If you’ve ever had a cavity, or known someone who has, you’ve probably heard of dental fillings at least once in your lifetime. Other than the fact that it is better to not need one, how much do you know about dental fillings, their purpose, and how they benefit a tooth affected by decay? Dr. Thomas Villani, your Brighton family dentist, increases your knowledge of dental fillings and the disease that makes them necessary with these informational tidbits.
How Much Do You Know About Fillings?
- Dental fillings are a common procedure when treating tooth decay, although the filling itself does not affect the actual disease. After mild to moderate decay has been removed from an afflicted tooth, replacing the extracted tooth structure with a dental filling helps maintain the tooth’s strength, decreasing the chances of the tooth becoming damaged in its less-substantial position.
- For over a century, the filling material of choice was metal amalgam. Made from an impressive cocktail of metals, including mercury, metal amalgam offered a cheap and effective alternative treatment to those who could not afford the standard gold dental work.
- Today, people still use amalgam from time to time, but Dr. Villani advises you to use dental composite resin that can be dyed to match the color and tint of your tooth.
- Metal and resin are not the only materials that have ever been used for dental fillings. Archaeologists uncovered remains that exhibited evidence of beeswax used as a dental filling.
Discrete and Durable Dental Fillings in Brighton
To learn more about dental fillings, or to see your Brighton dentist about treating your tooth decay, contact our dental office in Brighton. You can schedule a dental consultation with Dr. Villani by calling Brighton Family Dental Group at (617) 562-5210. We proudly serve patients from Watertown, Cambridge, Brookline, Newton, Brighton, and the 02135 area.
