SILVER TO WHITE...
just like that!
Have you ever imagined what it would be like to look in the mirror when you brush your teeth and see, well, nothing! You know, those old black-gray-looking fillings vanishing? The silver fillings used to be the standard of care for restorations in dentistry, and have been used since the Civil War. They were easy to place, and seemed to hold up well in the moist oral environment. Since that time, materials and technology (like everything) have continued to improve, and we now use a tooth-colored material due to its superior properties.
If anyone has had to have a crown (or a cap) placed on a broken tooth, it typically had a large silver filling in it. It is the tooth that has broken, with the silver filling in tact. It is due to the properties of the material, which in time act as a wedging effect. As we eat hot and cold foods, the metal filling expands and contracts, and therefore, weakens the tooth until it breaks. If the break is below the gum, salvaging the tooth becomes a challenge.
By replacing the metal fillings before it breaks with a material that adheres to the tooth, we can actually regain the strength the tooth once had, and prevent the untimely inconvenience and potential pain associated with a broken tooth. The material we now use is tooth-colored, and is known as composite. It actually adheres, or bonds, to the tooth. Therefore, it prevents fracture and holds teeth together better than the silver-mercury fillings ever did. The process is simple and usually performed in just one appointment. Also due to the expanding and contracting properties of the silver fillings, we typically find decay burrowing its way deeper into the tooth. This change to composite or porcelain fillings solve this dilemma, and transforms that aged smile into a clean, youthful, healthy appearance.
Wayne Myles DDS - Providing services in cosmetic dentistry, teeth whitening, dental implants and porcelain veneers to the areas of Reston, Fairfax and Arlington, Northern Virginia (VA).
Reston Cosmetic Dentistry
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