Tooth-Colored Fillings
Cavities often develop despite our best efforts. Fortunately, dentistry offers modern materials like tooth-colored composite fillings to seamlessly repair the damage.
If you have a cavity, a filling is necessary to restore your oral health and allow you to continue to use the tooth to chew. In the past, there were few options for filling a tooth, and dentists had to settle for silver amalgam.
With improvements in dental materials, we can offer our Phoenix patients an aesthetic alternative that results in a healthier, more natural-looking dental filling.
How Cavities Develop
Your mouth is home to millions of bacteria that love to feed on foods high in sugar. When you eat sugary foods and don't brush your teeth promptly, the residue mixes with saliva and bacteria and forms plaque that sticks to your teeth.
Acid is created as bacteria in plaque metabolize the sugar, and over time, it eats away at tooth enamel and softens it. As this cycle happens repeatedly, a hole gradually opens in the tooth that we call a cavity.
The Benefits of Tooth-Colored Fillings
Tooth-colored fillings are a composite of glass and quartz crystals and resin, giving them an appearance similar to tooth enamel's translucent sheen.
Our goal is to use minimally invasive dentistry whenever possible. When our dentists place a tooth-colored filling, they remove only a minimal amount of tooth structure. Then they bond the material directly to the tooth to create a strong and durable repair.
When placing a filling, we also customize the material by matching its shade to the tooth's color. Once we remove the decay and expertly shape and harden the composite resin on your tooth, no one will know you have a filling!
The result is a strong, durable repair that is unnoticeable and can last 5–7 years with proper care.
Why We Don't Use Amalgam Fillings
Silver fillings are durable but have drawbacks, which is why dentistry now offers a healthier alternative. First, there's a dark spot in your smile to think about, and metal fillings also contain mercury that most people don't want in their mouths.
Placing an amalgam filling also requires a dentist to remove a significant portion of healthy tooth structure, and the material sits in the space that's created. As metal filling expands and contracts with temperature changes, it pulls away from the tooth, opening spaces that allow bacteria to enter and potentially cause another cavity.
Steps to Take to Avoid Cavities
Maintaining a healthy, cavity-free smile is a team effort, and the professionals at Desert Foothills Dental provide education and support to help you make healthier choices and avoid tooth decay.
You do your part with conscientious oral hygiene at home. You can remove most plaque by consistently brushing twice daily and flossing once; however, removing every trace is difficult. The plaque left behind eventually turns into tartar, a hard, mineral-like substance that only a dental hygienist can remove with special instruments.
With your at-home oral hygiene efforts and professional teeth cleanings and exams at our Phoenix dental office every six months, we can help you maintain a cavity-free smile. If our dentists find a cavity during your checkup, they will fill it promptly so it doesn't spread and damage the tooth.
Do You Have a Cavity and Need a Filling?
The time to fill a cavity is as soon as you notice it. Please call Desert Foothills Dental at (480) 460-1911 to schedule an appointment so our dentists can look at the tooth and see if you need a filling.
