Fast Facts about Dental Fillings

Sometimes regular brushing and flossing isn’t enough to prevent cavities, and most people will need at least one or two fillings during their lifetime. Your general dentist in Sarasota will remove decayed areas in your tooth and will prepare the tooth to receive a filling. Dental fillings help repair damaged areas, and in the past most were made from a silver colored metal called amalgam. Nowadays most dentists suggest patients have tooth colored restorations made from tooth colored composite resin that can beautifully and discreetly restore smiles.

Facts about Fillings
Fact: Amalgam fillings are considered safe.
Amalgam is a metal that contains a small amount of mercury, but the FDA considers these fillings to be safe as there isn’t enough mercury to present a risk to health. However it does recommend that pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children under the age of six don’t have this type of filling.

Fact: Metal fillings change shape according to temperature.
Metal fillings expand and contract whenever they come into contact with hot and cold. Over time this can cause tiny fractures in the tooth, resulting in more decay, infection and eventually pain.

Fact: Tooth colored fillings produce attractive and durable restorations.
Composite resin fillings are strong and durable, and the material bonds well with natural teeth. Your dentist in Sarasota will need to remove less healthy tooth structure during preparation. The tooth colored material blends in well with your natural teeth so there’s no need to worry about darker areas in the mouth detracting from your smile.

Fact: Your dentist can replace older amalgam fillings.
Your dentist will check the condition of older fillings at every checkup to make sure they are not leaking or crumbling. If necessary, they can safely remove older style amalgam fillings and will replace them with more aesthetically pleasing tooth colored restorations. Some people will choose to have amalgam fillings removed before they begin to leak in order to improve their smile.