Dental Fillings

Installing dental filling is a procedure in which a hole or a cavity is filled. The dentist may have to remove a decayed area of a tooth called a cavity and then fill it in with one of the many substances used to fill in those holes. Fillings can also be used to repair a tooth that has been cracked or broken or those that have worn down due to grinding or biting nails. Fillings can be made from porcelain, gold, composite resins, or a silver amalgam. All of these substances can be successfully used to help treat a tooth. However, tooth-colored fillings have a number of advantages.

Natural-Looking Dental Fillings

Dr. Harrington wants you to have teeth that look natural and are aesthetically pleasing as well as healthy and strong. Sometimes, it is necessary to get dental fillings to fill in a decayed area and to prevent it from suffering from further tooth decay. When you want your tooth restorations to look as natural as possible, getting tooth-colored fillings is ideal.

We make restorations that are tooth-colored, and these are also known as resin onlays. These onlays are then bonded onto the appropriate tooth so that there is a tight fit with your tooth. The resin that these are made with will wear just as your own tooth does. Unlike the fillings that were available in the past, it doesn’t have to be put right at the gum line. This allows for healthier placement that helps to keep the tooth stronger for a longer period of time.

If a tooth needs a very large filling, or when the tooth doesn’t have enough left to be a good support to a filling, you might also need to get a crown or another form of cosmetic dentistry. This may be needed when a tooth has been worked on before and there is too little left of it.

Getting Replacements for Silver Fillings

It’s common for people to still have a few of the old-style silver fillings. These are often recommended for replacement with a resin, tooth-colored filling so that the look of the tooth is improved. If the old fillings cause any pain or other problems, it is certainly recommended that they be replaced with newer fillings. Silver fillings can also wear down over time, and they can get weak and may break. They can also leak or get corroded, and they may cause gum and tooth staining. Talk to the dentist about your silver fillings if you are worried about them or are experiencing problems with them.

Fillings and Crowns

There are some similarities between fillings and crowns. They are both restorative dental treatments that can help you to keep your tooth and to protect it against decay. However, they are different procedures that are installed in different ways.

Fillings are a basic type of dental restoration treatment. When a tooth has some decay, that decay is removed by the dentist, and the open area is then filled in with the resin composite. Crowns are like a tooth replacement instead of only a cover. After decay is removed from the tooth, the crown covers the whole tooth.

If you are in need of fillings in Orange Park, call us at North Florida Dentistry to make an appointment.