MJ Vang10 years ago
★★★★★
My husband, our daughter, and I have always came here when we were still residing in Whitehall, WI. Dr. Matthews have always…
Modern composite resin fillings are carefully matched to the natural shade of your teeth, creating a restoration that blends smoothly with your smile. At Whitehall Dental Center, we use durable, tooth-colored materials to repair cavities while restoring the tooth’s natural appearance, strength, and function.
Composite resin restorations represent a leap forward from historical metal filling frameworks. Unlike silver amalgam fillings, which are packed mechanically into a hollow space and require extensive tooth destruction, composite materials bond chemically directly to your natural enamel and dentin architecture. This molecular adhesion reinforces and supports the remaining enamel structures from within, significantly decreasing the risk of future structural fractures.
Many patients with old silver amalgam fillings ask about having them replaced with tooth-colored composite. Here’s an honest answer about when it makes sense — and when it doesn’t.
“We evaluate each amalgam filling on its own merits. If replacement is appropriate — due to age, failure, decay, or your preference — we remove it safely and replace it with a matched composite restoration. We never recommend replacement purely for commercial reasons.”
Clinical Workflow
Local anesthesia applied. Decay or old filling material removed. Conservative — only what needs to come out comes out.
Composite resin shade selected to match natural tooth color precisely. The match is so accurate the filling is virtually invisible.
Composite placed in layers and hardened with a curing light. Each layer shaped and polished to restore natural tooth contour and bite.
Entire process completed in a single appointment. You leave with a finished, polished, fully functional restoration the same day.
We prioritize your long-term health values by relying exclusively on modern composite tooth restoration systems across all operations.
We take time to match composite shading to your natural tooth — including characterization, translucency, and surface texture. The result should be undetectable.
Composite bonding requires less healthy tooth structure removed than amalgam. We take the most conservative approach that serves you long-term.
My husband, our daughter, and I have always came here when we were still residing in Whitehall, WI. Dr. Matthews have always…
The staff is incredible. Very clean and up to date facility! Great asset to Whitehall!
My family and I, have been seeing, Dr Matthew's and his AMAZING staff for the last 15 years PLUS… I have seen…
While residing in La Crosse, Wisconsin, my family's dentist was Dr. Jeff Matthews of Matthews Family Dental in Whitehall. Although the drive…
Always very helpful and informative. They take Ashley's insurance, and they definitely do good work.
Great team and always a great experience!
My daughter and I have been coming to Matthews Dental for over 15 years. The service as well as their sincerity has…
I'm from out of town. I had a dental issue that needed to be taken care of ASAP. I called Dr. Matthews…
Truly this is one of the best dental offices I’ve ever been to. I moved to the area and had been looking…
Matthews Family Dental is great! My kids have gotten BRACES from Dr. Matthews and their smiles are looking great!
excellent. Helped in a pinch.
Had my braces done here, and it turned out great. Very nice office and staff makes me feel like I'm appreciated. Even…
5–10 years on average, with many lasting longer. Depends on filling size, bite forces, and oral hygiene. We check filling integrity at every recall visit.
For moderate-sized fillings, yes — modern composites are very strong. For very large restorations with high bite forces, an inlay, onlay, or crown may be more appropriate than composite.
If your amalgam fillings are intact and functioning well, there is no urgent clinical reason to replace them. If they are old, cracking, leaking, or you prefer tooth-colored restorations, replacement with composite is a reasonable choice. We evaluate each one individually.
The tooth is numbed with local anesthesia before any preparation begins — you should feel pressure but no pain. Some sensitivity for 1–3 days afterward is normal and resolves on its own.
Most plans cover composite fillings for front teeth at 100% and back teeth at the amalgam rate. Many plans now cover composite for all teeth. We verify your benefits before your appointment.