{"id":19,"date":"2019-10-20T17:37:04","date_gmt":"2019-10-20T17:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/?p=19"},"modified":"2019-11-20T17:40:06","modified_gmt":"2019-11-20T17:40:06","slug":"are-tooth-colored-fillings-better-than-metal-ones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/20\/are-tooth-colored-fillings-better-than-metal-ones\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Tooth-Colored Fillings Better Than Metal Ones?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/20\/are-tooth-colored-fillings-better-than-metal-ones\/\" class=\"block-image-link\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/patient-talking-to-dentist-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"patient talking to dentist\" class=\"wp-image-20\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/patient-talking-to-dentist-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/patient-talking-to-dentist-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/patient-talking-to-dentist-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/patient-talking-to-dentist.jpg 1430w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If a tooth develops a cavity, the standard treatment is to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/restorative-dentistry.html\">fill in that\ncavity<\/a> so it does not become bigger and lead to further problems down the\nroad. In recent years, more and more dentists are offering tooth-colored\nfillings as opposed to traditional silver amalgam (metal) ones. That leads many\npatients to wonder, \u201cAre tooth-colored fillings better than metal ones?\u201d As you\nwill discover in this blog post, each type of filling offers its own advantages\nand disadvantages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Advantages of Tooth-Colored Fillings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The most well-known benefit of tooth-colored fillings is\nthat they are quite natural-looking; onlookers may never notice them because\nthey are shade-matched to blend in with the surrounding dentition. Other\nadvantages include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Since the filling material bonds directly with the\ntooth, minimal tooth preparation is necessary.<\/li><li>The filling material does not expand and\ncontract in response to temperature changes, which can reduce the risk of tooth\nfractures.<\/li><li>Tooth-colored fillings are less likely to cause\ndental sensitivity than metal ones.<\/li><li>These fillings are metal-free and mercury-free, a\nfact that makes them extremely biocompatible.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Disadvantages of Tooth-Colored Fillings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Tooth-colored fillings have two notable disadvantages. One\nis that they are not invulnerable to stains. Just like natural teeth, they can\nbecome discolored over time due to exposure to coffee, tea, red wine, and other\nhighly pigmented foods and beverages. They also do not respond to whitening\nproducts. The other disadvantage is that they are not quite as a strong as\nmetal fillings. Thus, they may not perform as well on teeth that have to bear a\nlot of force during eating, such as the molars and premolars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Advantages of Metal Fillings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Metal fillings are quite strong, which means they can stand\nup to a lot of chewing force day after day. They may also take less time to\nplace than tooth-colored fillings and come with a lower price tag. Although\nmetal fillings contain mercury, the American Dental Association remains\nconfident that they do not pose any significant long-term health risks to most\npeople.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Disadvantages of Metal Fillings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Disadvantages of metal fillings include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>They are very dark and noticeable. They can also\ncause permanent gray stains on the teeth.<\/li><li>They expand and contract in response to\ntemperature changes, which can damage the surrounding dental structure.<\/li><li>They can increase dental sensitivity.<\/li><li>They require more tooth preparation than\ntooth-colored fillings.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which Option Is Right for You?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most dentists recommend tooth-colored fillings as the better\noption because they are so biocompatible, and most patients prefer them for\ntheir remarkable aesthetic qualities. Your dentist can further discuss each\ntype of restoration with you so you can make the best decision for your unique\ncircumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About Our Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New Haven Dental Group has been serving families in our\ncommunity for over 40 years. We have several general dentists and specialists\non our team, each of whom is passionate about providing top-tier care to\npatients. We stay up-to-date with the latest advances in dentistry, which is\nwhy we proudly offer tooth-colored fillings. To learn more about our\nrestorative services, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/dentist-office-locations.html\">contact any\nof our four conveniently located offices<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If a tooth develops a cavity, the standard treatment is to fill in that cavity so it does not become bigger and lead to further problems down the road. In recent years, more and more dentists are offering tooth-colored fillings as opposed to traditional silver amalgam (metal) ones. That leads many patients to wonder, \u201cAre tooth-colored fillings better than metal ones?\u201d As you will discover in this blog post, each type of filling offers its own advantages and disadvantages. <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/20\/are-tooth-colored-fillings-better-than-metal-ones\/\">(Read More)<\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19\/revisions\/21"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newhavendental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}