A Tooth-Colored Filling Offers Hidden Benefits
By: Stephen Price DDS | Monday, April 30th, 2018 | Dental Fillings
Monday, April 30th, 2018
The dental disease poses numerous problems. Whether disease involves a small part of a tooth or the entire center chamber of soft tissue situated around teeth roots, any amount of decay can lead to pain. Where there is the pain in the mouth, we imagine there is also stress. No one likes the idea of having to see the dentist for restorative care. We do what we can to make the treatment process as comfortable as possible. Additionally, it is important to us that the results of care benefit the patient in as many ways as possible. Tooth-colored fillings help us do that.
What is a Tooth-Colored Filling?
The answer to this may be obvious; a tooth-colored filling is a restoration that matches the natural color of your tooth. Because of this, the overall appearance of the tooth is not changed by dental treatment. This wasn’t always possible. Way back in the 1800s, cavities were repaired with gold. This proved to be a rather expensive option, so another material was developed. In 1830, dental amalgam, aka the silver filling, was developed out of copper, tin, silver, and mercury. Initially, an amalgam filling does look silver. However, over time, oxidation causes the metal to tarnish and darken, thereby becoming more obvious in appearance.
A tooth-colored filling is an attractive option, yes, but there’s more. One of the important aspects of restorative care is how a filling fits into the tooth, how it performs in the tooth, and how long it lasts. Amalgam is said to be beneficial because it can last decades, but that’s not the whole story. One of the reasons we do not use amalgam in our office is because amalgam is metallic. Metal expands when it becomes hot (which happens every time you chew). For an amalgam to swell in a tooth means that, eventually, that tooth may fracture. Why risk this when we can place a composite filling instead?
Composite fillings are bonded to enamel and maintain tight margins that lock out debris and bacteria. These fillings are also less reactive than amalgam when they become hot because they are metal-free. These two factors alone improve the end-result of restorative care.
Has it been more than six months since you’ve seen us? Call (703)-935-2879 today to get an appointment on the books. We’re here to help you avoid the need for fillings and other reparative treatments.
