Composite “Tooth Colored” Fillings

Strengthen Your Smile

If you're embarrassed about your smile because of decayed, disfigured or discolored teeth, you may be a good candidate for composite resins. A composite resin, the material found in “tooth-colored” fillings,  is mixture of microscopic ceramic and glass particles dispersed in a plastic resin that can be bonded to teeth. The material comes in a wide range of shades and can be molded and sculpted to create almost any shape or contour. The fact that the resin is bonded means a seal is formed to reduce the change of leakage, which is common with silver fillings.

In many cases, white fillings are a better restoration than silver fillings for the following reasons:

• White fillings bond to tooth structure thereby adding strength to the tooth. Silver fillings simply fill a hole and don’t add ant strength.
• The tooth preparation (drilling) for a white filling can be more conservative. They are bonded to the tooth. Once the decay is removed, very little additional preparation is needed. Silver fillings are not bonded, and therefore need undercuts, slots, grooves, and/or pins to stay in place.
• The most obvious advantage is appearance. White fillings are mostly invisible; they blend with the tooth. Silver fillings become black as they age, can stain the tooth, and create a gray shadow visible through the sides of the tooth

White fillings do have certain challenges. First, they are more difficult to place. The technique is more involved and takes longer, which is why the fees are higher. They also require a dry environment while they are being placed. If the tooth can’t be kept dry for the time it takes to complete the filling, then an alternative must be used.

Composite resins offer a non-invasive way to improve your smile, if you have any concerns about the appearance of your teeth, give us a call for an evaluation to see if bonding with composite resin will give you the smile you’ve always wanted, and the enhanced self- confidence that goes along with it.