Do - or I should ask - are there white filling materials that [actually] bind/adhere to the tooth? As I uderstand, amalgum (silver) fillings do not "stick" to the tooth; they for lack of beter term, are placed/packed in the tooth. This is a leading question. I have a tooth which one 1/4 (a top to gumline verticle section) has cracked off. The center of the tooth has a silver filling. I would like to know if there is a rock hard, tooth binding filling material that can be used to replace the silver filling and also used build up the missing 1/4 section. I want something that will stick like crazy glue to the remaining tooth with no shrinkage. If this exists then I will approach a dentist or endodontist or whoever to do the work. Whether this work will be covered by insurance doesn't matter. I'll gladly pay out of pocket. Even if such work is not conventional doesn't matter because I think its possible. Please respond with details such as the materias name and procedures for which it is currently used. Thanks

If you have a large filling and now a portion of the tooth has cracked away you are likely a candidate for a crown. To install a crown most all of the tooth above the gum line is drilled away leaving a post/core. The crown material is actually better than your living tooth since it will not decay. Not cheap but it will last.

Caps are gold covered with ceramic. They are cemented on and last indefinitely. The only way to go for such a major repair.

A crown will be the best way to repair your tooth. It is the strongest and most long lasting.
You do have to keep the crown clean with flossing because you CAN get decay under it if it's not kept clean.

It exists! I had a silver filling and hated the sight of it every time I would open my mouth to laugh or talk. My dentist drilled it all out and placed it with a transparent filling and it looks as though nothing ever happened.

Yes, composite fillings work very well inside a tooth, but this sounds like it needs a cap. Make an appointment with a dentist and discuss it with a professional that has seen the tooth.

Depending on how the amalgam fittings are placed, the amalgam can effectively create a wedge and break off a piece of tooth which is what I believe happened here.

In any event, you should probably get a temporary filling ASAP. They sometimes do that anyway for a few weeks when there is extensive damage. This helps to determine if there is damage to the nerve.

For a crown a few mm is shaved off the tooth on 4 sides and you can get a porcelain fused to metal crown which is basically undetectable.

You still have to provide a good base for the crown, so a pin retained filling, probably composite still has to be done.

There is one possible glitch with crowns is that depending on the gums, crown lenghening surgery sometimes has to be preformed.

Been there. Done that a few times.

When making your choice you might want to choose something that will last the rest of your life.

A white (composite) filling lasts 3-5yrs, a silver (amalgam) filling lasts 5-10 yrs (this material expands and contracts with the temperature of the foods and drinks you consume which can make the margins start to break down causing bacteria to leak under the filling), gold can last a lifetime if your oral hygiene habits are good.

I now have all gold inlays or onlays after having amalgam, then composites, and then porcelain inlays.

Gold is most like your enamel and is one of the healthiest materials to have in your mouth.

The correct term for your situation is crown. Sounds like Flossie knows his/her way around the dental office.