TREATMENTS

• Fillings / Restorations
• Dental Sealants
• Crowns
• Bridges
• Non-Surgical Root Canal
• Dental Implants
• Dentures
• Tooth Extractions
• Gum Disease Laser Therapy

Tooth Fillings

Dental Amalgams and Tooth-Colored Restorations

We place many different types of dental restorative (filling) material, including dental amalgam (silver fillings), composite-based resin (tooth-colored fillings), and porcelain inlays and onlays.

Dental Amalgam is a commonly used dental filling that has been used for over 150 years. It is a mixture of metals. Amalgam has many advantages over other restorative material, such as low cost, strength, durability, and bacteriostatic effects.

Amalgam is used in dentistry for a number of reasons. It is relatively easy to use and manipulate during placement; it remains soft for a short time so it can be packed to fill any irregular volume, and then forms a hard compound. Amalgam used to possess greater longevity than other direct restorative materials, such as composite; however, with recent improvements in composite material science and a better understanding of the technique-sensitivity of placement, it should be noted that this is no longer necessarily the case.

There are circumstances in which composite (white fillings) serves better than amalgam. When amalgam is not indicated, or when a more conservative preparation would be beneficial, composite is the recommended restorative material. These situations would include small occlusal restorations, in which amalgam would require the removal of a more sound tooth structure, as well as in "enamel sites beyond the height of contour."

The American Dental Association Council on Scientific Affairs has concluded that both amalgam and composite materials are considered safe and effective for tooth restoration.

Porcelain inlays and onlays are indirect fillings (made in a lab from an impression of your tooth) that are not only beautiful (or unnoticeable) but also may add strength to weakened teeth. These restorations are esthetically pleasing and very strong thanks to new bonding technologies.