Tooth-Colored Fillings – Leesburg, VA

What Are Tooth-Colored Fillings Made Of?

Traditional fillings are comprised of an amalgamation of various metals, including tin, silver, copper, and even trace amounts of mercury. Tooth-colored fillings, on the other hand, are made of a putty-like material known as composite resin. This biocompatible substance consists of fine particles of plastic, glass, and ceramic. Not only is composite resin able to bond with your natural tooth structure, but it can also be shaded to mimic the exact color of your enamel.

Benefits of Tooth-Colored Fillings vs. Metal Fillings

While amalgam fillings are durable enough to last for some time, they come with several disadvantages. Luckily, tooth-colored fillings are able to address many of these drawbacks. Compared to metal fillings, tooth-colored fillings offer the following benefits:

• Seamless appearance – Metals only come in a small number of colors, but composite resin can be customized to match the precise shade of your natural smile. Once your filling has been completed, no one outside of our dental team should even be able to tell that you had a cavity in the first place!
• Enamel preservation – Because composite resin forms a direct attachment to your tooth, little or no enamel must be removed to make room for the filling. Metal fillings require some removal of natural tooth structure, which could weaken the tooth in the long run.
• Reduced temperature sensitivity – The resin creates a tight seal that protects the sensitive nerves in the tooth’s center. As a result, these nerves are less likely to become agitated by hot or cold stimuli.
• Protection from future cavities – The seal also makes it difficult for bacteria to penetrate the tooth in the future, lowering the risk of additional decay in that tooth.

What It’s Like to Get a Tooth-Colored Filling

If Dr. Pham detects that you have a cavity, she can typically take care of it in a single appointment with a fairly simple procedure:

• First, Dr. Pham administers a local anesthetic to numb the part of your mouth she’ll be treating.
• If you experience dental anxiety, she may recommend sedation to help calm your nerves.
• The decayed portion of your enamel is removed, and the tooth is sanitized.
• Pham uses a shade guide to select the color of composite resin that most closely matches your smile.
• She applies the resin to the tooth, sculpting it as she goes until it has been built up to its full structure.
• She shines an ultraviolet curing light onto the filling, hardening the resin within seconds.
• Lastly, she checks your bite and makes any final adjustments if need be.