There are quite a few different materials which are commonly used as dental fillings. The first type is a tooth-colored filling or a composite resin. These dental filling materials are often used on the top of teeth, and they look very much like the original tooth. The traditional type of dental filling is a silver amalgam, and this is still widely used as a dental filling. These fillings are made of silver alloy and mercury, and are extremely durable.

Glass Ionomer Cement is another type of dental filling which is a self-hardening mixture composed of organic acid and glass. A resin ionomer cement is also a mixture of glass, organic acid, and a resin polymer, which solidifies when exposed to blue light. Porcelain is sometimes used as a temporary filling agent, and gold alloys are sometimes used for partial dentures and crowns. These are very durable, but they tend to be costly and are not commonly used as dental fillings.