By age 11, more than half of all kids will have at least one. Over a lifetime, more than 90 percent of adults in the United States will have one or more.
Cavities may be the most common oral health problem. Thankfully, they can be treated easily and effectively with tooth fillings at our Tumwater, WA dentist office.
Ignoring tooth decay can lead to more serious problems. It’s best to deal with this issue as soon as possible. Call 360-229-5861 to make an appointment at Prosthetic Dentistry of Tumwater today!
Eat Without Pain Again
The bacteria that cause tooth decay already live in your mouth. With a little time and an opportunity, they will form plaque and start eating away at the enamel on your teeth.
Sometimes the signs of this are visible, such as discoloration on a tooth. At other times, you may notice that your teeth are more sensitive when you are eating. It may even feel painful to eat certain foods.
At their most basic level, dental fillings have two primary purposes. First, they restore your ability to bite and chew naturally and normally. Second, fillings protect your tooth against further decay.
When you get any filling, it should serve this purpose. This may be why metal fillings were so popular for so long. They certainly are an effective way to restore the function of your decayed tooth.
Smile Without Worry
If there is one drawback to fillings made with gold or amalgam (a blend of mercury and other metals), it’s that metal fillings can be distracting. As valuable as they may be from a functional standpoint, they also make people feel self-conscious about flashing their smiles.
With our composite fillings, you won’t have that concern. These fillings can be shaded and polish to match the color of your natural teeth. As a result, they will blend in with your smile. You still get the function and protective benefits of metal fillings, but without the worries about how it affects the cosmetic appearance of your teeth.
Good For Replacements, Too
With proper care, dental fillings can last for several years, but no one has developed a filling that lasts forever. Over time, fillings will experience wear and tear no matter how well you care for them.
Through regular checkups, dental professionals can monitor changes to your fillings and let you know when they need to be replaced. Chips, cracks, and normal wear in fillings can expose parts of your teeth to harmful bacteria. In some cases, metal fillings can swell and shrinks causing them to separate from teeth or even fall out.
Hopefully, you will have a chance to replace your old fillings before that becomes a problem. When it is time for a new filling, keep in mind that we give you a tooth-colored filling regardless of what kind of filling you have today.
Maintain Your Oral Health
Ideally, you will prevent as much decay as possible. If you do develop a cavity, however, our team at Prosthetic Dentistry of Tumwater will be ready with our composite tooth fillings. Just call 360-229-5861 or contact us online to request your appointment.