away from the tooth and creates a space. Bacteria is then able to enter the opening cause damage and decay underneath the filling. When discovered, the old silver amalgam filling will have to be removed and substituted with a tooth-coloured porcelain ceramic filling that will function as normal.

One of the great benefits of porcelain tooth-coloured dental fillings is that they bond directly to the tooth, making them considerably stronger than silver amalgam fillings. Also, less of the tooth needs to be removed in preparation for the bonding process, thereby preserving more of the natural tooth. There are many more health benefits to porcelain fillings as traditional silver fillings contain the heavily toxic metal mercury.

Porcelain dental fillings are more appropriate in smaller situations where there is only minimal stress on the tooth. In these instances where a porcelain filling alone cannot fully treat the tooth due to a heavily compromised biting surface of the tooth, a porcelain onlay, inlay or dental crown might be required to handle the full force of biting and chewing.

If multiple silver fillings are present, it is optimal to replace a few silver fillings at a time rather than doing the procedure multiple times. A rubber dam will be placed after freezing is completed. This will keep any decayed particles or dental materials from sliding down the throat and harming the patient.

The silver amalgam fillings are taken out with a dental hand tool and the surfaces of the tooth are thoroughly cleaned before the tooth-coloured replacement filling is placed. This porcelain filling is professionally contoured and shaped to mirror a natural tooth and to fit the bite. The bite is rechecked and all the adjustments are done once the rubber dam has been removed.

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