Which Metal-Free Material Suits Your Tooth?

Often, but not in every case. Composite or ceramic suits most fillings and onlays, and many crowns. A very heavy bite, or some bridge designs, may need a different material, and we’ll explain why.

Composite resin is a tooth-coloured filling shaped on the tooth in one visit, and it suits small and medium cavities. Ceramic, also called porcelain, is made as a separate piece and suits larger repairs, onlays and crowns. It lasts well and can be shaded to blend in (healthdirect, fillings). Each has trade-offs in strength, wear, repair and cost (ADA, teeth.org.au), which we explain for each tooth.

Old metal crowns or fillings that are intact, comfortable and easy to clean don’t need replacing just because they contain metal. Every replacement removes some healthy tooth (ADA, teeth.org.au). If you’d rather avoid metal for any reason, tell us. You don’t need a medical reason. We’ll explain the suitable options for each tooth, what each is made of and what each costs.

• Australian Dental Association, teeth.org.au. Dental fillings
• healthdirect (Australian Government). Dental fillings

That depends on how big it is, which tooth it’s in, your bite and your cleaning. Back-tooth composites fail sooner than amalgam on average (Worthington et al., 2021), so durability is part of the conversation. Nobody can promise a number of years.

A 2021 Cochrane review compared direct composite fillings with amalgam fillings in permanent back teeth and found composite failed more often. The review rated that evidence as low certainty, and its trials used older composite materials, so newer composites may do better. Composite is easy to repair and add to, and it can stain over time. Bonding also needs a dry tooth and careful technique. For larger repairs, ceramic may hold up better, and we’ll explain the trade-offs for your tooth.

New decay around a filling often comes back to how often sugar arrives (healthdirect, tooth decay), so your routine matters as much as the material. Grinding can crack fillings as well, and a splint may be suggested. We check fillings at your reviews, and tell you early if one is wearing or leaking. Ask what we’d expect for your tooth and what each material costs to maintain.

• Worthington HV, et al. Direct composite resin fillings versus amalgam fillings for permanent posterior teeth. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2021. PubMed 34387873
• healthdirect (Australian Government). Tooth decay

For some teeth, yes, with CEREC in the practice. The rest are made over two visits, with a laboratory involved. Which route suits your tooth depends on how much tooth is left, where it sits and how you bite.

CEREC is a system we use for selected cases to design and make a ceramic crown, inlay, onlay or veneer in the practice. Laboratory ceramic is made as a separate piece and then bonded in, and it’s a good option for many teeth. Ceramic is long-lasting and can be shaded to blend in (healthdirect, fillings). We don’t call either route better.

Ask what each route would involve for you: the number of visits, whether a temporary crown is needed and what each option costs. Same-day work isn’t always quicker overall, because a root canal or a build-up beneath the crown may be needed first. Ask for an itemised quote, and check with your fund what it pays. We can’t promise that every tooth is suited to same-day work.

• healthdirect (Australian Government). Dental fillings

No. Your doctor or an allergy specialist can arrange testing if you think you react to a dental material. Bring the results, and we’ll plan around them.

Reactions to dental materials are rare, though they do occur, for instance to nickel or to an ingredient of amalgam. If you think you’ve reacted, tell us what happened, when and what was being done. Your doctor can help work out whether a dental material was responsible, and whether testing is worth doing.

Once we have a result, the plan steers around the material involved where that’s possible. A confirmed amalgam allergy is also one of the recognised reasons to replace an amalgam filling (ADA Policy 6.18, 2026). Without one, we wouldn’t suggest replacing a sound filling for a suspected reaction alone. Tell us about any allergies when you book, and list them on your forms so every dentist who sees you has them.

• Australian Dental Association. Policy Statement 6.18 – Safety of Dental Amalgam (amended April 2026)

According to the Australian Dental Association, there’s no evidence that long-term BPA exposure from dental materials is linked to harm (ADA Policy 6.27, 2025). If you’d still like to talk about alternatives, ask. Ceramic is one option for larger repairs.

BPA, or bisphenol A, is a chemical that can be involved in some dental resin materials. The ADA’s policy statement, last amended in October 2025, sets out its position on BPA in dental restorative materials. No dental material is completely harmless for everyone, and we explain the trade-offs for each option rather than calling anything pure.

If a worry about BPA or another ingredient is on your mind, bring it. Tell us what you’ve read, and we’ll go through it with the evidence in front of us. Preferring a metal-free or different material is a reasonable choice. We can compare composite and ceramic for your tooth, including how long each tends to last and what it costs. Our wider guides to holistic dentistry cover the other questions people ask about materials. If you have a known allergy, tell us.

• Australian Dental Association. Policy Statement 6.27 – Bisphenol-A in Dental Restorative Materials (amended October 2025)