Tooth colored fillings, commonly known as white fillings, are used to mimic the natural exterior appearance of a tooth. As is true with any material that is used to repair teeth, white fillings must be durable, long lasting and resistant to fracture; white fillings have the added advantage of being attractive. New York white fillings are obviously used in cavity repair but the material is also very useful if the dentist wishes to close gaps between your teeth or repair teeth that have small edge chips and minor surface cracks.
The advantages of white fillings:
Since your dentist can match the material to the exact color of your teeth, the primary advantage is aesthetics, however, there are other benefits as well that are worth noting:
- There is no need to grind slots or set pins in the healthy part of the tooth as the material bonds chemically to the tooth
- Because of the chemical bond, New York white fillings restore up to 95 percent of the tooth’s strength
- Whereas amalgam can cause sensitivity in the tooth, white fillings cannot and if there is any sensitivity whatsoever it is minimal
- The material hardens in seconds
The material:
White fillings date back to the mid 1960s, since their introduction the material used have become considerably more durable and esthetically pleasing. The greatest majority of white fillings use a composite resin; a material that uses glass fillers bound in a hard matrix material, this material is acrylic.
As white fillings bond to the tooth chemically it is not always necessary for the dentist to numb the area. Of course, if the filling is quite large and the decay is well into the tooth dentin then numbing will normally be needed. When the tooth is filled, the dentist will shape it and harden the resin under a light source.
