Tooth Colored Fillings

Houston, the Woodlands, Kingwood, Spring, and Conroe, Texas

Tooth fillings are used to replace tooth material lost to decay and cavities. While there are many materials available to use in fillings, some have notable benefits over other types of materials. Some types of filling materials available are:

White Fillings for Cosmetic Dentistry

While metal amalgam fillings were commonly used through the 1980’s, the last two types of material, composite and porcelain, have become favored tooth filling materials in recent years. The primary reason for this is that they are both "tooth colored." That is, they are not metallic and can visually blend much more easily with the natural enamel surrounding the filling. As a result, they are used almost exclusively in cosmetic dentistry.

Replacing Metal Fillings

Metal amalgam fillings have recently become much less popular because they not only have the potential to deteriorate the tooth they fill, but they also hold trace amounts of mercury, which can be dangerous to your body if it leaks into the surrounding tissue.

If you have metal fillings which are visible when you speak or laugh, Houston cosmetic dentist Dr. Scott Young can replace your metal fillings with tooth colored fillings, giving your teeth the appearance of naturally healthy teeth.

The Difference between Composite and Porcelain Fillings

Even though composite and porcelain fillings are both referred to as tooth colored, they differ from one another. Composite fillings are made from composite material, which is applied directly to the prepared tooth in layers until it fills the desired area. Then, a light or chemical is used to cure the composite material to tooth-like hardness.

Porcelain tooth fillings are made differently from composite fillings. A digital image of the tooth is taken with a special 3-D camera, which relays the image to a sculpting machine that creates the desired filling shape out of porcelain. Once sculpted, your porcelain filling is fit to your tooth and then cemented in place with strong dental adhesive.

Composite fillings come in a limited number of shades and often appear "flatter" in luster than porcelain fillings. Porcelain can be tinted to virtually any shade, which is why many cosmetic dentists prefer to use porcelain for tooth restorations, particularly if they will be in a visible portion of the mouth.

Please contact our Houston cosmetic dentistry office today to learn more about tooth colored fillings or to schedule your consultation at Woodlands Premier Dentistry, serving the Woodlands, Houston, and Conroe areas of Texas.

 

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