Dr. Collins has been placing white fillings for many years in place of traditional amalgam fillings. Did you know that amalgam fillings, more commonly referred to as silver filings, are actually made up of less than half of silver? The other half consists of mercury.
White fillings are made from a tooth-colored composite resin and they are applied using advanced bonding technology. This process seals the tooth against decay, preserves more of your natural tooth structure, and can be made to blend almost perfectly to match the existing color of your tooth.
Shown to the right you can see a comparison of old amalgam fillings pictured on top versus new tooth-colored composite fillings shown below. If you examine these photographs closely, you may see a small gap between the amalgam filling and the tooth. They are cracked, corroded, and have gaps because they are old. With white composite, the resin chemistry that bonds them provides a seal to the teeth. This bonding technology not only looks better, these teeth are now more resistant to fracture.
Benefits of White Fillings
There are many benefits in choosing white composite fillings.
- Amalgam contains mercury and some people are concerned about the potential for health risks. White composite fillings are mercury-free.
- The tooth-colored composite bonds to the tooth which actually makes the tooth stronger. Amalgam fillings weaken the tooth and may make them more susceptible to fracture over time.
- Some people complain of increased sensitivity to temperature with amalgam. This is due to the metal that is present in the filling. There is very little to no sensitivity with white composite fillings.
- No healthy tooth structure is required to be drilled away for the bonding of composite. Whereas amalgam requires a certain thickness to hold up on your tooth and may require extra drilling.
- Tooth-colored composite fillings look beautiful and will not be visible when you are laughing, talking, or eating.
Dr. Collins is trained to place composite fillings and has not placed an amalgam filling for many years. If you are interested, please give us a call to schedule an appointment today at 225-292-4321.