A dental restoration or “filling” artificially restores the function, integrity, and morphology of missing tooth structure. The structural loss typically results from caries (cavities), wear, or external trauma. Dental restorations may be fabricated out of a variety of materials.
In the past, for fillings on back teeth we typically would use silver amalgam. While not in common use now, silver remains a handy tool for specific situations, especially if an area is difficult to keep dry during the procedure.
Nowadays we find that tooth coloured fillings using composite polymer are able to be used in the vast majority of cases. Most of these are cured (hardened) using a special light.
After a filling it is not unusual for a tooth to be mildly sensitive to cold or biting for a few days. Occasionally if the filling is very deep, the tooth may not settle down and may require root canal treatment. If you require a filling, it is always a good idea to get it done relatively soon, before the damage to the tooth gets any worse.
Fillings will not strengthen a tooth, no matter what they are made of. If a tooth is missing a larger amount of structure, an inlay or crown can be a longer-lasting solution.