Tooth-colored fillings were created as an alternative to traditional metal dental fillings. Tooth fillings colored to look like a natural tooth are known as Composite Resin Dental Fillings and are made of a plastic dental resin combined with porcelain and glass particles. These types of fillings are, durable and are way more natural looking than amalgam fillings. If you have a cavity in a tooth or broken fillings or if your teeth are full of mercury fillings, or amalgam fillings you may want to ask your dentist about changing to Tooth-colored fillings. Mercury fillings or amalgam fillings can easily be removed and replaced with far more attractive colored fillings. Research shows that composite fillings actually strengthen your tooth and further protect it from decay. Tooth-colored fillings are a safer and more attractive alternative to older silver amalgam fillings. By precisely matching tooth-colored composite fillings with the natural color of your teeth, a skilled cosmetic dentist is able to provide you with white fillings that are virtually invisible. The removal of amalgam fillings can provide patients with white fillings that provide a more pleasing, silver-free smile.
The most popular kind of 'white filling' is called a Composite filling. It is made up of a composite quartz resin (glass and porcelain) and usually contains some sort of light sensitive agent that is used during curing. They are an attractive, durable alternative to silver (amalgam) fillings. In the past, white fillings were placed only on front teeth, but recently these composite materials have been specifically designed to be able to survive the pressure of grinding when you chew. These light cured composites are best looking and in most cases they can be inserted in one appointment.