Questions about Natural-Looking Fillings

Natural-looking porcelain fillings provide a more pleasing look to your mouth than traditional metal fillings, as well as having many advantages over mercury amalgam. Dr. Gary Green maintains a metal-free dental practice, and can tell you what natural-looking fillings can do to improve your smile.

What are the advantages of natural-looking fillings?

Natural-looking fillings are made from a porcelain bonding agent that can be color-matched to your teeth. When you have a tooth filled with this agent, the fillings don't show, unlike metal fillings which are dark in your mouth and can even darken the surrounding tooth as they age. Natural-looking fillings also lack conductivity, making them unlikely to cause cold or heat sensitivity in your teeth as metal fillings can.

Why does Dr. Green maintain a metal-free practice?

Many dentists are phasing use of metals out of their practices, and Dr. Green is among them. The advances in dental technology have provided options that are more attractive, stronger, and safer than metal fillings. These new materials are also much safer for the environment. It's possible that future legislation will even require dentists to eliminate metals from dental practice due to questions about how mercury affects the health of patients who wear them.

What are the disadvantages of mercury amalgam fillings?

The dark color of mercury amalgam fillings makes them easily visible in the mouth. Over time, the metal can tarnish and even discolor the surrounding material of the teeth. The metal also expands and contracts when exposed to heat and cold, making it highly susceptible to chipping and cracking. This can also cause the amalgam restorations to pull away from the surrounding tooth, allowing decay to take place beneath the fillings.

Are natural-looking fillings as durable as mercury amalgam fillings?

The porcelain paste used to fill cavities is very strong and durable. Because of the way it bonds with your tooth, it can even make your tooth stronger. It also responds to heat and cold in very much the same way as your tooth does, making it much less likely to develop cracks or pull away from the rest of the tooth. Natural-looking fillings can be expected to last at least as long, if not longer, than metal fillings.

To find out more about natural-looking fillings and metal-free dentistry in Caldwell, Essex County, Livingston, Verona, and Newark, New Jersey, please contact experienced prosthodontist G. Gary Green, DMD for a consultation or to make an appointment.