Tooth-colored fillings, an affordable option for improving your smile

Tooth fillings are helpful tools in maintaining healthy teeth. They restore the strength and integrity of your teeth in a way silver fillings can’t, while helping to prevent reinfection of bacteria and decay. However, while they function wonderfully, traditional silver fillings are not very attractive to look at and are quite noticeable. This is why at Proffitt Dentistry in Maryville, Tennessee, Dr. William Proffitt, and his team recommend composite tooth-colored fillings.

The beauty of composite fillings

Dr. William Proffitt fully endorses and practices “biomimetic” dentistry. With this state-of-the-art approach, Dr. Proffitt and his team can focus on resolving oral issues in a manner that also mimics natural or biological tissues. The composite resin used in these fillings works well within a biomimetic protocol because it is:

• Tooth-like: The resin is made using glass-like particles that mimic the appearance of your natural tooth enamel right down to how the light shines off the tooth’s surface. Also, the material is color-matched to blend in with the surrounding teeth. This means the resin blends in naturally and seamlessly to match your unique smile.
• Conservative: Conservative dental treatments like composite fillings have many advantages. One advantage is that it’s only required to remove or alter a minimal amount of healthy, natural tooth structure. This helps us preserve as much of your natural tooth as possible while providing enough support to help your tooth last as long as possible (with adequate oral care, of course).
• Biocompatible: Composite resin is also tissue-friendly. This means it doesn’t trigger allergies or adverse reactions, unlike other dental materials such as amalgams made from different metals.

How composite fillings are placed

Dr. Proffitt will place your composite fillings using conservative techniques. These are direct restorations, meaning the resin is placed directly inside your prepared (decay-free) teeth. Dr. Proffitt then incrementally applies the resin in small amounts; each increment has to harden before placing the next one. This ensures the resin’s strength is gradually reinforced. After a few minor refinements, the tooth is polished to a brilliant luster!

Composite fillings are generally used to treat small to moderate-sized cavities. However, a composite filling may not be the best solution for larger cavities since the tooth doesn’t have enough support to retain its structural integrity. Due to this, the tooth could fail early, requiring further restorative treatment. In these cases, a modified or conservative “crown-like”  restoration is placed to achieve the best long-term result.

Restore your smile with composite fillings

Contact Proffitt Dentistry today and schedule your consultation with Dr. William Proffitt to learn more about the benefits of composite fillings. You can reach us at (865) 432-0804, and we are conveniently located at 811 High Street, Maryville, TN.