Choose Porcelain Fillings for a Strong, Natural-Looking Tooth Restoration

When you have a cavity or a damaged tooth, a filling is the typical repair. But not all fillings are created equal. Dr. Shadi Krecht offers porcelain fillings to give you a complete, natural-looking smile without compromising your overall health.

3 Types of Tooth Fillings

Porcelain fillings

Teeth that have large cavities, or cavities on the chewing surface of the tooth, are often best-served by porcelain fillings. Natural-looking in both color and translucency, porcelain fillings are difficult to detect. This type of restoration not only repairs damaged or compromised teeth, porcelain fillings are resistant to staining. Your newly repaired tooth will look brand new, and stay that way.

Made of advanced ceramics, porcelain fillings are incredibly strong – even stronger than natural tooth enamel. They are resistant to wear and to fluctuations in heat and cold. From coffee to tea, soda to ice cream, the color and temperature of foods should do nothing to harm your porcelain fillings (but you still need to brush and floss!).

White composite fillings

Often called tooth-colored fillings, composite fillings are usually selected for small- to medium-sized cavities. The composite filling repair removes as little tooth structure as possible to preserve the integrity of your natural tooth. Anyone who has ever endured a broken filling understands the importance of minimally invasive tooth restorations.

White composite fillings are customized to look like your natural tooth enamel and blend in with the rest of your smile. Sturdy and safe, the advantages of tooth-colored fillings are similar to the perks of porcelain fillings, though the durability of porcelain fillings is difficult to beat.
Amalgam fillings

Silver fillings, also known as amalgam fillings, are falling out of fashion, and for good reason. Not only are amalgam fillings noticeable, they are dangerous to a person’s well-being. Over time, the mercury contained in amalgam fillings is pressed out as teeth are used to bite and chew food. Mercury is a toxic element – no amount of mercury, no matter how trace, is healthy for anyone’s body.

To add to the unsightliness of amalgam fillings, these precarious repairs can eventually seep into the gums, tinting them an unhealthy and unnatural dark grey or black color. Mercury fillings also make teeth far more prone to breaking, which will lead to a need for more restorative dentistry or cosmetic dentistry in the future.

The Versatility of Porcelain Fillings

It’s easy to assume that the term “porcelain filling” is used only when a cavity is present. However, porcelain fillings are far more versatile than just being used to repair a compromised tooth. Because of their strength and ability to improve functionality of teeth, porcelain fillings can be used not only for cavity repairs but to correct other aesthetic complaints, like chips, gaps, or discoloration.

In fact, as a common practice in today’s health-conscious culture, many patients are choosing to have their amalgam fillings replaced with porcelain fillings. Why risk the presence of any toxic substance in your body, like mercury, when there is a safer and stronger alternative? Porcelain fillings blend in with the rest of your teeth, protect them from future damage, and do not put your overall health at risk.

When you keep up with oral health care and visit Dr. Krecht for a professional teeth cleaning and dental exam every six months, you are less likely to develop tooth decay. The eye of an experienced dentist and hygienist will recognize any oral health problems that may be problematic in the future. Any developing tooth decay can be addressed immediately rather than given time to fester, grow, and cause greater problems for your oral health.

Porcelain fillings are simple and effective tooth restorations that are designed to match your teeth and complement your smile. Make an appointment with Dr. Shadi Krecht at his Plymouth, MI, dental office to discuss your restorative dentistry options and learn more about the versatility of porcelain fillings and how they can work for you.