Fillings at St. Leonards Green Dental
St. Leonards Tooth-Coloured Restorations
If you have a cavity, it’s critical to treat it before the bacterial infection expands deeper into your tooth. Thanks to regular exams and digital X-rays, we can diagnose tooth decay as early as possible. We use white fillings that mimic natural tooth structure and are less invasive than conventional metal restorations.
White Dental Fillings
Composite restorations are made of mercury-free materials that bond closely with your tooth enamel. They are ideal for restoring areas throughout your mouth, especially teeth that are visible when you smile.
White fillings are custom matched to blend in with the natural colour of your tooth enamel. When we place them, it should be difficult — if not impossible — to differentiate the restoration from your healthy teeth.
Compared to metal fillings, composite responds to stimuli more like tooth enamel. When exposed to temperature changes, composite contracts and expands around the same rate, minimising the risk for leakage around the margins where the filling meets your tooth.
Amalgam Filling Removal
Do you have existing metal restorations that detract from your smile’s appearance? Are you worried about mercury content in your current silver fillings? St. Leonards Green Dental can remove your old dental work to replace it with a safer tooth-coloured alternative. If the area is small enough, a white filling will do. Otherwise a porcelain inlay, onlay or crown may be ideal.
Do I Have a Cavity?
Symptoms of tooth decay often include:
- Sensitivity
- Pain when eating specific types of foods
- Rough surfaces you can feel with your tongue
- Discolouration
- Throbbing or discomfort in a particular area
- The earlier your cavity is diagnosed, the smaller your filling will need to be.
- Our dentist will thoroughly examine your teeth twice a year at your checkups and order diagnostic X-rays as required.
- If your X-ray reveals signs of a cavity between your teeth or below the surface, we’ll plan to schedule a small filling appointment in the near future.
Causes of Tooth Decay
There’s a misconception that if you don’t eat a lot of sugar or lollies, you shouldn’t be getting cavities. While sweets do contribute to tooth decay, the ultimate cause goes beyond occasional snacking on treats.
Cavities are caused by eroding of the enamel, due to extensive acid contact with your tooth surface. When plaque spends an extended length of time against your enamel (because you’re not brushing or flossing as often as you should), then you can get cavities more often than someone with a rigorous home care plan.
Liquids are another common culprit. Sweetened coffee, sports drinks and even naturally flavored fruit juices alter the pH inside of your mouth, creating acid byproducts once they’re broken down by your saliva. If sipped on over a consistent basis, you or your children will likely experience a higher rate of tooth decay.
Alternatives to Fillings
Unfortunately, tooth decay can’t be reversed or stop on its own. As a bacterial infection, it poses a risk of spreading into the tooth nerve and adjacent healthy teeth. It’s best to treat the cavity early and preserve as much healthy tooth structure as possible.
Delaying your dental filling could mean a future root canal, crown or worse, an extraction.
THINK YOU HAVE A CAVITY?
Contact our family-friendly dental practice to get your smile back in shape with our tooth-coloured restorations!
* Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.