Metal vs. White Dental Fillings

When you have a cavity or any sort of tooth decay, it’s important that you come to Coconut Creek and Pompano Beach cosmetic dentist Dr. Manon Bourque-Hutchison. During a consultation, she’ll be able to determine how best to treat your tooth. This will involve restoring the tooth’s structure while removing as little remaining tooth structure as possible. Ideally, the tooth decay will be caught early so it can be dealt with using a dental filling.

Dental Fillings - Restoring Health and Appearance

Dental fillings are small dental restorations used to fill in area of minor tooth decay. Doing so will prevent the tooth decay from spreading to the interior structure of the tooth and restore the strength and integrity of your bite.

Types of Dental Fillings

There are actually different types of dental fillings out there: metal dental fillings and white dental fillings. At our Broward County cosmetic dentistry practice, we opt for the latter given the various dental health and cosmetic advantages that tooth-colored white fillings offer.

Let’s take a brief moment right now to compare the two and see why one is superior to the other.

Metal Dental Fillings

Getting Pompano Beach dental fillings in the past meant getting metal fillings. Metal dental fillings are made from an amalgam of different metals. When in place, they will restore tooth structure, though they can be rather noticeable given their silver or dark gray color.

White Dental Fillings

By contract, tooth-colored dental fillings are made from a composite ceramic and are designed to blend in with the color of your tooth. Not only will the tooth be restored, but there are aesthetic benefits over metal fillings.

Benefits of White Fillings Over Metal Fillings

We alluded to it above, but clearly the aesthetic benefits need to be emphasized. When you have white fillings in place, no one will notice that you’ve had cavities filled unless they look real hard. (And even then, they probably won’t notice. White fillings are just that good.)

There are several dental health advantages as well. Metal fillings used to contain mercury, which is highly toxic, as you know. By contrast, tooth-colored fillings are totally safe. When prepping a tooth for a tooth-colored filling, less healthy tooth structure will be removed than when placing metal fillings. And in addition to these two important points, it should be noted that tooth-colored fillings are more stable than metal fillings--in extreme temperatures, metal fillings can slightly expand or contract, which is definitely not the case with white fillings.

Other Cosmetic and Restorative Options to Consider

In cases of more severe tooth decay or different sorts of problems, dental fillings may not be the right answer. In such cases, we may instead use porcelain veneers, dental crowns, or another treatment to help restore the appearance of your smile and improve your dental health. We’ll be sure to tell you about each of these treatments in more detail at our practice.

Learn More About Dental Care and Dental Treatments

For more information about dental fillings and other dental care options, contact our Coconut Creek and Pompano Beach cosmetic dentistry centers today.