Metal and Composite Resin Fillings
Cavities are so common that more than 90 percent of adults have experienced one at least once in their lives. As a result of tooth decay – a bacterial infection in your natural tooth structure – cavities can lead to several symptoms, such as increasingly worse tooth pain and discoloration in the tooth. Fortunately, we can address your cavity at any stage, and in many cases, we can do so with a minimally invasive, custom-designed tooth filling. By filling your cavity with a durable, biocompatible restorative material, we can help stop your cavity and tooth decay from growing while restoring your tooth’s health, strength, and integrity.
The purpose of a tooth filling
Tooth decay and the cavities that it causes are progressive. All they need to grow worse is time, and the longer you wait to address your condition, the more extensive your treatment may have to be. The point of a tooth filling is to stop a cavity early, while it’s still located within the main structure (or dentin) of your tooth. During the procedure, we’ll carefully clean the harmful oral bacteria and infected tooth structure from within the cavity. Then, we’ll place a safe and durable material into the cavity to replace the healthy, natural structure that the tooth has lost.
Choosing the right restoration
By restoring your tooth, your custom filling serves several specific purposes. For example, the filling fortifies the tooth to reestablish its ability to function properly. It also acts as a seal that protects the exposed dentin of the tooth from harmful bacteria that could lead to more extensive decay. For optimal results, we may craft your filling from:
- Metal and metal amalgam – Metal fillings have long been the filling of choice for addressing mild to moderate cavities. Depending on your specific needs and preferences, your metal filling may be made of gold, silver, or silver amalgam (a combination of silver and other trace metals). Metal fillings are extremely durable, and we may recommend them for molars and premolars that are exposed to the highest levels of bite pressure.
- Tooth-colored composite resin – Composite resin is quickly becoming a more popular tooth filling material, and is made from a mixture of finely ground acrylic and quartz-like particles. The resin can be tinted to match the unique color and shade of any tooth, making it a more attractive and natural-looking solution. Composite resin is also highly durable, and because of its natural appearance, we often recommend it for restoring more visible teeth.
Find the filling that fits you best
Treating cavities is important, and with our variety of tooth filling materials, we can treat yours with optimal immediate and long-term results. To learn more, schedule a consultation at Healthy Smiles Family Dentistry in Houston, TX, today by calling (281) 974-4494.