Amalgam Fillings in Torrance, CA — And When to Replace Them
Silver amalgam has restored teeth for over a century and is still durable under heavy molar force. Most people asking about it want to know whether theirs should be replaced — here is the straight answer, without scare tactics.
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of documented clinical use
not because it is silver
composite for visible teeth
What Amalgam Actually Is
Dental amalgam is an alloy of silver, tin, copper and mercury. It is placed as a soft mix that hardens in the cavity, and it has restored teeth for more than a century because it is exceptionally durable under the load a molar takes.
The mercury is the part everyone asks about. In set amalgam the mercury is chemically bound into the alloy, not free. Major health bodies including the FDA consider amalgam safe for adults and children over six, while noting caution for a small number of higher-risk groups.
When an Amalgam Filling Needs Replacing
A sound amalgam filling that is doing its job should usually be left alone. Replacing healthy work removes more tooth for no clinical gain.
Replace it when…
- There is decay at the margin on an X-ray
- The filling is cracked, chipped or a corner has broken away
- The tooth around it has a visible crack line
- The margin has opened and floss catches or shreds
- It is high and causing soreness when biting
- You want a visible tooth restored in a natural color
Leave it alone when…
- It is intact with no decay at the margin
- The tooth is comfortable and functioning normally
- The only objection is that it is silver, on a back tooth nobody sees
- X-rays show sound tooth structure all around it
- Replacing it would mean removing more healthy tooth
We will show you the X-ray and the filling on screen. Wholesale removal of sound amalgam is not something we recommend — every replacement costs a little more of your natural tooth.
What Filling Replacement Costs in Torrance
Replacing a filling is priced like placing one — by how many surfaces are involved — with the occasional surprise once the old filling is out.
Priced by surfaces
One-, two- and three-surface restorations are different jobs. You get the figure for your tooth after the X-ray, before anything is touched.
Sometimes it needs more
Decay under an old filling is occasionally deeper than the X-ray suggested. We tell you at the chair before continuing, not on the invoice.
Insurance usually contributes
Replacing a failed filling is restorative treatment and most plans cover a share. Replacing a sound one for appearance alone usually is not covered.
Amalgam vs Composite vs Onlay
Three ways to restore a back tooth, and the right one is decided by how much tooth is left.
Composite (tooth-colored)
Resin bonded directly into the cavity.
- Bonds to the tooth, so less structure is removed
- Invisible — shade-matched to the tooth
- See dental fillings
Amalgam
The traditional silver alloy filling.
- Very durable under heavy molar load
- Needs more tooth removed to lock it in place
- Visibly metallic
Inlay or onlay
A lab-made or milled ceramic insert.
- For cavities too large for a direct filling
- Keeps more tooth than a full crown
- See inlays and onlays
Replacing an Amalgam Filling, Step by Step
A single appointment for most teeth, done with isolation and high-volume suction throughout.
Assess & Numb
We X-ray the tooth, check the margins and the surrounding structure, and confirm replacement is actually warranted. The tooth is then fully numbed.
Remove With Isolation
The old filling is sectioned and lifted out rather than ground away wholesale, under high-volume suction with the tooth isolated. That minimises both particulate and any vapour released during removal.
Rebuild & Balance
Any decay underneath is removed, the cavity conditioned, and composite placed in layers and cured. The bite is then checked with marking paper and adjusted before you leave.
After a Filling Is Replaced
Composite is fully set when you leave, so normal use resumes as soon as the anesthetic wears off:
- Wait for the numbness to pass before eating, so you do not bite your cheek
- Expect mild cold sensitivity for a few days — a deeper filling can take a couple of weeks
- Come back if it feels high when you bite; adjusting it takes two minutes
- Clean the margin between the teeth daily — that is where the next problem starts
- Keep six-month checkups so margins are X-rayed before decay gets underneath
- Wear a night guard if you grind; grinding cracks fillings and the teeth holding them
Composite replacements commonly last five to ten years and often longer. The old amalgam may have lasted twenty — that durability is real, and it is why we do not remove sound ones.
Why Torrance Patients Come Here About Old Fillings
No scare tactics
We will not recommend removing sound amalgam. Every replacement costs a little more natural tooth, and that trade has to be justified by a clinical reason.
Careful removal when it is warranted
Sectioned rather than ground out, with isolation and high-volume suction throughout, so exposure during removal is kept as low as practical.
You see the X-ray
The image goes on the screen and we point at what we are looking at. You should be able to see the reason, not just hear it.
Easy from anywhere in the South Bay
A short drive from Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Gardena, Carson, Lomita, Palos Verdes, Harbor City and San Pedro, with free parking on site.
Amalgam Filling Questions, Answered
Major health authorities including the FDA consider dental amalgam safe for adults and children over six, while advising caution for a small number of higher-risk groups such as pregnant women and people with a known mercury allergy. The mercury in set amalgam is chemically bound into the alloy rather than free. If you have specific concerns, raise them at your visit and we will talk through your own situation.
Not if they are sound. A filling with no decay at the margin, no crack and no symptoms is doing its job, and replacing it removes a little more healthy tooth for no clinical gain. Replacement is warranted when there is decay underneath, a fracture, an open margin, or when you want a visible tooth restored in a natural color.
It is priced like any filling — by how many surfaces of the tooth are involved. Replacing a failed filling is restorative treatment and most insurance plans contribute; replacing a sound one purely for appearance usually is not covered. We give you the figure before anything is touched.
For the great majority of cavities, yes, and it has a real advantage: it bonds to the tooth, so less healthy structure has to be cut away to hold it. Amalgam still has the edge on very large cavities taking heavy molar force, and where that applies to your tooth we will say so rather than default to composite.
The filling is sectioned into pieces and lifted out rather than ground away wholesale, with the tooth isolated and high-volume suction running throughout. That keeps both particulate and vapour to a minimum during the part of the process where any exposure occurs.
That is amalgam staining the surrounding dentine over years — a cosmetic effect rather than decay. On a back tooth it usually needs nothing. On a visible tooth, replacing the filling with composite and, occasionally, internal whitening addresses it.
Often fifteen to twenty years, sometimes considerably longer — their durability is genuinely good. What ends them is decay creeping in at the margin as the seal ages, or a crack developing in the tooth around them, both of which we check at every checkup.
Yes. Our office on Marcelina Ave in Old Torrance is a short drive from Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Gardena, Carson, Lomita, Palos Verdes, Harbor City and San Pedro. Parking on site is free.
More Restorative Treatments
Wondering About Your Old Silver Fillings?
Book a check at Haru Dental in Old Torrance. We will X-ray them, show you the images, and tell you honestly which need replacing and which are better left exactly where they are.
Opening Hours
- Mon–Fri: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Every other Saturday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- 1454 Marcelina Ave, Torrance, CA 90501
- (310) 362-2875