Tooth-colored Fillings: Show Off a More Natural Smile

There was a time when the only material available to treat dental decay was with silver amalgam. There are now other options available. Needed dental fillings can be completed with a tooth-colored composite resin that is strong, durable, and cosmetically appealing making dental repairs virtually undetectable.

Children are more likely to experience dental decay as their teeth are in the developmental stage and not as fully protected as adult teeth. Although cavities may be preventable, your pediatric dentist can treat decay allowing children and teens to show off a more natural smile.

Understanding how decay can occur may lead to more action being taken towards prevention. Everyone has bacteria living in their mouth. When foods and beverages are consumed, the sugars cling to that bacteria. If teeth are not regularly brushed and flossed, bacteria can harden on teeth forming plaque. And once formed, only your dentist can remove plaque.

The acids in plaque can eat away at the protective enamel on teeth with the result being active decay. Once a tooth has been impacted by decay, the solution to repair it is a dental filling.

But let’s take a step back to see what may be done to prevent decay. Your pediatric dentist can treat teeth with topical fluoride to strengthen dental enamel as well as place sealants on the chewing surfaces of healthy teeth to fill in the natural pits on the tooth’s surface where decay often begins.

Other preventive steps that can be taken include brushing twice every day with a fluoridated toothpaste. An electric toothbrush is a fabulous tool as it performs a lot of the work as well as signals you when you’ve brushed the prescribed two minutes. Flossing daily will remove food particles that your toothbrush missed promoting healthy gum tissue. And visits to the dentist every six months will remove any plaque that has formed since your previous visit.

From an aesthetic perspective, dental repairs made with tooth-colored composite means no more obvious silver fillings … and much less of the tooth’s structure is removed with a composite filling. Previously placed amalgam fillings can be removed and replaced with tooth-colored fillings.

Tooth-colored fillings are ideal for many dental repairs such as gum recession, chipped enamel, and dental stain. These tooth-colored fillings will allow your child to show off a more natural smile, so contact our office today!