For many, many years amalgam, or silver, fillings were the material of choice for repairing a tooth with a cavity. Today, however, your dentist in Bonita Springs, FL, can use composite resin, which provides a much more aesthetically pleasing tooth-colored filling. The question you might be asking yourself is whether or not you should replace your metal fillings. The answer to that question is different for every patient, but let’s examine some the deciding factors.
What’s the downside to having a metal filling?
The first and most obvious downside to metal fillings is that they are quite obvious. Every time you open your mouth to speak or eat, there’s a good chance someone will notice that dark spot in your otherwise white smile.
Can metal fillings hide additional decay?
On an x-ray, silver fillings are opaque, so it’s hard for your dentist in Estereo, FL, to see a cavity under the filling until it becomes quite large. X-rays may only show 80 to 85 percent of what is happening under a metal filling, so some 15 to 20 percent of damage may not be visible.
Are metal fillings a factor in teeth cracking?
The short answer is yes. Unfortunately, silver fillings do nothing to strengthen teeth. Essentially, a metal filling in a tooth behaves like a wedge; when you bite down on the filling, the forces are transferred to the rest of the tooth structure. If the filling takes up more than half of the tooth, then chances are the tooth will eventually chip, break or crack.
In addition, silver-filling material is usually just packed in to a cavity. There is no bond between the material and your tooth.
What are the advantages of replacing metal fillings with tooth-colored fillings?
First of all, a tooth-colored filling in Bonita Springs, FL, is made of composite resin materials that are blended to perfectly match the color of your tooth. No one but you and your dentist will ever know that you’ve had a filling.
Secondly, a tooth-colored filling bonds with the remaining tooth structure. Because of this bond, chewing and biting forces are distributed over a greater amount of tooth, thus making the tooth stronger that it was with a metal filling. In addition, this distribution of force over the whole tooth structure makes tooth cracking less likely.
Call Your Bonita Springs, FL, Dentist Today
If you have a metal filling that you’d like to replace with a tooth-colored filling, then contact Pelican Landing Dental.
