Tooth-Colored Fillings – Arlington, TX

Eliminate Infection While Preserving Your Tooth’s Appearance

Tooth decay is a nasty little problem that only gets worse if it isn’t treated by a qualified dental professional, and the infection will eventually lead to tooth loss if it is allowed to progress for too long. Thankfully, Collins St Dental of Arlington offers tooth-colored fillings that can repair your pearly whites while blending in with your smile’s natural shade and curves. Here’s a brief guide to how tooth-colored fillings work, but please contact our staff if you’d like to learn more.

Why Choose Collins St Dental of Arlington for Tooth-Colored Fillings?

Eliminate Dental Infection with a Single Treatment
Preserve the Appearance of Your Smile
Skilled and Compassionate Dental Team

What Are Tooth-Colored Fillings?

Dentists have used fillings to repair teeth damaged by infection for centuries, and they were usually made from combinations of metals such as amalgam. While these fillings were effective at fixing decayed teeth so they could last for as long as possible, they were also quite visible since they were colored differently than natural dental enamel. Thankfully, tooth-colored fillings are made from composite resin, a metal-free putty-like substance containing ultra-fine glass and plastic particles, which allows them to blend in perfectly with the rest of your smile. A tooth-colored filling can leave your smile looking like it never had a cavity in the first place.

The Process of Getting a Tooth-Colored Filling

Placing a tooth-colored filling typically requires only a single appointment that takes about an hour. Our dentist will begin the process by administering an appropriate anesthetic treatment to ensure that you feel no pain. They will then use a special tool to remove infected parts of the enamel before sanitizing the tooth and applying layers of tooth-colored resin until the lost structure is completely restored. They will then use an ultraviolet light to harden the restoration and trim away any excess material. Finally, they will polish the repaired tooth to ensure it looks and feels great.

The Benefits of Tooth-Colored Fillings

Tooth-colored fillings boast a number of advantages over amalgam restorations such as:

Lifelike appearance
No possibility of the tooth developing grey stains over time
A more stable restoration since composite resin bonds directly to the tooth
Requiring the removal of less enamel so more natural tooth structure can be preserved
Containing no metal, making them safer for patients with metal allergies
Less dental sensitivity since composite resin does not expand or contract in response to temperature shifts as amalgam does

Tooth-colored fillings can last up to seven years, making them comparable in durability to amalgam restorations, and they require no special maintenance practices beyond brushing, flossing, and regular visits to our office.