By Arthur Kezian

A smile helps you maintain a positive aura around you. It also conveys a set of emotions that are louder than words but don’t let the misalignment of your teeth affect this in any manner.  Advancements in dentistry bring new methods to enhance your appearance. The commonly used metal amalgam method for a dental filling is now being replaced by a tooth colored-filling.

Tooth colored fillings are a great advancement in dentistry. Dentists use them accurately to reconstruct the natural look of your teeth and give you that perfect smile. Mostly used in restoration of fractured & decayed teeth, tooth-colored fillings are also used to enhance the appearance cosmetically by changing the size, shape or color of your teeth.

If you have gaps in your teeth that lower your confidence, then tooth-colored fillings will help you gain that confidence back by filling the gaps and repairing chipped teeth. It does not only make you look better but also prevents the issues of sensitivity in the teeth.

These composites of resin do not have mercury in them which is considered to be toxic in nature. This is one of the main advantages of opting for replacing an amalgam filling and getting a tooth-colored filling.

However, they also have some disadvantages as they suffer from dissolution. They will dissolve in your mouth despite of the fact you eat directly on them or not. They may discolor over a period of time becoming yellowish in appearance which will look ugly.

Composites may expand or contract if exposed regularly to hot & cold food or beverages. Also they may get pitted leaving pinholes that facilitate discoloration and staining permanently.

Unlike metal fillings the color fillings are less strong and do not last for a very long period of time.  The choice to be made between tooth-colored fillings and metal fillings should be made depending upon the needs and budget of a patient who wants to go for the procedure of tooth filling. If he requires durability and longevity then he should choose the metal filling, but if he wants his appearance to not be affected by the filling and desires to look natural then he should opt for a color-filling.

Tooth-Colored fillings enhance your look by keeping it natural and filling the gaps in your teeth that may restrain you from smiling properly. This way, it boosts your confidence and does not have any harmful effect like the mercury in the case of metal fillings.

Dr. Arthur A. Kezian DDS 443 N. Larchmont Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90004 (323) 467-2777