Dental restorations have been made of metal for so long that even today we might think of silver when we hear “fillings”.
But if you have old metal restorations, it’s a good idea to think about swapping them out for modern tooth-colored fillings, says Dr. Victor Truong.
Why’s that?
Traditional fillings are made of an amalgam of metals such as silver, nickel, and mercury. This combination is durable and sets up fast in your tooth, but there is a downside. As your tooth experiences temperature changes over time, the metal filling can expand and contract at a rate that causes cracks in your tooth.
Leakage Risks
These small fissures provide inroads for bacteria to cause a new cavity under the filling. Such decay is hard to detect unless Dr. Truong actually removes the amalgam restoration.
Other benefits of upgrading to white composite fillings include:
- A tighter and smoother chemical bond with the tooth
- No one would ever notice how many fillings you have because they blend in
- Opportunity to clean out any recurrent cavities
- A better match with the flexibility of natural tooth structure
- Mercury-free
In a single appointment, you could improve the health and appearance of your smile just by changing out your fillings.
What if you have multiple metal restorations to update? You don’t need to change them out all at once. As long as there’s no sign of serious infection or an advancing cavity, you can gradually update your fillings over the course of a year or two.
Visit The Grove Family Dentistry to see if now is a good time to start switching out your old restorations.