Dental Fillings

Enjoy a More Natural Smile with Composite Dental Fillings

Tooth decay is one of the most common chronic health conditions. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent it, and in cases where decay is unavoidable, a dental filling is an affordable, natural-looking, and safe solution. 

Dental Fillings—The Best Solution for Tooth Restoration

At Waushara Dental Associates S.C., we rely on high-quality materials, latest technology, and advanced techniques to create restorations for our patients that last a lifetime. Our goal is to create results that are designed to be virtually undetectable. We use tooth-colored fillings as restorations when our patients have:

  • Tooth decay
  • Chipped teeth
  • Cracked teeth

What are composite resin fillings and restorations?

Composite resin fillings are the most common alternative to dental amalgam. They are sometimes called “tooth-colored” or “white” fillings because of their color. Composite resin fillings are made of a type of plastic (an acrylic resin) reinforced with powdered glass filler. Composite resin is often placed in layers to build up the final restoration, then cured with an “ultra-violet light”. This light energy speeds up a chemical reaction of the components causing the soft material to harden and bond to the tooth. This material is considered safe. The color (shade) of composite resins can be customized to closely match surrounding teeth. This plastic and glass mixture contains no metal and can be shaped to resemble a real tooth. It is usually hard to tell that a tooth has even been filled!

Composite resin fillings have several advantages. The “white” color is preferred by many patients due to its ability to blend in with surrounding teeth. It is also possible to make a more conservative preparations when using composite material, thus enabling the dentist to preserve more natural tooth structure.

  • Benefits of Composite Resin Restorations
  • Preferred white/natural-looking color
  • Better for smaller fillings
  • Preservation of more tooth structure

Since the resin used in tooth-colored restorations contains fluoride, it can help prevent decay. The resin wears like natural teeth and does not require placement at the gum line, another advantage that reinforces gum health.