12257 South 800 East
Draper White Fillings
White composite fillings are conservative, natural-looking, and mercury-free, but did you know that they also strengthen your teeth? For these reasons, we use exclusively composite fillings at Angel’s Smile, never amalgams. We also offer beautiful, strong porcelain onlays and inlays.
Advantages of White Fillings
Compared to silver amalgams, white composite fillings have an obvious aesthetic advantage. But their benefits go beyond aesthetics.
More Conservative
For one thing, composite fillings are more conservative than amalgams. Placing a composite filling requires less tooth structure to be removed than placing an amalgam. The reason is that the amalgam filling material requires a certain bulk in order to be strong enough to resist chewing forces. But since composite is bonded to the tooth, there is no bulk requirement. Thus, composite not only requires less drilling but also preserves more of your natural tooth.
Teeth-Strengthening
Another important advantage of white fillings is that they restore strength to your tooth. Amalgams, strong as they are on their own (being made of metal), actually weaken the teeth, making them more likely to break in the future. But because a composite filling is bonded to the tooth, it makes the tooth stronger, almost as strong as it was before.
Mercury-Free
For those who wish to avoid mercury in their dental work, white fillings are an easy solution. At Angel’s Smile, all of our restorations are 100% mercury-free.
Ceramic Onlays and Inlays
Another aesthetic, mercury-free restoration we offer is the ceramic onlay or inlay. When a tooth is too decayed to be properly restored with a filling, we may offer an onlay or inlay as a conservative alternative to a crown. Whereas a crown completely covers the tooth all the way to the gumline, an onlay covers only the weak surfaces of the tooth and does not need to extend to the gumline. An inlay covers only the chewing surface between the cusps of the tooth.
The benefits of onlays are both functional and aesthetic. Made of ceramic, onlays are just as beautiful and natural-looking as crowns. But since they cover less surface area than crowns, they allow for more of the natural tooth structure to be preserved. And since onlays don’t reach all the way to the gumline, they can’t irritate the gums or create a margin that’s difficult to keep clean. (Inlays, contained within the cusps, don’t cause these issues, either.)
Inlays vs. Composite Fillings
The point where your tooth touches an adjacent tooth is a point where it is especially susceptible to decay. Especially if you don’t floss regularly, small food particles can be trapped there, feeding bacteria who will then start a cavity. When you have a cavity there, there are two excellent ways to restore your tooth — with a composite filling or with a ceramic inlay. A composite filling has all the advantages over an amalgam filling that are mentioned above. A ceramic inlay has the same advantages but adds an extra element of durability. It has extreme resistance to wear and will likely last much longer than a simple filling.
If you opt to have a ceramic inlay, the process takes a little longer than a composite filling. Dr. Bailey will prepared the tooth by removing the decay and shaping the cavity so that the inlay can slide in. She will then take an optical impression of the cavity, the surrounding teeth, and the opposing teeth with a scanner. She will feed the data from the scan into our CEREC CAD/CAM machine which will shape a block of high-strength ceramic into an inlay that will precisely fit your tooth and harmonize with the surrounding teeth. She will then bond the inlay into your tooth.
Restore Your Smile, Mercury-Free
If you need white fillings or other mercury-free restorations, we can take care of you at Angel’s Smile. To get started with an initial exam, give us a call to schedule an appointment. Or feel free to request an appointment online, and we’ll contact you to set one up.
