Good News if You Need a Tooth Filling

The bad news about needing a tooth filling is that it means your tooth has a cavity, which is caused by progressive tooth decay. The longer you ignore it or neglect to treat it, the larger that cavity will grow. Before long, a tooth filling may not even be enough to save it anymore. However, the good news is that today’s tooth fillings are more convenient, comfortable, and lifelike than many people realize. At our Oxnard, CA, dental office, we offer tooth-colored composite resin fillings that often provide many more benefits than patients immediately realize.

It doesn’t have to be metallic
Traditionally, tooth fillings have most often been made from a mixture of trace metals known as amalgam. The material is durable, but when as metal, it doesn’t interact as favorably with your healthy, natural tooth structure as composite resin. Made from a mixture of acrylic and quartz-like particles, instead of metal, composite resin can be bonded to natural tooth structure securely and can be tinted to match the color of the tooth it’s restoring. This makes it more attractive than a metal filling as well as more biocompatible with your teeth.

It can prevent root canal treatment
Tooth decay, the condition that causes cavities, grows increasingly worse as time goes by. If you wait to seek treatment for a cavity, then you might need root canal treatment by the time you visit your dentist. If you have a filling placed but it fails, as metal ones sometimes do, then the infection can progress before you replace the filling, which could also lead to the need for root canal treatment. Because tooth-colored fillings offer better protection against oral bacteria, they can significantly reduce your risks of needing more involved treatment later.

It could be your last filling
In addition to helping you avoid root canal treatment, tooth-colored composite resin fillingscan often last much longer than their metal counterparts. Part of the reason is consistency – over time, metal fillings can change shape under the influence of extreme cold or heat. This can cause the filling to fail, damage your tooth, and/or leave it exposed to further infection. By contrast, composite resin retains its shape long after it’s been placed in your cavity, improving its long-term durability.

Learn if you need root canal treatment
If you need a tooth filling, then the good news is that today’s restorations offer much more effective and lifelike results than you might expect. For more information, schedule a consultation by calling Oxnard Dentistry in Oxnard, CA, today at (805) 604-9999. We also proudly serve patients from in and around Camarillo, Ventura, Thousand Oaks, Moore Park, and all surrounding communities.