Tooth Coloured Restorations

Tooth Coloured Filling materials

A metal smile is a thing of the past.

There are newer, biologically compatible materials that can be used to restore your teeth.

These aesthetic materials will help give your smile a new lease on life.

Tooth-coloured (or white) fillings have been used in front teeth for cosmetic reasons for many years. Recent improvements in filling materials for back teeth mean they are now more affordable and widely used as an alternative to dental amalgam.

No longer is it necessary for unsightly amalgam (mercury) fillings to be used in dental treatments. Tooth-coloured fillings will make your teeth appear whiter, brighter and healthier than before. It is now possible to have tooth-coloured fillings created to match the exact colour, shape, texture and translucency of your existing teeth. 

Or we could go whiter.....

Tooth-coloured fillings are not only used to repair newly developed dental problems we can also use the materials replace older deteriorating or unsightly restorations. 

Small  or moderately sized restorations can be sussessfully placed using composite resin (ceramic particles in a plastic matrix). 

For larger restorations we may need to consider a ceramic inlay/onlay or a ceramic crown for strength.  These meterials are much stronger and are recommended when the tooth is weakenened.

We assess each tooth individually and then recommend the pros and cons of each treatment modality.

 
Amalgam

There is some debate over the health and environmental issues of using amalgam.

Concerns have been raised about the use of dental amalgam as it contains mercury and other heavy metals.

The current advice from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia is that, for most people, these low levels of mercury exposure will not affect their general health.  There are recommendations amalgam not be used in children, pregnant or breast-feeding mothers or immuno-compromised individuals.
 

Replacing amalgam fillings

Deciding to have your amalgam fillings replaced is your choice and should be made in consultation with your dentist or other oral health professional.

Most commonly, amalgam restorations need to be replaced due to new decay developing under the filling or cracks developing in the underlying tooth structure.  They may also be replaced for aesthetic reasons.

When a tooth needs work we will discuss the options for treatment either to repair or replace the existing restoration and allow you to make the final decision.