Amalgam as a filling material for the older person - a personal opinion

Amalgam is a wonderful restorative material that has been used in dentistry for over 150 years. Millions of people worldwide have at least one dental amalgam restoration and have not suffered any adverse effects. It is easily placed, relatively cheap and durable. It expands while setting thereby creating a tight marginal seal. If moisture is incorporated, there will be some increased expansion on setting, but this does not usually cause problems. However, in contrast to tooth‐coloured restorative materials, it requires mechanical retention to the tooth and more extensive cavity preparation. Amalgam also is an excellent core material for crowns. When set, it is silver in colour, which is unsuitable for anterior teeth. Amalgam fillings can last 40 plus years. They can be repaired easily by cutting a lock into the existing amalgam. Composite restorations, by comparison, are very technique sensitive, not as long lasting as a well‐placed amalgam, prone to microleakage and staining, and are significantly more expensive. Composites contract on setting and do not bond directly to amalgam so are not the material of choice for repairing defective amalgam margins