Are There Advantages to Tooth-Colored Fillings?

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advantages to tooth-colored fillingsWhen you think of a dental filling, your first thoughts may be of metal restorations that show through your pearly white tooth structure. Though many fillings are crafted from a mixture of metals (known as metal amalgam), today’s tooth fillings can often be made instead of more discreet composite resin. While their name indicates the most obvious benefit (they blend in with your tooth), there are several other advantages to tooth-colored fillings that can prove a significant benefit to your long-term dental health.

How Tooth-Colored Fillings Look

Making your restoration look like your tooth requires more than just color. In addition to matching your tooth’s color and shade, tooth-colored fillings also conform more accurately to the shape of a tooth’s cavity. The better fit allows the filling to better restore your tooth’s structure, creating a more discreet solution to treating a tooth cavity.

How Tooth-Colored Fillings Work

The point of a tooth filling is to “fill” the hole, or cavity, that forms in your tooth when tooth decay develops and spreads. Cleaning the cavity and filling it with a biocompatible material will stop the infection from spreading and reinforce your tooth’s weakened structure.

While metal amalgam can accomplish this, as well as adequately withstand the pressures of biting and chewing. However, composite resin is biocompatible, meaning it doesn’t harm your tooth or oral tissues, unlike metal that can change shape and damage your tooth over time. Because the resin can be bonded to your tooth’s surface, it also creates a stronger, more durable seal against the oral bacteria that can reinfect your tooth.

ABOUT YOUR DALLAS, TX, FAMILY DENTISTS:

Dr. Tran, Dr. Hoang, and the friendly, welcoming staff at Gentle Smiles will do everything possible to make you feel at home. Contact us today by calling 972-329-7645 (972-329-SMILE) to experience our compassionate, effective, and individualized care. We proudly serve patients from Dallas, TX, and all surrounding communities, including Mesquite, Balch Springs, Garland, and Seagoville.