Tooth-Colored Fillings

Fillings and restorations repair small to medium-sized cavities and damaged teeth, restoring both function and esthetics. It is the most common treatment in dentistry and, done well, one of the longest-lasting.

Composite or amalgam

We place composite (tooth-colored) materials in cosmetically important areas — anywhere the restoration would otherwise show. Composite bonds to the tooth, which allows a more conservative preparation: we remove the decay and very little else.

Sometimes amalgam (silver colored) fillings are placed in back teeth for additional strength and durability. In a large restoration on a molar that takes heavy load, amalgam remains a durable and appropriate material, and we will discuss it with you if that is what we would recommend for a particular tooth.

There is no single right material for every tooth. The choice depends on where the tooth sits, how much structure is left, how much force it takes, and what you want.

What to expect

Most fillings are done in one visit. The area is numbed, the decay is removed, and the material is placed and shaped to your bite. Composite is built in layers and cured with a light; the tooth is functional as soon as you leave.

Mild cold sensitivity for a few days afterwards is common, particularly on deeper fillings. It settles. Sensitivity that worsens, lingers after the cold is removed, or wakes you at night is worth a call — it can mean the nerve is inflamed and needs attention.

When a filling is not enough

A filling replaces missing tooth structure, but it relies on the remaining tooth to hold it. Once a cavity or a crack is large enough that the walls of the tooth are undermined, a filling becomes a wedge that can split the tooth. At that point a crown is the more sensible restoration.

We will tell you honestly which side of that line a tooth is on. Choosing a filling on a tooth that needed a crown often costs more in the end, and choosing a crown on a tooth that only needed a filling removes structure you cannot get back.

Replacing old work

Fillings do not last forever. Margins wear, composite stains at the edges, and decay can start again underneath. We check existing restorations at every exam and replace them when they are failing — not simply because they are old.