What is a white filling?
Why are white fillings preferred?
What are the pros of white fillings?
What are the cons of traditional silver fillings?
What can you expect by replacing a silver filling with a white filling?
White fillings or tooth coloured fillings (known to dentists as composite resin fillings), are made of plastic and tiny glass particles. They are used both to restore decayed teeth and also for cosmetic improvements.
According to Southview Dental in Milton, most of their patients prefer white fillings to silver fillings (amalgam fillings). The main advantage of white fillings is their natural appearance, which allows them to blend in seemlessly with your teeth.
Besides restoring decayed teeth and providing cosmetic improvements, there are other benefits to white fillings. Because they bond directly to the tooth, they have the added benefit of restoring weaker areas of the tooth. During cavity preparation especially for minor cavities, less tooth structure needs to be removed. If the cavity is near the gum line, white fillings cause less soft tissue damage than silver fillings.
Silver fillings ‘sit’ in a pocket that the dentist drills so they require more tooth structure to be removed to accommodate the filling. Silver fillings are also more prone to decay at the edges and may shrink over time. Studies have found that mercury in silver fillings could potentially have long-term health consequences in patients.
Tooth sensitivity after the placement of a filling is quite common and normally resolve itself within a few weeks. But if you experience ongoing pain when you bite down, the filling might be interfering with your bite. During the procedure, you may not have been able to bite down correctly when your dentist was shaping the filling due to the freezing. Southview Dental provides patients with a quick and painless bite adjustment if this is the case. If you need a white filling, call Southview Dental to schedule an appointment.
