Last week we had a regular patient, Lisa, come in for her regular appointment. Our Elmhurst general dentists discovered that Lisa had a cavity that required a filling. Lisa was hesitant to undergo treatment, because—of all things—she didn’t want a dark, ugly, metallic filling! We explained to Lisa that modern dental technology allows us to treat dental cavities and place dental fillings without dark amalgam. A filling can now blend seamlessly with your natural teeth.
Fillings are necessary in dentistry to maintain healthy tooth structure after the tooth is damaged. When a patient has a cavity, a dentist removes the decayed dental matter, cleanses the hollow space, and then fills the empty space with a filling. Fillings can also be used to fill cracks or chips in dental enamel from dental trauma or injury.
It used to be that dental fillings were always made of gold, or more often, silver (amalgam fillings). These materials were obviously noticeably colored—making dental enamel appear dark and dingy. However, now our Elmhurst general dentists use natural-looking tooth colored fillings to repair teeth.
One option to achieve a natural-looking filling is composite resin. Composite resin can be shaded to match your natural tooth shade exactly—so a damaged tooth is repaired both functionally and aesthetically. Additionally, composite resin forms a strong and stable bond with natural tooth structure, creating a durable restoration.
Lisa was able to have her cavity filled with composite resin—and she is thrilled with the results! Many patients, like Lisa, don’t know that there are new options for dental fillings that are not as unattractive as traditional metallic amalgam fillings. As always, our Elmhurst general dentists can give you more information about cavity treatment and restoration—feel free to give us a call at (630) 733-1624.