What are fillings ?
A filling is used to replace the surface of a decayed or softer portion of the tooth. They can be used to treat a cavity or a broken piece of the tooth.
Causes of cavity or decay :
Cavities occur when bacteria (known as Streptococcus mutans) feeds on carbohydrates on the tooth. This causes them to produce acid that destroys the tooth enamel (the teeth's surface) by loosing minerals. As more minerals continue to be lost the enamel gets weak and breaks.
Types of Fillings :
* Due to its high quality and durability, we mostly offer composites or tooth colored fillings *
Composites: They are also known as plastic fillings, and match the color of the teeth. This process requires multiple layers of the substance into the cleaned prep area and hardened with a blue light lamp.
Amalgam: They are also known as silver fillings. It's made of a mixture of silver, copper, zinc, mercury, and tin. FDA recently updated recommendation of using silver filling on certain patients as it releases mercury vapor when placed in or removed, which is very toxic for the human body over time. This is one of the reasons why we do not offer this filling. Amalgam filling is a metal filling and as we know, it has metalic property of thermal expansion and contraction, that can cause cracks on the teeth, that can lead more extensive treatment on the tooth in the future. However, the filling is quicker to do.
Gold: Most patients do not want this fillling because of its yellow color. They are also more expensive and requires a longer time to do. Although, it is very durable, biocompatible, and causes less sensitivity, it's not very common choice among patients.
Looking for dental filling treatments, contact us by text or call 508-756-5141, to help you restore the natural state of your tooth.
