White Dental Fillings An Overview
Tooth decay is the leading dental health concern in children and adult patients. It’s progressive and, if left untreated, can lead to tooth loss. Tooth loss compromises the structure of your bite, opens up new opportunities for bacteria to take hold, and more.
Tooth cavities are most commonly attributed to poor oral hygiene and can often be prevented through improved brushing, flossing, and routine dental exams. Beautiful Smiles is a mercury-free dentist office! Our dentist in Greenwood, Indiana provides patients with white, resin dental and cavity fillings to treat tooth decay.
Aside from cosmetic advantages, white fillings also benefit overall dental health and reduce any possible risks of amalgam fillings. Dentists no longer use many metal fillings due to the use of mercury; silver fillings can contain up to 50% mercury.
Benefits of Mercury-Free Fillings
White fillings provide a discreet cosmetic solution for dental decay. White cavity fillings support long-term oral health and allow Dr. Stevens to treat tooth decay without impacting your natural smile.
- Resin fillings are aesthetically pleasing because they closely match the natural color of teeth.
- Resin fillings bond (or adhere) to tooth surfaces, creating a strong, lasting restoration. They effectively become one with the tooth.
- They wear and function like natural teeth.
- Resin fillings result in less sensitivity.
- Resin fillings contain fluoride that is released into the tooth structure, helping strengthen the tooth.
White Dental Fillings What to Expect
Dental fillings are a routine dental treatment and typically can be completed in just one visit to our Greenwood, IN family dentist office. Patients commonly choose a local anesthetic for optimal comfort during their dental filling treatment. We offer conscious sedation options for those with dental anxiety or fear of the dentist.
Dr. Stevens will start by clearing out the infected tooth cavity of any diseased tissue. The dentist thoroughly cleans and prepares the tooth for the natural white dental filling. We color-match the filling to blend seamlessly with your tooth for a beautiful result. Before we cure it, we ensure it matches your bite pattern perfectly.
The dentist places the filling and permanently cures it using a special, non-invasive UV light. Once the filling has bonded to the tooth, patients can return to their daily routine. We usually advise against eating anything until your mouth is completely free of anesthesia.
Inlays and Onlays
When you have decay that’s too much for dental fillings, but not bad enough to warrant a crown, we may recommend an inlay or onlay. Inlays take care of issues between the tooth’s cusps but not the cusps themselves. Onlays treat problems that are on the biting surface of the tooth as well as the cusps.
As with white dental fillings, we color-match the inlay or onlay to blend in more with your smile, especially because they cover such a large area. We want to make sure that they fit in seamlessly with your smile.
Inlays and onlays give the tooth more stability and strength if a filling isn’t suitable. But they also help you preserve more of your natural tooth structure than with a crown. A dental filling can crack under pressure if the decayed area is too large. A dental crown covers the entire tooth and requires it to be shaved down and sculpted so that the crown fits over it properly.
