What you should know about:
               RESTORATIONS

What is a restoration or filling?

A dental restoration, previously referred to as a filling, is a material or mixture of materials which are used to fill or replace space left behind after your dentist removes tooth decay.

 

What are restorations made of?

Dental restoration materials in the past have included materials such as gold, porcelain, silver amalgam (a mixture of silver, tin, copper, zinc and mercury) and tooth-colored fillings (made of a mixture of plastic and glass materials called a composite resin filling)

Advantages of Tooth Colored fillings

Tooth colored fillings are made with non-toxic materials and can be made to mimic the natural color of the teeth. In addition, Tooth colored fillings are also able to be applied to a much smaller surface, as such, your dentist will not need to remove as much of the affected tooth as with other filling materials.

Furthermore, there is debate with certain types of fillings, mainly silver amalgam, as one of the materials which it contains, is mercury, which is known to be a toxic material. As such, many dentists as well as patients are hesitant to use this type of filling.

At Phoenix Dental Clinics, our doctors have taken a firm stance against the use of mercury based dental solutions. This decision is to ensure that our patients are given the best possible health care and to ensure the safety of our patients.

Tooth colored fillings are also resistant to corrosion expansion. Corrosion expansion can be dangerous as in many cases, patients will not notice the deterioration of their fillings. As such, in many cases patients often come to the dentist’s office with damaged fillings and teeth due to the expansion of amalgam fillings. These damages can also, if left untreated lead to further decay of the tooth. As such, Tooth colored fillings are often said to be superior due to the fact that they will not expand or corrode.