What Are Tooth Colored Fillings?

Tooth-colored fillings offer an effective, more attractive alternative to silver amalgam fillings. Our Outer Banks, NC, dentists--Dr. Markus Heyder, Dr. Ashley Parham, and Dr. Gunther Heyder of Atlantic Dentistry in Kitty Hawk and Manteo--regularly restore teeth damaged by tooth decay with tooth-colored fillings.

Fillings don't have to be obvious

There's no hiding your dental work when your tooth is filled with a silver amalgam filling. When you laugh, talk or eat, that flash of silver is on display. Tooth-colored fillings comprised of composite resin are tinted to blend in with your teeth. They're available in common tooth colors to ensure that your dental work isn't the first thing people notice about your smile.

Tooth-colored fillings offer several important benefits

Tooth-colored fillings aren't just more attractive but offer a few benefits that silver amalgam fillings can't. Removing the decayed portion of your tooth during your Kitty Hawk or Mateo dental appointment in Outer Banks tends to weaken it, making it more susceptible to breaking or cracking. Unlike silver amalgam fillings, tooth-colored fillings only require removal of a small margin of healthy structure, which helps your tooth stay stronger.

Cracks can also occur when the metals in silver amalgam fillings contract and expand when exposed to hot and cold temperatures. Composite resin doesn't change when exposed to temperature extremes, which decreases stress on your teeth. Your tooth is also strengthened when your composite resin is hardened with a curing light. In addition to hardening the filling, the curing light bonds the composite resin to your tooth, improving its strength.

Are you concerned about possible health effects from the mercury in silver amalgam fillings? Despite reassurances from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that silver amalgam fillings are safe for anyone over the age of six, many people prefer to avoid metal-based fillings. Tooth-colored fillings offer peace of mind if you're concerned about the health risks of mercury.

Silver amalgam fillings can cast a shadow visible on the front of a tooth or may even discolor your enamel if your filling eventually leaks. Because tooth-colored fillings are the same shade of your teeth, they won't affect tooth color.

Restore your smile with tooth-colored fillings! Schedule an appointment with Outer Banks, NC, dentists--Dr. Markus Heyder, Dr. Ashley Parham, and Dr. Gunther Heyder of Atlantic Dentistry--by calling (252) 261-7700 for the Kitty Hawk office or (252) 475-9841 for the Manteo office.