Do You Have Silver Fillings?

We love that our team is able to provide our patients with full-service dentistry. Whether you need preventive, cosmetic, or restorative care, you’ll be able to get it here. Understanding preventive dentistry is simple enough, but you might find yourself wondering about the differences between cosmetic and restorative dentistry.

While cosmetic dentistry generally focuses on the appearance of your smile and restorative dentistry repairs structural damage to your teeth, the two often overlap. This means we can offer treatments that are both attractive and keep your teeth strong. One such case is with tooth-colored fillings. Our team, as well as our patients, prefer tooth-colored fillings for many reasons. Read on to find out more.

The Trouble With “Silver”

Old-fashioned amalgam (or silver) fillings are made with silver, tin, copper, and about 50% elemental mercury. While the dangers of mercury have been argued over the years, we prefer not to take chances.

Over time, mercury releases mercury vapor that is associated with the brain, heart, and other organ complications. Amalgam fillings break down over time, and often take the teeth with them, as they cause cracks, and larger fractures sometimes causing the tooth not to able to be fixed, and therefore extracted!

The very best fillings that you can have are made of gold. That is why we call it “the gold standard’. 

Tooth-Colored Fillings

Other more cosmetic choices for tooth restoration are ceramic, and direct and indirect composite resin, all of which can be matched to the color of your natural tooth. They look better than amalgam fillings because no one knows you have them. They also bond directly to the tooth, which means that we don’t have to remove as much tooth structure as we would with amalgam fillings (which lessens the amount of drilling we need to do and increases the amount of your own natural tooth structure which you get to keep NICE!).

Unlike amalgam fillings (which have to be completely replaced if damaged), composite fillings can often be easily repaired. Need more evidence of their superiority? They also harden in seconds, restore tooth strength up to 95%, and can be placed in the back or front teeth.

All of our dentists at Dental Care of Boca Raton  take great pride and care in helping our patients choose the optimal treatment plan for themselves. The materials we use are certainly one of the most important decisions you will make when it comes to the longevity of your restorations and teeth. We will discuss all of your alternatives so you can pick what is best/right for you.

In the case of tooth-colored fillings, we all agree that their cosmetic and restorative benefits are certainly reason enough to recommend them to you, over amalgam.

If you’re in need of a filling or wish to replace your old amalgam fillings, contact my office to schedule an appointment. We want your smile to be attractive, healthy, and strong.