Objective To explore the clinical effect of different filling materials in patients with dental wedge-shaped defects. Methods A total of 110 patients with dental wedge-shaped defects admitted to Weihai Stomatological Hospital from July 2022 to July 2023 were selected and divided into control group and observation group according to different filling materials, with 55 patients in each group. The control group was treated with glass ionomer materials, and the observation group was treated with light-curing composite resin materials. The periodontal index, incidence of adverse reactions, clinical efficacy rate and treatment satisfaction were compared between the two groups. Results After treatment, the amount of gingival crevicular fluid and the levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase in gingival crevicular fluid in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was 9.09%, which was lower than 36.36% in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate of treatment in the observation group was 94.55%, which was higher than 72.23% in the control group (P<0.05). The total treatment satisfaction rate of the observation group was 94.55%, which was higher than 67.27% of the control group (P <0.05). Conclusion There are great differences in the effects of different materials in the treatment of dental wedge-shaped defects. Compared with glass ionomer filling materials, light-curing composite resin has better filling effect, better periodontal index, lower incidence of adverse reactions and higher patient satisfaction, which is worthy of clinical application.