Silver-based fillings have been used for nearly as long as dentists have been drilling and filling cavities and tooth decay, but they aren’t attractive and have many disadvantages beyond simply looking ugly. Silver fillings take a great deal of time to properly fill cavities and need several days to fully cure. Many parents who had fillings when they were young remember the unpleasant metallic taste and the soreness of chewing with the newly filled tooth for at least a couple days afterward. Drinking hot or cold drinks also can cause teeth with new silver fillings to ache due to the sensitivity that remains just after they have been filled. But there is a viable alternative that looks much better and takes less time to fill cavities in teeth.
Composite Resin Fillings Match Tooth Color
Instead of getting silver-based fillings that make teeth look darker and leave a dull gray surface that is visible when talking, a composite resin filling can be used that will match the natural color of the tooth and has many advantages over silver fillings. Composite resin fillings are made of a plastic and glass compound that is easier to apply and hardens faster than silver fillings. Dentists apply the compound in layers and use a UV light wand to cure the layers as they are applied and enable the procedure to be completed much faster than with silver fillings. The dentist also can shape the composite resin to match the tooth’s contours and even match the color so that it will be nearly impossible to tell a tooth has been drilled and filled.
Less Sensitivity From Composite Resin Fillings
With silver fillings, teeth remain sensitive to hot and cold and can hurt when chewing due to the longer time it takes for silver fillings to harden. Composite resin fillings work much better and do not make the tooth overly sensitive afterward. Once the dentist is done, the fillings are fully cured and hard enough to chew and eat foods without pain. Some sensitivity of hot and cold beverages might occur for a day or so afterward, but the discomfort is nothing like that created with silver fillings.
Do you have old silver fillings that prevent you from smiling often?