Restore Cavities with Tooth-colored Fillings
Dr. James Stein offers attractive, tooth-colored fillings as an alternative to traditional amalgam fillings at his Boston, MA, dental practice. Made of durable composite resin, tooth-colored fillings restore decayed teeth to create a healthy, aesthetically-pleasing smile. If you need a cavity treated or have an old dental filling that has failed, visit our office for an oral examination and consultation.
What is Tooth Decay?
Tooth decay forms when the bacteria in your mouth turns to acid. When we eat starches, including sugar, we feed bacteria, and they produce an acid that extracts minerals from tooth enamel. When bacteria attacks tooth enamel, cavities and decay form. Without professional treatment by a dentist, tooth decay can advance and enter the core of a tooth, as well as its root canals. Over time, this can require root canal therapy, or in some cases, extraction of the tooth.
About Tooth-Colored Fillings
For many decades, dentists used amalgam, a mixture of metals, to repair tooth decay. However, dental technology has provided us with an alternative that is metal-free and natural-looking. Composite resin fillings are made with a plastic material that is tinted to blend seamlessly against any shade of tooth enamel.
The entire process takes just one visit, and with proper at-home oral care, coupled with twice-a-year dental checkups and cleanings, a tooth-colored dental filling can last five to seven years or longer.
If you need a dental filling, you may be given a local anesthetic to keep you comfortable during the procedure. However, the very first step involves a thorough dental cleaning and preparation of the affected tooth. Dr. Stein then applies custom-tinted composite resin, and uses a curing light to harden the filling.
After shaping and polishing the filling, Dr. Stein will assess the fit and examine how opposing teeth fit against the new filling, to ensure proper bite and alignment. The entire process takes just one visit, and with proper at-home oral care, coupled with twice-a-year dental checkups and cleanings, a tooth-colored dental filling can last five to seven years or longer.
Why Choose Tooth-colored Fillings?
There are many benefits to having a tooth-colored filling placed as opposed to a metal amalgam filling. Some of these advantages include:
- Aesthetics: Tooth-colored fillings blend with your surrounding teeth.
- Safety: Composite resin contains no metal, making it a biocompatible choice.
- Durability: Tooth-colored fillings strengthen teeth, whereas metal fillings will react easily to changes in temperature, expanding and contracting with hot or cold foods.
- Less Preparation: Fillings made of composite resin do not require as large of a hole than metal fillings, resulting in less alteration of the tooth.
Schedule Your Appointment Today
Dr. James Stein's mission is to provide his patients with the highest quality dental care through advanced technologies and efficient systems. For an attractive, effective way to treat and restore your cavity, contact our practice today, and learn more about tooth-colored fillings.
