Hi Aaron,

Well, I'm not a dentist, but I know of three types/colors.  Fillings can
be gold inlay (nearly all gold and looks like gold), amalgam (silver or
later, black color), or synthethic which I believe is named "composite"
(but I'm not really sure on that one).  The gold lasts longest, and is
completely inert, but there are some other problems with it.  The
amalgam is standard.

Aaron Sugarman wrote:
> << If your tooth a a dark or silvered colored filling, it is probably
>  filled with a mixture named amalgam.  >>
>
> Roberta,
>
> Guess that settles it.  I didn't even know they came in different colors.
> What do non-amalgam fillings look like.

The composite filling may be made of different materials, and the color
is normally made to match the color of your tooth so as to be not
noticeable.  It is very popular, used extensively in cosmetic dentistry
and the color can appear just like a tooth-color.  It is also made with
synthetic materials which eventually deteriorate, but at least there is
no mercury, which, we know is poisonous in adequate amounts.