Types, Procedure, and Benefits of White Fillings

You’ve just gone to your dentist’s office, and they tell you that you need a filling. You are not alone. Most people need a filling in their lifetime at least once. A filling treats a damaged tooth and restores it to its normal shape and function, preventing further decay.

If you are in line to get a filling, you shouldn’t worry because it is one of the common procedures performed in the dentist’s office. In addition, if you’re maintaining good oral hygiene, the process will be smooth and fast.

What is Dental Filling?

This is a dental restoration that restores a missing tooth’s integrity, function, and structure resulting from external trauma.

What are White Fillings Used for?

Dental fillings help in treating a cavity. They fill the hole and are designed to feel and look like your natural teeth.

White fillings are more visually appealing than metallic fillings for their natural appearance feature. If you want the amalgam fillings removed for health reasons, you can use white fillings in their place.

Different Types of White Fillings

White fillings exist in two forms available in Golf Links Dental in Ancaster ON. They are:

Porcelain Fillings

These fillings are made of silicon and oxygen that have been compounded into a non-crystalline glass. Porcelain fillings can be shaded to be tooth-colored. It blends well with natural teeth making it unnoticeable when one has one. Porcelain fillings are a good choice for larger cavities. They are used to strengthen cracked teeth. Porcelain fillings are custom-made and are cemented on the cavity by the dentist.

Composite Fillings

Composite fillings are more tooth-colored than other dental fillings. Like porcelain filling, composite fillings can be customized to match the color of your teeth.

Composite fillings are made of acrylic resin reinforced with a powdered glass filler. It’s used for various dental restorations, including fillings, inlays, crowns, and veneers.

Sometimes dentists use composite resin material in repairing and restoring parts of chipped or broken teeth.

Are White Fillings Right for Me?

If you have cavities, white fillings can be the best option. It’ll help restore the integrity of your mouth. Our dentist in Ancaster ON will advise you on the right type of dental filling for you. Also, they will tell if you’d benefit from tooth bonding which is an alternative to dental fillings.

How are White Fillings Placed?

Our dentist will follow your restorative treatment when getting your white fillings in Ancaster, ON. First, they’ll clean and sanitize the treatment site. Then, your dentist will use a special etching compound to prepare the treatment site.

Etching opens up pores on your enamel that help the composite gain a strong bond to the surface of your tooth. Once your tooth is prepped, our dentist will match the resin with the color of your teeth to blend with your smile. Then, they’ll mold the composite resin over the treatment site. The fillings will coordinate perfectly with the surrounding teeth.

Once the filling is placed on your tooth, a special blue light is used to harden it quickly. Once the filling material is cured, your dentist will check your bite to ensure that the filling doesn’t interfere with your bite. If there are minor issues, they can adjust at that time.

Benefits of White Dental Fillings

Tooth-colored fillings have benefits including:

Stability

White fillings don’t contract and expand due to temperature variations. This makes them stable.

Lower Risk of Sensitivity

Composite resin doesn’t transfer heat as quickly as metal does. By this, patients with white fillings can avoid unpleasant sensitivity when eating cold or hot drinks or food. In addition, white fillings will insulate your tooth from temperature fluctuations.

Safety

White fillings are safe. They are biocompatible and don’t have dangerous chemicals or metals.

Natural-Looking Results

These fillings are cosmetically pleasing. They can be shaded to blend with the color of your surrounding teeth. In addition, the material is pliable before being hardened, meaning your dentist can blend your fillings in with adjacent tooth structures.

Strength

White fillings are directly bonded onto your tooth. Once the fillers fill your cavity, your tooth becomes stronger. They are also durable hence they’ll serve you for a long time with proper oral hygiene.