Dental Fillings
Natural tooth-colored fillings at City Center Dental Care in Newport News, Virginia
Fillings - When a tooth has a cavity, or when a small fracture occurs, the fastest way to repair it is with a filling. First the affected area of the tooth is cleaned out to remove any decay or weak tooth structure, then the resultant space is filled.
Fillings can be either silver or tooth colored. Silver fillings were very popular in years gone by, but now almost all fillings are tooth colored. Each option has its advantages - silver is very resistant to wear and is relatively easy to work with, but tooth colored materials are more natural in appearance and can actually be bonded to natural tooth structure. Some people are concerned with the fact that silver fillings contain a slight amount of mercury. However, except for people who are hypersensitive to mercury, this is not likely to be a problem for the general population.
Although fillings can last for many years, it is vital for patients to be diligent in cleaning around their fillings, because cavities can still occur in teeth that have been filled. If a tooth has a filling and decay develops around the filling, sometimes a stronger restoration is necessary to adequately address the problem. The most common alternative to a filling is a crown.
