Have fillings? You may want to schedule an appointment with a dentist, particularly if your fillings are older…
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Fillings: Old School Vs. Modern Technology
If you’re older than 30, you probably have metal fillings. In an ideal world, no one would ever have cavities. We’d all have teeth that were resistant to tooth decay. However, that’s not the world we live in. So sooner or later, almost all of us have to get fillings. In the old days, fillings were made of nickel silver, and were incredibly obvious as silver appears black when it oxidizes. And let’s face it, they’re not the prettiest in anyone’s mouth. That’s one reason alone to replace your fillings. Metal fillings have another problem, however. They can be prone to metal fatigue.
Sooner or later bits of the filling start to crumble with normal wear and tear of chewing. And then pieces of the fillings fall out. At first this isn’t a problem, but if a space forms behind the filling, then you have a problem. You’ll end up with an abscess tooth. That’s another reason to replace a filling. However, you may not be stuck with any old school fillings, should it come time to replace them. Times have changed indeed.
What are Fillings Made Of?
What are fillings made of? Nowadays, teeth can be filled with a variety of different filling materials: including silver amalgam, gold, porcelain, and composite resin, which is a combination of plastic and glass. What type of filling you get all depends on where the cavity is as well as how bad the decay is. Your dentist will be able to recommend a treatment option based on these as well as other factors. Imagine if you will. Your mouth still have several fillings, however, they may not be so obvious. If you are eligible for them, your dentist may be able to color match your fillings to the rest of your teeth, so they essentially blend right in. Another advantage of resin composite fillings is the fact that they aren’t temperature sensitive. So you can drink cold drinks without that cold metal feeling in your mouth, or have a cup of tea or coffee without that brief sting that comes with metal.
So remember, if you have older fillings, it may be time to replace them, or even upgrade them. But you’re not off the hook. You still have to brush and floss daily, and rinse. However, the rest your dentist in Gilbert can handle.
More information about fillings…
Gilbert Vista Dental Care
2451 East Baseline Road #210
Gilbert, AZ 85234
(480) 503-5467
https://drritapeck.com
