Tooth-Colored Fillings

In the past, teeth were filled with a mixture—or amalgam—of different metals. Today that is changing as more natural-looking and metal-free fillings are becoming the preferred approach.

Dentists are using more tooth-like materials (composite resins and porcelains) that are both safe and predictable. The most important feature, for many people, is that they look and react more like natural teeth.Composite dental fillings can be adhesively held in place or “bonded.” Because they can be bonded to teeth, composite fillings allow for more conservative preparations where less healthy tooth structure is removed.

This often results in smaller filings than that of amalgam (silver fillings), and they are more natural looking. The tooth-colored material is cured with a special light and the surface is shaped and polished to match the tooth, rendering the final restoration virtually undetectable to the eye and very natural feeling in the mouth.