When a patient has a tooth that has decayed, or a tooth that has cracked or fractured, it’s very common for me to recommend a dental filling in my practice at Soft Touch Dentistry if there is enough tooth structure left for me to work with. Dental fillings are usually the treatment of choice for minor dental concerns. But back in the day, patients had apprehensions about dental fillings because only silver amalgam fillings were available. But thanks to the continuous efforts of our friends in dentistry, our patients can now have tooth-colored fillings which have more aesthetic value.
What’s the difference between the two? To start, let me tell you about the components of both. Silver amalgam is very effective in treating damaged teeth and is a combination of silver and other metals that set hard and are usually silver in color. Tooth-colored fillings are made from composite resin made from acrylic plastics.
Tooth-colored fillings are becoming very popular among my patients at Soft Touch Dentistry because it is virtually invisible because the color mimics the color of your natural tooth. Tooth-colored fillings also have a better bonding property to the tooth surface and allows for better insulation during temperature changes.
Silver amalgams are the most affordable type of dental filling and can last up to 20% longer than tooth-colored fillings. Unfortunately, over time, amalgam fillings can give the tooth a grayish appearance because its color turns into dark gray or black after some time which makes this very unsightly because the shade closely resembles that of a damaged tooth.
So if you want a filling that will improve the overall appearance of your teeth, make tooth-colored fillings your treatment of choice!
Call us today at Soft Touch Dentistry at 617-782-9250 for our Brighton office, or 617-332-8146 for our Newton office and schedule a consultation with Dr. Nazila Bidabadi to know if tooth-colored fillings are good for you.
