Amalgam fillings have been around for ages. There is no doubt they were effective in preventing the spread of tooth decay. But today’s modern dentistry offers composite fillings, which are tooth-colored, so there is none of that telltale gray color that occurs with amalgam fillings.
If you suspect you have a cavity that needs to be filled, or if you are a patient of a certain age who has several metal fillings in your mouth and you would like them to be replaced with tooth-colored fillings, contact Southlands Aurora, CO dentist Dr. John Chen.
Composite fillings offer a number of benefits over amalgam fillings—not the least being that they are not dark metal—and here are other reasons why they are better at repairing teeth than amalgams.
They Can Be Made to Match Your Teeth Perfectly
When you have a cavity filled with a composite filling, it can be made to blend in seamlessly with the tooth it is repairing. It will be virtually impossible to see it in the tooth.
Less of the Tooth Structure Has to Be Removed
Because tooth-colored composite material bonds to the tooth structure, only the decayed portion of the tooth needs to be removed before the filling is placed. This is not the case with amalgam fillings, where the metal was essentially wedged into the tooth by altering the tooth structure to help hold it in place.
Composite Fillings Can Be Used in Places Not Suitable for Amalgam Fillings
Because composite fillings bond directly with the tooth, they can be used to repair flat areas of your teeth, which was simply not possible with amalgam fillings. Composite materials are ideal for fixing chips and other imperfections on the teeth.
If you have questions about tooth-colored fillings, contact Southlands Aurora, CO dental practice Uptown Prosthodontics today!