If you’ve had a dental filling in the past, you may remember having or still have metal amalgam fillings. While these fillings were durable, they did not really enhance your smile since the dark grey metal was visible when you would talk or laugh.
Today, composite resin is a tooth-colored material that has replaced the amalgam fillings used in the past. Besides matching your tooth color to create a seamless smile, composite dental fillings in Rockville offer other benefits for your teeth that you may not be aware of.
Composite Fillings Protect More Of Your Natural Tooth
Composite resin is designed to bond directly onto your tooth. Your dentist can remove only the portion of your tooth that has been affected by decay, and the composite material will bond to the remaining tooth structure.
Metal amalgam fillings required a larger space, which meant that healthy tooth structure, as well as the diseased portion, would have to be removed for the filling to be placed.
With composite tooth-colored fillings, your dentist can preserve more of your tooth structure, which is better for your tooth and your dental health.
Tooth-Colored Fillings Provide Durability
Due to the nature of metal and its reaction to temperature, amalgam fillings tend to expand and contract, which would cause it to pull away from your tooth. Once the seal of the filing is broken bacteria are allowed back into your tooth increasing your risk of developing new cavities under your filling.
For this reason, many people have chosen to replace their amalgam fillings with tooth-colored material.
Composite Material Offers Other Cosmetic Benefits
Composite resin can also be used to repair other small cosmetic concerns such as broken or stained teeth, an irregularly shaped tooth, or gaps between teeth with a procedure called dental bonding.
Dental bonding is a non-invasive treatment and can usually be completed during one visit. It also tends to be a less expensive cosmetic dental procedure.
Contact Gladnick Family and Cosmetic Family Dentistry at (301) 963-0800 today to schedule an appointment online and to learn more about how your Rockville dentists can improve your smile with tooth-colored fillings!
