In the past, receiving a filling for a decayed tooth often involved the use of amalgam mercury fillings. For the technology at the time, this was the best treatment. However, as a patient, the silver fillings were not aesthetically pleasing, and often left people less proud of their smile – and more likely to hide it. In addition, the amalgam fillings tend to contract and expand due to changes in temperature. These expansions and contractions could result in cracking of the restoration, which may lead to more decay below and around it.
Best practices have changed in recent years of modern dentistry, as we are always looking for advancements that best fit the needs of our patients. Granbury residents can now be treated at Lakeview Dental with state-of-the-art composite, metal-free fillings. The composite material bonds directly to the tooth and matches the tooth coloring, so those around you won’t even know you had a filling. In addition, these fillings aren’t prone to problems with temperature, so they provide a more stable restoration with less likelihood of further decay.
It is Dr. Heizer’s goal to retain as much of your natural, healthy tooth structure as possible. With composite tooth fillings, less tooth material needs to be removed in advance of the filling. Other benefits of tooth-colored fillings include:
- They closely match natural tooth color and appearance.
- They bond to tooth structure chemically, and thus do not require the placement of slots, grooves, or pins in healthy tooth structure to mechanically retain them.
- The bonding of white fillings to the tooth restore 85% – 95% of the original strength of the tooth.
- They completely harden in seconds, instead of days required by some other materials.
- Tooth sensitivity, if any, due to composite resin use is minimal and brief.
- They may be used on front and back teeth without compromising esthetics.
- If damaged, they can be repaired.
If tooth fillings are in your future, please call the Lakeview Dental team at 817-385-1925 for a convenient appointment time for an exam, and find out how tooth colored fillings in Granbury can be the solution for your dental needs. We look forward to hearing from you.
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