tooth-colored fillings

Are Tooth-Colored Fillings Right for Me? | Los Angeles CA

Tooth-colored or white fillings allow you to repair your chipped or decayed teeth using dental material that matches the natural shade of your teeth, so it’s virtually impossible for people to tell your restored tooth from adjacent natural teeth. 

Benefits of Tooth-Colored Fillings

There are several types of dental fillings, but the most popular ones today are tooth-colored composites. These fillings offer several benefits, including:

  • Natural look – they are made in a way to mimic the natural appearance of your teeth, so the repaired tooth looks the same as the adjacent natural teeth for an even smile
  • Strong and sturdy – composite and porcelain tooth-colored fillings are strong enough to restore the form and function of a chipped or decayed tooth
  • Versatile – they can be used to treat very small cavities that are hard to fill using other materials like amalgam
  • Easy to repair – fillings tend to wear over time, and may be damaged in the event of an accident. Composite fillings can be easily reapplied without having to remove the original filling. 
  • Safe – tooth-colored fillings not only look great, but are also reliable, safe, and long-lasting. They provide a safe and aesthetic alternative to dental amalgam fillings
  • Conservative treatment – composite resin tooth-colored fillings allow for conservative treatment to preserve as much of the natural tooth’s structure as possible, compared to other treatments like inlays and onlays. 

There are different types of white fillings, including composite and porcelain, both of which have different characteristics. Composites are affordable and don’t require much tooth preparation before applying the filling. Porcelain fillings provide a more durable restoration but are more expensive. As such, they’re mostly used for repairing the back teeth. Otherwise, composite is the more popular tooth-colored filling. 

Your dentist may recommend porcelain or ceramic onlays and inlays to restore severely damaged teeth due to wear or decay. Please visit your Los Angeles dentist to discuss the best ways to restore your damaged teeth.