Composite Fillings

For more than a century, dentists have placed silver-colored fillings made from an amalgam of metals. These metals contain primarily elemental mercury and tin, copper, and silver. We prefer to use a category of metal-free and tooth-colored materials called “dental composites.” These materials are made from a mixture of resin and quartz particles.

There are numerous reasons for this, but one of the most obvious is that you deserve a restored smile that looks natural. When cavities are treated with metals, you can see the silver in your mouth when you smile. With composites, we can select shades that perfectly match our patients’ natural tooth color. The filling blends in with the rest of the tooth and its natural neighbors. We can also apply composite conservatively, altering very little natural tooth structure, and we do so in a way that does not use mercury and other metals. Even those with concerns over sensitivities, allergic reactions, and toxicities have the ultimate peace of mind about the safety of our process.

First, Dr. Ponnaganti numbs the area to be treated for your comfort. After confirming you cannot feel anything, we remove the decayed or damaged tissue. Very little tissue has to be removed; only the damaged structure is lifted precisely from the tooth. With amalgam fillings, more of the tooth, including potentially healthy structure, has to be removed or drilled out to make way for the filling. Due to the minimal preparation of composites, we generally refer to this treatment as conservative or tissue-preserving. Then, once your tooth is a clean slate, Dr. Ponnaganti begins to apply the composite in layers. After the tooth has been built and the cavity filled in, the composite is hardened with a special light.

For larger cavities, there may not be enough existing tooth structure for the composite to bond effectively, but there’s no need to worry! Happy Smiles offers alternative restorative dentistry procedures to restore your tooth’s function, comfort, and appearance. We may restore the strength and appearance of the tooth with conservative dental inlays and onlays (also known as “partial crowns”) or with full porcelain dental crowns.