Tooth Coloured Fillings
These days you can get white dental fillings at our Blackburn clinic so people won’t even know you have had this procedure. They have been designed to ensure your oral health is strong while also giving your the confidence to smile without fear of visible fillings.
How Do I Know If I Need A Filling?
In between checkups, though, there are signs you can look out for that indicate that you might have decay or a cavity that needs to be plugged up. These symptoms include:
- Tooth pain that can range from toothaches to sharp pains
- When you touch or brush your teeth, you feel pain or sensitivity (or when you are eating)
- You see a hole in your tooth or a white or black mark that suggests a hole
- If you floss between a certain set of teeth, the floss keeps fraying
- If you run your tongue over the tooth, it feels rough or jagged
Types of Dental Fillings
There have been used for almost two centuries by dentists and could last up to 15 years, which was a good result back in the day. While this option is still available today, there have been superior options coming on the market in recent years.
Silver coloured fillings are a cost-effective solution, but they are also highly noticeable, can fall out and do not last as long as other materials like tooth-coloured, white resin composite fillings. Some of the options used by dentists today include:
- Gold is a superb material, but only a few people select it because it's so obvious.
- Using composite resin on small-to-medium cavities is our preferred method
- Large cavities are best filled with gold or porcelain inlays/onlays due to their strength and durability.
Why Are Porcelain Fillings The Preferred Option Today?
This non-crystalline glass is based on silicon and oxygen. They can be shaded to look like tooth enamel, unlike silver. Sometimes you don’t even realise someone has a cavity because they’ve had a porcelain filling placed on their tooth that blends in.
A porcelain filling may be preferable to protect the integrity of the smile if you have a cavity that is visible when you smile. In cases where you have a cavity across a molar, a tooth-coloured filling may blend in well when your mouth is opened wide. Porcelain can be applied in layers to create fillings that mimic the real shape of a tooth, offering an advantage in terms of appearance.
White Composite Fillings Are Another Solution
Fillings made from composite resin, a tooth-coloured material, bond with your tooth structure to restore your tooth’s shape and create a whiter, brighter smile. Metal amalgam fillings can be replaced with composite fillings that match the colour of your teeth.
Composite resin fillings are almost exclusively used nowadays because they look better and are less invasive than their silver counterparts. Porcelain, however, provides a more natural appearance and will also help strengthen the teeth. Unlike porcelain, composite resin fillings are made directly within the mouth, as opposed to making them outside of the mouth and then bonding them to the tooth. Your dentist can discuss which option is best for you.
Tooth-coloured fillings are the perfect solution for people that want healthy teeth and gums but don’t want the noticeable look of traditional silver options. It is vital that you have regular dental checkups to catch decay and cavities early.
We offer Invisalign treatment, paediatric dental care, implant dentistry, teeth whitening and regular dental check ups. Book your next appointment with Focus Dental Group at (03) 8838 8600.
