Dental fillings are made from plastics, glass, metals, or other materials. Traditional and tooth colored fillings are used to close small holes in the teeth that are commonly caused by cavities. The dentist will extract decayed tissues and replace them with one of those materials. These dental fillings usually last for many years before the material needs to be replaced, although the number may vary based on habits such as tooth grinding.
Tooth colored fillings are becoming more popular and replacing traditional silver fillings for teeth. Instead of metal and other materials commonly found in older styles of dental fillings, tooth colored fillings are made from composite resin materials. These fillings come with several benefits.
Because they blend in with your natural teeth, tooth colored fillings are less noticeable than the traditional variety. This bendability can lead the wearer to have more confidence in their smile as they have no reason to be concerned about showing something that does not match the rest of their teeth. Attractiveness is one reason why many people prefer fillings that match their teeth, especially if the filling is going into a tooth near the front of the mouth or another more prominent location.
Tooth colored fillings bind with the teeth better than older metal fillings, which helps to maintain the natural structure of the teeth. Especially true for silver amalgam fillings, portions of the tooth that are still healthy often need to be removed along with decayed portions to make room for the filling. Composite fillings avoid the need to do this, leaving the healthy material of the tooth intact. Maintaining the structure of the teeth and mouth can help prevent further oral health problems in the future, such as issues with biting and chewing.
In addition to packing holes caused by cavities, composite fillings may be used to repair teeth that have been broken, chipped, or worn down due to teeth grinding or chewing on hard foods. If you have chipped teeth along with some holes due to cavities, a dentist who uses tooth colored fillings can fix your chipped teeth as well as treat the cavities. In the end, the material used to fill the cavities will match the material used to repair other issues, which is more aesthetically pleasing than using two different materials.
When you get a tooth colored filling, you are avoiding the small amount of mercury that silver amalgam fillings contain. Although silver fillings have largely been shown to be safe, avoiding them can still lead to greater peace of mind for individuals concerned with having toxic material in their mouths.
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Talk to your dentist if you have a cavity, chips, or cracks in your teeth and are interested in using tooth colored fillings rather than traditional materials.
Request an appointment or call Southern Cal Smiles: Susan Fredericks, D.D.S, M.P.H. at 818-657-8055 for an appointment in our Woodland Hills office.
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