Joyful Dental Care

What Are They?

Fillings replace a part of the tooth that has been lost due to a cavity or accidental damage. The same material is used in bonding techniques for cosmetic reasons as well.

What We Will Do

• Numb the area
• Remove the cavity and old filling if required
• Wash and dry the tooth
• Add the filling material incrementally, shaping and contouring it to your tooth's shape
• Harden the material with a "curing" light
• Trim and polish to finish

And The Benefits Are...

• Diagnostic: dental x-rays, either film or digital, cannot go through metal fillings for proper diagnosis. Dental X-rays can go through plastic.
• Wear: metal fillings corrode after a certain period of time; plastic fillings wear down, since they are slightly softer than natural tooth enamel.
• Durability: once a silver filling has recurrent decay (or has a new cavity), the entire restoration needs to be removed and replaced. This can damage the tooth by removing additional tooth structure. This is unnecessary with tooth-colored fillings. If there is recurrent decay, an x-ray can determine how far the damage goes, so only that part of the impaired restoration needs to be removed and replaced. Less trauma to the tooth means less chance of post-operative sensitivity.