Season’s Greetings Birmingham, MI! Welcome back to the ongoing dental health blog of the Newingham Dental Center. We hope you and your family have been enjoying a lovely holiday season! There’s so many fun activities to do outside; you could build a snowman, get into a snowball fight, or even go sledding. Then there’s all the other trimmings of the holiday season; decorations to place about your home, family get togethers to attend, and delicious food to eat.
But nothing can stop your holiday fun faster than a cavity. Cavities can be quite painful, causing toothaches and other discomfort. An untreated cavity can make it hard to eat and focus during the day. Cavities can even disrupt your sleep schedule when a toothache prevents you from falling asleep. Cavities can get even worse if they are left untreated, leaving you with the need for a root canal or dental crown.
But there is a solution that can stop a cavity before it ruins your smile. At the Newingham Dental Center in Birmingham, MI, we offer composite dental fillings (also known as white dental fillings or tooth-colored dental filling). Composite dental fillings are a reliable and effective way to repair a small or medium-sized cavity. Best of all, they don’t stick out in your smile like an old-fashioned metal filling.
In today’s post of our dental health blog, we’re going to look at composite dental fillings. We’ll discuss the advantages of white dental fillings over other types of dental fillings, and how a dental filling is placed. But first, we want to look at cavities and how they can affect your oral health.
The Dangers of Cavities
Some adults hold the misconception that cavities only happen to children. The truth is most adults will experience at least one cavity during adulthood, and their risk for cavities increases as they get older. Cavities are caused by plaque, an acidic bacteria left behind on your teeth by eating and drinking.
Regular brushing and flossing alone is not sufficient to remove all plaque from your teeth. At the Newingham Dental Center in Birmingham, MI, we recommend that all our patients undergo a teeth cleaning and dental exam every six months. Dental cleanings are needed to remove plaque which has hardened, and plaque which you can’t reach on your own. A Dental exam is needed to detect cavities before they cause you pain.
A small or medium-sized cavity is a relatively easy problem to treat. But when a cavity is left untreated, other problems can follow. An untreated cavity will grow in size, and can become infected. You may eventually need a root canal or dental extraction to repair the problem.
The Advantages of Composite Dental Fillings
Composite dental fills have several advantages over other types of dental fillings. The most noticeable advantage is that composite dental fillings are designed to match the appearance of your natural teeth. Composite dental fillings are made of a mixture of glass and plastic that is carefully color-matched to your other teeth. At the Newingham Dental Center in Birmingham, MI,we can even replace your old metal fillings with tooth-colored fillings.
Composite dental fillings are also free of mercy; unlike metal fillings which could contain potentially harmful amounts of mercury. Composite dental fillings are just as strong as metal dental fillings because they bond directly to your teeth, this means that less of your tooth has to be removed to place the fillings. With good oral hygiene, your composite dental filling can last for many years.
How a Dental Filling is Placed
Placement of a composite dental filling is a routine procedure. We begin by numbing your mouth so you don’t experience any discomfort, then we remove the decayed portion of your tooth. Composite resin is then layered into your tooth, and hardened into place with a UV light. Once the composite dental filling has been placed, we carefully remove any excess material. You will quickly regain the form and function of your tooth.
Make An Appointment
Do you think you may be suffering from a cavity? Then don’t ignore it! Untreated cavities will just causes you problems later in life. End your toothache with a composite dental filling from the Newingham Dental Center in Birmingham, MI. Make an appointment by calling our office at 248-972-8720.
