DENTAL FILLINGS IN GRAPEVINE TEXAS

Once the decay is removed from a tooth, it can be restored with a material commonly referred to as a “filling.” In the past, traditional dental fillings were made of different types of metals like amalgam or gold which are strong but much darker in color than your natural teeth.

Today, teeth can be restored using modern materials including ceramic and plastic compounds called composite resins that look and feel like natural teeth.

 

What’s Right for Me?

 

Several factors influence the performance, durability, longevity, and investment in cosmetic dental restorations:

• the material used
• the amount of tooth structure remaining after decay is removed
• where and how the tooth-colored filling is placed
• the chewing load that the tooth will have to bear
• the length and number of visits needed to prepare and adjust the restored tooth

 

The ultimate decision about what type of dental fillings are best is made by you in consultation with the doctor. In general, there are two basic types of dental fillings:

• Direct dental fillings are placed immediately into a prepared cavity in a single visit. Modern materials used for direct fillings include tooth-colored filling composite, glass ionomers, or resin ionomers. Once the dentist prepares the tooth, the tooth-colored filling is placed and adjusted in one visit.
• Indirect dental fillings are for larger areas that need to be restored. First, the dentist prepares the tooth and takes an impression of the area to be restored. A temporary filling is placed on the tooth and the dental laboratory makes the new restoration to fit the exact space in your tooth, just like a puzzle piece. During your next visit, the temporary is removed and the new “puzzle piece” is cemented in place for a natural look and feel.

 

No matter the type of filling that is best for you, thanks to modern advances in dental materials, you’ll have confidence in a smile that has a natural look and feel.

A new way to effectively treat early tooth decay and remove white spots without drilling. Icon® is the breakthrough, minimally invasive way your dentist can stop the progression of early tooth decay, also known as caries before it needs to be treated using a needle or drill. It fills and seals tiny holes and stabilizes the tooth, offering many unique advantages:

• No Anesthesia
• No Drilling
• One Visit

Dental Bonding

Dental bonding is a conservative way to repair slightly chipped, discolored, or crooked teeth. A tooth-colored filling is placed and bonded onto your tooth to improve its function and appearance. The filling “bonds” with your teeth, and because it comes in a variety of tooth-colored shades it closely matches the appearance of your natural teeth.

 

Dental bonding is also used with modern tooth-colored fillings instead of using black, mercury amalgam fillings that were widely used in the past. Bonded dental fillings can be used on front and back teeth depending on the location and extent of the area to be restored.

 

Because of the strength of modern adhesives and the tooth-colored restorations available today, dental bonding is just one more way you can retain the natural look and feel of your smile.