{"id":6,"date":"2026-07-09T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enlightendental.ca\/blog\/composite-vs-porcelain-vs-gold-choosing-the-right-filling-material\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T09:00:00","slug":"composite-vs-porcelain-vs-gold-choosing-the-right-filling-material","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enlightendental.ca\/blog\/composite-vs-porcelain-vs-gold-choosing-the-right-filling-material\/","title":{"rendered":"Composite vs. Porcelain vs. Gold: Choosing the Right Filling Material"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"lede\">If your dentist has ever said &#8220;you have a couple of options here,&#8221; you know the feeling of being handed a decision you did not expect to make. Filling material choice is not one-size-fits-all.<\/p>\n<p>The three materials we work with most often are composite resin, porcelain, and gold alloy. Each has a real, well-documented trade-off profile \u2014 none is simply <strong>better<\/strong>, and the right pick for a molar is often wrong for a front tooth.<\/p>\n<h2>How the three materials compare<\/h2>\n<p>Below is the short version of what we weigh in the chair. If you want the deeper reasoning, read our guide to <a href=\"\/services\/fillings\/\">tooth-coloured fillings<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Composite resin<\/h3>\n<p>Bonded directly to the tooth and shaded to match. Best for visible teeth and smaller repairs.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Appearance:<\/strong> excellent \u2014 effectively invisible when shaded well<\/li>\n<li><strong>Longevity:<\/strong> 7\u201310 years typically, and it depends heavily on:\n<ul>\n<li>bite force at that tooth position<\/li>\n<li>whether you grind or clench at night<\/li>\n<li>how well the area is kept clean<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cost:<\/strong> moderate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Porcelain (ceramic)<\/h3>\n<p>Milled in the lab or chairside, then bonded. It resists staining better than composite and is our usual pick for larger restorations on visible teeth.<\/p>\n<h4>When we tend to recommend it<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>The repair is too large for composite to hold reliably<\/li>\n<li>The tooth is visible when you smile<\/li>\n<li>You want the most stain-resistant option, and in that case we will usually:\n<ol>\n<li>take a digital scan of the tooth<\/li>\n<li>mill and fit a trial restoration<\/li>\n<li>bond the final piece once the fit is confirmed<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4>Gold alloy<\/h4>\n<p>Unbeatable on durability, and gentle on the opposing tooth. The obvious trade-off is appearance, so we reserve it for back teeth.<\/p>\n<h5>A note on longevity claims<\/h5>\n<p>Published lifespans assume good home care. Use <code>fluoride<\/code> toothpaste, clean between teeth daily, and keep recall visits.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The best material is the one that suits the tooth&#8217;s job, your bite, and how visible it is \u2014 in that order.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>So which one should you choose?<\/h2>\n<p>For most back-tooth repairs we suggest porcelain or gold; for anything in the smile zone, composite or porcelain. Still unsure? <a href=\"\/contact\/\">Book a consultation<\/a> and we will walk through it with you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every filling material trades off differently on durability, cost and appearance. Here is how to weigh them for your own mouth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fillings-restorations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enlightendental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enlightendental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enlightendental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enlightendental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enlightendental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/enlightendental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enlightendental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enlightendental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enlightendental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enlightendental.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}