Facts About Fillings
To begin with, a filling is designed to arrest decay and protect the exposed tooth from further problems. In the past, silver amalgam has served this purpose, providing a solid, durable means of filling cavities. Although these are typically the least expensive solution, silver amalgams may actually fracture teeth when exposed to hot and cold, due to the variation in coefficient of expansion compared to tooth enamel. Other weaknesses involved in using silver amalgam include the following. They wear down over time, due to constant chewing and grinding-- biting forces place hundreds of pounds per square inch on the tooth surface! This can lead to cracks or loosening of the filling's 'seal', allowing bacteria to enter the interior tooth area. If this happens, the decay can continue undetected and uncontrolled until the nerve of the tooth is actually damaged. At this point, a root canal is often the only means of saving the tooth.

Thus, many people have become interested in using a 'composite resin' material for fillings, also called 'tooth-colored fillings'. Composite resins have several advantages over silver amalgams: the material actually 'bonds' to the tooth structure, so that the filling never changes shape, puts negative force on the tooth, or in any way harms the tooth.

Restoration By Replacement
The composite resin 'bonding' filling replacement process is quite straightforward. First, Dr. Gatewood or Dr. Stephens carefully numbs the area. The, he drills away the existing filling, leaving the area completely free of silver amalgam. Next, he prepares the area by cleaning all surfaces with a specialized cleaning agent. Then, he simply layers the composite onto the teeth, hardening each layer with a special light. When the layering process is finished, he works with the composite, shaping it to fit the tooth to match your natural dentition. He then polishes it to prevent staining and early wear. Depending on the size of the filling and location of the composite, this placement process may require 10 to 20 minutes longer than what's needed for a traditional silver filling.

Conservative Correction
Overall, composite resin placement typically requires less tooth structure removal, and result in stronger teeth. For small to moderate sized areas of decay, composite resin fillings will restore health, strength, and beauty to the tooth. For larger areas of decay, we can use composite resins to create long-lasting inlays and onlays as well.