The 7 Unique Benefits of White Dental Fillings
The best way to fight tooth decay is with excellent oral hygiene. But, sometimes, even that isn't enough to keep cavities at bay. Fortunately, if you act quickly, a simple dental filling will be sufficient to repair a small dental cavity before it worsens.
White fillings are the ideal approach for small cavities. And they offer a range of unique benefits.
1. Eat hard foods immediately
With amalgam or silver fillings, you usually have to wait 24 hours before you can eat hard foods like nuts and corn on the cob. But although white fillings are not as durable as silver fillings, they do set faster. This is because dentists can speed up the bonding process by using a special light to bond the filling to the tooth structure.
2. Repair damaged white fillings
It's true that white fillings generally don't last as long as amalgam fillings do. But unlike amalgam fillings, you may be able to repair white fillings sometimes, if a defect appears. A dentist can simply add more white filling resin to the existing filling, then shape, polish and cure the white filling to complete the repair.
With this ability, you might also be able to prolong the longevity of your white fillings.
3. Fix a variety of cosmetic issues
Amalgam fillings aren't designed for aesthetic appeal. This means they are only suitable for filling cavities for the most part. White fillings don't have this limitation. Because dentists can create a shade of composite resin that matches the natural shade of a patient's teeth, they can use white fillings in a number of ways.
For instance, a dentist can use a white filling to fill a space between two teeth or repair the corner of a chipped tooth.
4. Remove less tooth structure for placement
White fillings bond to the structure of a tooth in an adhesive manner. This means that they tend to be smaller than amalgam fillings. Amalgam fillings don't bond to teeth the way white fillings do, which means that they require the removal of more natural tooth structure. This makes white fillings ideal for filling small cavities.
5. Identify nearby tooth decay more easily
The dark colour of amalgam fillings can be an issue when trying to spot tooth decay in close proximity to a filling. Because of that, you might not notice dental decay near a filling until it has progressed deeper into the tooth. But this isn't an issue with white fillings. Because dentists select a shade that matches your natural tooth colour, you can easily spot nearby tooth decay.
6. Combine white fillings with whitening
A great cosmetic option to have at your disposal is the ability to combine tooth whitening with white fillings. First, your dentist will place temporary fillings over any existing cavities, then they will carry out the whitening procedure. During a second appointment, your dentist will place the necessary number of white fillings, in a shade that matches your newly whitened teeth.
7. Conceal dental work effectively
The biggest downfall of amalgam fillings is that you can’t hide them. If you wish to conceal your dental work, white fillings can help you achieve that aim. And because you can use white fillings immediately after getting them, you could realistically go straight to an event right after your dental appointment.
If you have identified a cavity in your mouth, then you can benefit from getting a white filling. Runcorn Dental's technicians are highly qualified and can administer white fillings with excellent results. Call our team today, and we'll help you to stop tooth decay in its tracks.
