Tooth-Colored Fillings
Small Decay, Small Cavity Treatment
When you have a tiny cavity, it doesn’t make sense to use an extensive solution to address it. At Boyles General Dentistry & Dental Implant Center, we do everything we can to take advantage of the least invasive treatment. In the case of cavities, a small bit of decay doesn’t need a dental crown; it just needs tooth-colored fillings. After this simple cavity treatment, you can hold onto more of your real tooth but look as if the entire thing is still intact. If you want to resolve cavities while they are small, make sure you come to our office regularly so that we can catch them early!
Why Choose Boyles General Dentistry & Dental Implant Center for Tooth-Colored Fillings?
- Patients of All Ages Welcome
- Lifelike Materials Used for Flawless Look
- Affordable Payment Options Available
What Are Tooth-Colored Fillings?
As the name of the treatment implies, fillings these days are tooth colored, which can include many different shades. In the past, metallic amalgam fillings stood out, required quite a bit of extra enamel removal, and often caused sensitivity to heat and cold. However, tooth-colored fillings use composite resin, not amalgam, to fill in holes left by decay. This material has fine ceramic particles and dental plastic mixed together in a putty-like substance.
The Process of Getting a Tooth-Colored Filling
Prior to beginning official treatment, Dr. Boyles will inject a local anesthetic into your mouth to numb any potential pain, which means you shouldn’t feel discomfort. Then, he will begin by removing tainted and infected tooth structure, mainly enamel, but the root and nerve will remain. When all cavity-affected parts have been taken out, Dr. Boyles will select a color for the putty, one that matches the color of your other teeth. A tiny portion of the putty will be placed into the hole in your tooth, literally filling the space. Dr. Boyles will form and shape the filling to look like a tooth and then use a curing light to harden the composite resin. Once it has solidified, we’ll polish the resin to make it shine like a real tooth.
The Benefits of Tooth-Colored Fillings
For a dental treatment, tooth-colored fillings have many benefits. First, this small solution doesn’t require taking away nearly as much enamel as amalgam or a crown, which means your natural smile doesn’t have to be sacrificed for nothing! As well as being the most conservative procedure, tooth-colored fillings are also among the more affordable. The price difference between fillings and crowns when you have insurance is around $500 out-of-pocket. In other words, when you work to get ahead of cavities, you can save considerable money by being proactive and responsible for your oral maintenance.