For well over 100 years dental amalgam or silver restorations have been the material of choice in dentistry due to the lack of a good alternative that could be used in all areas of the mouth and in particular in the molar teeth. In recent years, more aesthetic tooth-coloured restorations have finally been developed that are strong enough to be used in the posterior areas of the mouth so the use of amalgam has declined considerably. These newer tooth-coloured fillings are actually bonded to the tooth surface so the cavity prepared by the dentist to remove the tooth decay and fill the tooth can be much smaller than the cavity which needs to be prepared for a amalgam filling which is held in place by the shape of the cavity itself. The bonding also supports the tooth structure. This more concervative tooth preparation and bonding preserves vital tooth structure which is important for the long term health of the tooth. The tooth coloured fillings are composite-resin or ceramic materials.