Tooth-Colored Fillings – Bloomfield Hills, MI
Seamlessly Repair Your Smile
Fillings have been used to repair teeth that have suffered cavities for centuries, but many people don’t like the idea of having clearly visible metal restorations in their smile. Thankfully, tooth-colored fillings (also called white fillings) are made from composite resin specially shaded to match the color of the patient’s tooth, creating a restoration that blends in seamlessly with the rest of their smile. Here’s a brief guide to how tooth-colored fillings work, but please contact our office if you have any questions.
Why Choose Cranbrook Dental Care for Tooth-Colored Fillings?
- Restore the Strength of a Decayed Tooth
- Natural-Looking Results
- Experienced and Compassionate Dentists
What Are Tooth-Colored Fillings?
Fillings work by replacing sections of dental structure destroyed by decay, restoring the tooth’s strength so that it can remain healthy for years to come. While traditional fillings are made from a blend of metals called amalgam, tooth-colored fillings are made from a putty-like combination of ultra-fine glass and plastic particles called composite resin. These white fillings contain no metal and imitate the appearance of natural enamel so the tooth looks like it never had a cavity to begin with.
The Process of Getting a Tooth-Colored Filling
Placing a tooth-colored filling usually only requires a single appointment that takes about an hour. The process begins with our dentist administering a local anesthetic to render the process painless, and you may also receive dental sedation if necessary. Our dentist will then carefully remove any decayed enamel before sanitizing the tooth and applying layers of composite resin until the lost structure is replaced. The composite resin will then be hardened with a specialized light before being sculpted and trimmed to match the contours of your smile. Your tooth will then be polished, making you ready to show off your restored grin.
The Benefits of Tooth-Colored Fillings
Using composite resin instead of amalgam for dental fillings carries a number of advantages, including:
- Natural appearance: Tooth-colored fillings are customized to match your natural smile and will not cause the surrounding enamel to turn grey like metal fillings often do.
- Preserving more tooth structure: Composite resin bonds directly with your natural enamel, creating a more stable restoration that doesn’t require the removal of much healthy material.
- Not aggravating allergies: Tooth-colored fillings are great for patients who are sensitive to metal.
- Less dental sensitivity: While amalgam fillings readily contract or expand due to temperature shifts, composite resin retains its shape better, leading to less tooth sensitivity.
- Keeping the tooth healthy: Expanding and contracting metal fillings can weaken the tooth over time, causing cracks, chips, and fractures to form. Tooth-colored fillings do not have this problem
- Durable restoration: Tooth-colored fillings can last for up to seven years and usually only require a standard oral hygiene regimen of brushing, flossing, antibacterial mouthwash, and routine dental visits to stay healthy.
