COMPOSITES AND AMALGAMS
Seattle Dental Implants & Prosthodontics – Seattle, WA
Tooth-Colored Filings and Amalgrams
In the past, when a patient had a cavity and needed a filling, gold or a silver amalgam was used. However, in this day and age, you may want a filling that matches the color of your current teeth. Dr. Chung places tooth-colored fillings to fill cavities or perfect the shape of a tooth that may be chipped so that it aesthetically matches the rest of your teeth. For those interested in gold or silver amalgam fillings, we are more than happy to accommodate you although it has not been the first choice for most people.
Advantages of Tooth-Colored Restorations
Due to the development of the bonding agent that gives mechanical interlocking between acid etched tooth structure and unfilled resin, the less amount of tooth removal is necessary for the fillings, which is the biggest advantage of the tooth-colored restorations. It enables the early detection and treatment in contrast to the past where dentist may be hesitant in offering treatment when cavity is small but he/she has to remove fine tooth structure for filling material retention. Less tooth removal also leads to the increased longevity and less needs for larger treatment such as dental crowns or root canal treatment.