Cosmetic White vs. Metal Fillings

Before		After

A fact of life remains true: cavities occur, however careful you have been working to maintain optimal dental hygiene for your teeth.  Dr. McDonald visits with patients on a daily basis who brush and floss regularly and avoid sticky-sweet indulgences all for the sake of maintaining a beautiful smile.  Despite all of these efforts, and for many different reasons, cavities happen.  The options available to address the issue of saving the tooth are: cosmetic white, natural restorations vs. metal fillings.

The most common reason for choosing natural-looking cosmetic white fillings is that they make an unparalleled option for your cavities and errant teeth when they don't appear as ugly, stark grey metallic objects in your mouth whenever you yawn, smile broadly or laugh.  Once upon a time, metal fillings - especially gold and silver - were a status symbol, but times have changed.  When possible and reasonable, natural tooth-colored fillings are not only preferred by patients, but they are often recommended by our office professionals because composite fillings can actually strengthen your teeth.

 What is a Cosmetic White, or Composite Restoration?

Composite fillings are a mixture of glass or quartz filler in a resin medium that produces a tooth-colored filling. They are sometimes referred to as composites or filled resins. Composite fillings provide good durability and resistance to fracture in small-to-mid size restorations that need to withstand moderate chewing pressure. Less tooth structure is removed when the dentist prepares the tooth, and this may result in a smaller filling than that of an amalgam. Dr. McDonald  holds high regards for composite material because it can also be "bonded" or adhesively held in a cavity, often allowing him to make a more conservative repair to the tooth.