With dental health, prevention is always a smart step in ensuring a healthy, beautiful smile. However, when prevention fails, your smile may be impacted in a number of different ways. Common conditions that can occur due to poor oral health habits include tooth decay and periodontal disease. In order to address cavities, most dentists utilize fillings. In the past, filling have been made with many different materials, including metals and silver amalgam. However, tooth-colored fillings are the most aesthetic and are achieved with a material known as composite resin. In addition to blending in with natural tooth enamel and appearing natural, this material is also biocompatible.
Why is biocompatibility important?
Certain materials are not considered biocompatible with the body. Because of this, they are not recommended. This is why bone and joint replacements are made with certain metals that have longevity and biocompatibility, to eliminate the risk of rejection. The same goes with dental restorations such as composite resin. Composite resin can be used on the teeth, and in the teeth, for restorative and cosmetic purposes. With this in mind, patients find that dental bonding is extremely effective at eliminating the risk of allergies that can occur with metals used in dental restorations.
What happens if I don’t get a cavity filled?
Avoiding the filling of a cavity can lead to more extensive issues down the road. Cavities will continue to progress, eating away more of the natural tooth enamel. When cavities become deep, they can significantly increase a patient’s risk of experiencing an infection inside of the tooth that might require root canal therapy to fix. Filling a cavity stops the progress while restoring the substance lost. When materials such as composite resin are used, it can be almost impossible to see where fillings have been placed in the smile!
Learn more about tooth-colored fillings
Dr. Chong Lee and the team at Galleria Dental Aesthetics are available to assist patients in the community of McLean, VA with restorative dental procedures. If you are interested in discussing the placement of fillings for areas of decay, call the office at (703) 448-1020 to make an appointment.